Puerto Vallarta Should Be On Your List Of Wellness Destinations

Puerto Vallarta, Mexico— Enjoying oneself on a holiday does not mean abandoning one’s wellness goals. In fact, with wellness travel trending so highly lately, picking a destination that emphasize wellness is a way to marry vacation and fitness in one. Puerto Vallarta is a top destination in Mexico for wellness-minded travelers to stay in touch with their health goals while enjoying one of Mexico’s most famous beach destinations. From fitness programs, to spas, to healthy dining, and more, Puerto Vallarta is a haven for wellness travel. Later this month, the destination will host the health and wellness “Free Soul Festival” which will take place from November 29th to December 1st and will feature world-renowned yoga and meditation instructors. For those who cannot make it to this experience, fear not, Puerto Vallarta has health and wellness offerings year-round, including some truly spectacular hotels and spas. For visitors to Puerto Vallarta who want to incorporate pampering and holistic healing into their getaway, here are a few to know. The Spa at The Westin Puerto Vallarta drawing upon its serene beachfront setting and featuring a wide array of soothing treatments, creating an oasis to renew the mind, body and spirit. Step into one of its seven peaceful indoor treatment rooms or listen to the sounds of the ocean with a massage in one of the property’s outdoor pergolas. Sheraton Buganvilias Resort & Convention Center’s Spa Maiavé is a holistic oasis that has been carefully designed to nurture a physical and mental experience for a balanced lifestyle. With wellness as an inspiration, it combines therapies and health techniques with the great power of natural healing and surrounding elements, including agave extracts, essential oils, floral elixirs and mud to harmonize, revitalize and relax the body and mind. Boutique in size, with just five treatment rooms, Abja Spa at Casa Velas, sets the tone with trickling fountains, aromatherapy fragrance, and candlelit corridors. Despite its small size, it offers a robust array of services, including separate hydrotherapy areas for men and women, a spa boutique, and beauty salon. Specialized packages cater to golfers, honeymooners, executives, and more, with luxe treatments that beautify, tone, relax, and invigorate. Floor-to-ceiling windows in the well-equipped fitness center offer pleasant views of the surrounding gardens. Yoga with facial yoga exercises included is offered Monday and Friday at 9:30 a.m. in the garden. The resort also has two 1,350-square-foot duplex Wellness Suites that offer a plethora of fitness and wellness amenities. Casa Velas recently unveiled new spa labyrinths and meditation pods to complement its spa and Wellness Suites. Based on the four elements - Water, Earth, Wind, and Fire - four new labyrinths offer mindful meditation reflection. Several meditation pods have been added to the garden for introspection. Then there is the Ohtli Spa at Marriott Puerto Vallarta Resort & Spa. This palatial paradise spans 22,000 square feet and offers treatments inspired by ancient traditions of the Huichol culture. The signature treatment is the "Rebirth" Therapy session, which is performed in a pool of warm water. There is also a Hydrating Tequila Coconut body treatment that combines the nation's signature product with local fruit to restore the hydration of the skin. Guests visiting the spa have access to a variety of hot and cold plunge pools to help stimulate and invigorate the senses before and after their treatment. Outdoor enthusiasts can always find something to do in Puerto Vallarta, whether it’s hiking, biking, or yoga on the beach. The mountains that frame the city are veined with hiking trails that lead back into the jungle or spill out to secret beaches and waterfalls. Cyclists can hit the pavement or the sand on two wheels with one of the many bike rental companies in the city, like Puerto Vallarta Cycling or PVBikes. And if it's yoga you're after, there are a variety of yoga studies and retreats within the area. One of the best yoga escapes is Xinalani, which offers an eight-day Ultimate Beach Yoga Retreat, packed with wellness-minded activities, healthy food, space to disconnect, and, of course, plenty of yoga. For something less immersive, Puerto Vallarta has many yoga studies in the city, like Davanna Yoga, which offers Vinyasa, Hatha, Morning Yoga, meditation, and even yoga teacher training courses. Visit The Yogi Bar in the Marina or Kupuri Yoga on the Malecon to practice some of these teachings. Finally, just because it is a vacation doesn't mean that the diet has to go out the window. Indulging may be part of the fun but staying true to your clean eating goals is also important. Puerto Vallarta has fantastic dining, and health food is no exception. Salud Super Food, for example, is one of the city's best spots for fresh, clean eating. Located in the Zona Romantica, the natural food cafe serves salads, smoothies, healthy tacos, light breakfasts, wraps, and vegan specialties. Also, in the Zona Romantica is Barra Light, a vegan-friendly restaurant that serves breakfasts, organic salads, sandwiches, smoothies, and juices. Other places to check out are Planeta Vegetariano, The Green Place, Playa Detox and The Yogi Bar So, when it comes to staying fit and wellness-minded when on vacation, it really comes down to the destination you choose. It’s possible to have that gluten-free cake and eat it, too, especially when visiting Puerto Vallarta.

Ottawa Emerging As Leading Spa And Wellness Tourism Destination

The city of Ottawa is emerging as a leading destination for spa and wellness tourism thanks to an ever-growing wealth of product, high-end facilities and great value packages.

For starters, Canada’s capital is home to the largest spa in North America. The Scandinavian-inspired Nordik Nature Spa, located near the entrance to beautiful Gatineau Park, is just a 15-minute drive north of downtown Ottawa. It is one of only two places in the world where you can receive a relaxing Källa treatment, floating in its saltwater pool.

This summer saw Nordik launch its Massana Nature outdoor massage rooms (summertime only). Other standout facilities include seven outdoor pools; cascades; infinity pool; and eight saunas, backed by an excellent restaurant and cosy group accommodation in rustic lodges amid forested surroundings. Don’t miss the signature Aufguss ritual, an aromatherapy experience in a sauna which uses water enriched with essential oils.

At Holtz Spa, a day spa in downtown Ottawa, programs range from Algo Slim and a 30-Day Detox to the signature Shankara Signature Ayurvedic Body Samahdi featuring various tailored treatments including a nourishing herbal wrap and a Tibetan Foot Balancing treatment. There is even an award-winning restaurant on site called Santé.

Men are also spoilt for choice. Aside from the male-only Bodé Spa, which offers everything from massage treatments to male grooming, many of the local spas offer comprehensive male treatment menus.

Thanks to Ottawa Tourism’s Sip, Savour & Spa promotion* wellness fans can also make some big savings when booking treatments in the city’s spas combined with accommodation and activities ranging from romantic dinners to gourmet walking tours in the buzzing ByWard Market district.

Jantine Van Kregten, Director of Communications at Ottawa Tourism, says, “Ottawans have always been a health-conscious bunch but in recent years the city’s wellness offering has been taken to a whole new level.

“The variety of options on offer in the capital region nowadays is staggering. Aside from visitors having the rare opportunity to experience Källa treatments at Nordik, and the top-notch facilities at hotel spas like Au Naturel, another thing that sets Ottawa’s offering apart is fusion of traditional approaches with local touches. One great example is the body lotions that Holtz Spa uses in some of its treatments ─ they’ve been infused with maple syrup from Fulton’s, a local farm. Let me tell you, those lotions smell incredible!”

Many of the finest offerings can be found in the city’s top hotels such as Hotel Indigo and the Brookstreet hotel, whose Au Naturel spa offers treatments for men, women, couples and brides.

The Health Club at the iconic Fairmont Château Laurier hotel offers everything from personal training and health assessments to massage therapy, not to mention a unique indoor art-deco swimming pool, while the Westin Ottawa’s facilities include an indoor heated saltwater swimming pool and therapeutic whirlpool. Guests at the Ottawa Marriott are also well looked after with its recently refurbished Vivianna Day Spa, located in the Kent Club on the 4th floor, catering to individuals, groups or parties.

Can’t be bothered to leave your hotel room? Mobile spa services such as Spa Smart Ottawa will come to your hotel room or other location or event. They even feature spa menus for children and a special spa party menu that includes mini-treatments for groups of five or more guests. Meanwhile, ARC the.hotel, the first hotel in North America to feature THANN all-natural spa amenities in its guest rooms, offers in-room treatments such as jetlag-combatting massages and pedicures using therapists from Bodé Spa.

Van Kregten adds: “It’s not all about the spas and their treatments, of course. Activities such as hiking in Gatineau Park or paddling the Rideau Canal, or (in winter) snowshoeing in the Greenbelt that surrounds Ottawa and cross-country skiing in Gatineau Park, can also be very ‘zen’ and relaxing.”

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