Article written by Wendy Helfenbaum.
Is there anything more relaxing than a soothing spa treatment inspired by your tropical surroundings, with ocean breezes and the sounds of birds singing in the background? Indulging in restorative massages, facials and body scrubs or wraps in the Caribbean often includes using traditional rituals and indigenous ingredients such as aloe, tropical fruit, sea salt, spices, coffee, coconut oil, seaweed or volcanic mud — all meant to offer a luxurious experience.
From rum and aloe massages in Aruba to cane sugar and rum scrubs in Barbados, here are some signature treatments to try on your next trip.
The British Virgin Islands
Let go, breathe deep, and let the view of the crystal, clear waters of the BVIs take care of the rest. Photo courtesy of Ixora Spa on Scrub Island
A heavenly retreat is waiting at Ixora Spa, located at the Scrub Island Resort, Spa & Marina in The British Virgin Islands, where four treatments leverage the island’s sun-kissed ingredients. For the Ixora Signature Coconut Frangipani Scrub, the oil from these fragrant local flowers is mixed with fresh coconut flakes to gently exfoliate, nourish and moisturize the body with natural antioxidants. Took too much sun? The Ixora Signature Aloe & Cucumber Wrap instantly cools and soothes sunburned skin. The aloe is picked at the property’s onsite farm, and the treatment leaves the skin hydrated to minimize peeling.
Using traditional medicinal and healing techniques, the Ixora Signature Caribbean Poultice Massage draws inspiration from ayurveda to enhance, repair and help the body’s muscles and joints recover. Locally sourced herbs including Neem leaves, Tamarind leaves, Moringa, lemon grass, Knight shade, Basils, Japana, Mint and Banana leaves are combined in a poultice bag and warmed in oil before being massaged into the skin. The Couples Caribbean Escape is a 90-minute relaxing aromatherapy massage and salt scrub body polish plus a rejuvenating frangipani scalp massage or foot reflexology.
At the Sundara Spa and Studio at Oil Nut Bay in Virgin Gorda, you can enjoy a decadent treatment in an overwater massage pavilion with panoramic bay views.
Offering integrative healing therapies and marine-inspired treatments using the healing properties of the sea, the spa menu includes things like the Voya Organic Herbal Bag Massage, where warm steamed bags of organic orange, clove, ginger, and Fucus Serratus seaweed are massaged into the body to release the seaweed oils. There are also Voya seaweed-based facials that detoxify, hydrate and restore balance to the skin and the Ocean Essence Body Wrap which uses Fucus Serratus seaweed to stimulate blood and lymph flow to detox, hydrate and encourage skin cell renewal.
Aruba
This is not your average pool day! Photo courtesy of JOIA Aruba by Iberostar Spa.
The recently renovated Balinese-style Mandara Spa at the Aruba Marriott Resort & Stellaris Casino is the largest on the island of Aruba. The soothing Aloe and Milk Bath Wrap is perfect after a day at the beach, refreshing and hydrating the skin using locally harvested aloe gel. You can also book at tour of Aruba Aloe to learn how it’s grown, harvested and processed, and take a create-your-own-scrub class.
The spa added new saunas and steam rooms, along with a new outdoor hot tub and cold plunge pool to complete your self-care session. Top things off with a refreshing Aloe Spritz cocktail — in addition to soothing your skin, ingesting aloe has health-boosting properties including vitamins A, C, and E, which are natural antioxidants.
JOIA Aruba by Iberostar’s Spa Sensation offers several pampering experiences such as the Aloe Vera Calming Wrap which uses fresh Aruba aloe to calm and nourish the skin. The Ritual Babor includes a body exfoliation, mask and full-body massage with either a restorative experience using the scents of musk, cashmere, and wood or a balancing experience with the fragrances of citrus, rosemary, and lavender. The anti-aging Earth Experience features almond, mimosa and musk scents and starts with a dry peel using cranberry seeds followed by a brushing technique to invigorate the blood. A creamy mask containing antioxidants is then applied to the face. And the Ocean Experience is infused with citrus aromas to hydrate and refresh the body along with a massage and mask application.
At the Eforea Spa at Hilton Aruba Caribbean Resort & Casino, guests can enjoy an aloe vera, rum and stone massage using local volcanic beach stones and agave nectar. The Tropical Oasis Eminence Body Treatment uses organic products containing yuzu, coconut, and mango to exfoliate and hydrate the skin.
Book a dynamic massage at The Ritz-Carlton Spa, Aruba, created by local therapists that integrates the oil derived from the island’s Divi Divi tree to improve circulation, boost metabolism and regenerate skin.
Barbados
Out of office. Indefinitely. 😎; photo courtesy of The Spa at Sandy Lane.
Shaped by sugar cane fields and salt-tinged trade winds, Barbados’ spa culture stems from the same ingredients that define its history and landscape. At Eforea Spa at Hilton Barbados Resort, locally sourced coffee, cane sugar and island rum are woven into exfoliating rituals for an ultra-luxurious experience.
In Bridgetown, Reflections Spa Barbados uses Bajan sea salt and raw Barbados sugar in body polishes to invigorate and polish sun-kissed skin. At the AquaSpa at Sweetfield Manor, open-air treatments within an historic plantation setting feature coconut oils and tropical botanicals sourced from the surrounding gardens.
St. Kitts & Nevis
Healing hands…let the rainforest do the rest: photo courtesy of Four Seasons Resort Nevis
Signature services from The Spa at The Four Seasons Resort Nevis include a variety of sumptuous spa treatments such as the Nevisian Rainforest Massage, which begins with a relaxing herbal foot soak while you’re surrounded by the calming sounds of the rainforest. Vanilla-scented products restore and refresh the skin, followed by a cup of soothing local tea. The Herbal Poultice Massage packs the healing power of local herbs from Nevis into a multisensory massage designed to awaken the senses and alleviate aches.
The spa’s Nourishing Neem Ritual harnesses ingredients from neem, known as ‘the Miracle Tree,’ to nourish the skin after a gentle exfoliation with a neem- and moringa-infused scrub. Warm herbal oil is drizzled on the scalp followed by a stimulating massage.
On the island of St. Kitts, the Sugar Mill Spa & Sanctuary at the Park Hyatt St. Kitts offers facials crafted to restore brighten, tone and nourish the skin. There’s a mineral-rich salt stone facial or ones that detoxify or soothe sun-damaged skin.
Editor’s Note: Beyond more traditional treatments, sample from the spa’s well being offerings including sound healing and yoga classes offered inside its sugar mill inspired studio. Or try the Cacao Ceremony with guided meditation. This unique experience blends tradition, scent and intention to open the heart and calm the mind.
Article by Wendy Helfenbaum.Wendy Helfenbaum is a Montreal-based freelance journalist who writes about travel and lifestyle for dozens of publications.
Throughout her career as a journalist, freelance writer and television producer, she’s written and produced print or television features on a wide variety of topics, including news, business, health and fitness, parenting, celebrity profiles, art, home decor, entertainment, sports, consumer affairs, philanthropy and corporate incentive travel.
Wendy is President of Take Two Productions Inc., a freelance writing, television production and translation solutions company in Montreal, Quebec. She works with clients in Canada, the U.S. and Europe.
