13 Mexican Hotels with Authentic Temazcal Experiences

When people talk about how much they love steam baths and how relaxed they feel afterwards, I nod along, knowing that I would rather take an ice-cold dip. Drenched in sweat, red skin, lungs struggling in the thick air – if I want to warm up, a nice spot on the beach is fine.

Yet there I was sitting on a towel in W Mexico City temazcal, an igloo-shaped sweat lodge. I could barely think in the stifling heat as sweat dripped down every inch of my body. A shaman stood across from me, making the small room even more steamy as she scooped fragrant water onto volcanic rocks. Sweat streams became rivers, and soon the rivers became tributaries.

I started berating myself for not enjoying this. After all, this ritual for cleansing the mind, body and soul has been part of Mexican culture for about 1,000 years. “From the pre-Columbian era to the present day, the practice of temazcal has had various spiritual meanings, rooted in its benefits for purification and connection with the essential elements of indigenous cosmology: earth, fire, water and air,” says Cesandari del Valle, Away Spa Manager at W Mexico City. “These elements together provide a therapeutic environment of heat and moisture. At W Mexico City we honor this tradition by offering our own shaman-led experience, providing visitors with a safe space to let go of the worries of the day, find balance, enjoy life’s pleasures and detoxify the body .

I was aware of the reported physical benefits of the temazcal, which comes from the Nahuatl word temazcalli, or ‘house of warmth’. In addition to detoxifying, it is also said to reduce inflammation, improve circulation, promote digestion, reactivate the lymphatic system, clear blockages, strengthen the liver and cleanse the kidneys. It is also said to affect you in other ways: it promotes relaxation, helps release negative emotions, and restores your connection with Mother Nature.

This was not what my first moments suggested. The tributaries were now lakes, and I was sure my skin was getting redder by the second.

As the shaman sang during the treatment, my normally constantly racing mind began to slow down, and before long it came to a halt. The shaman who said she could tell I came from a long line of strong women. Despite my inner dialogue before, she was right. I thought about my mother, my aunts and my grandmother – pillars of my family. Suddenly I forgot about the sweltering heat. After 90 minutes there – more meditative than any meditation I have ever experienced – I left the body feeling physically and mentally lighter.

W Mexico City is the only hotel in the city that offers a temazcal, and even more unusual: the building is located in the spa; most accommodations have them as stand-alone buildings. But hotels across Mexico are reviving this ancient tradition and giving it their own regional touches. Here are other places where you can try a luxurious temazcal experience:

One&Only MandarinaRiviera Nayarit

Nestled in the rainforest, the spa’s temazcal offers a chance to soak curanderismo, or Mexican folk healing. Linda Mariscal, the on-site curandera, or traditional indigenous healer, learned the age-old practice from her great-grandmother and grandmothers. Mariscal guides you through a 90-minute therapeutic, spiritual, relaxing, purifying or feminine ritual, using medicinal steam, plants, herbs and songs.

Zadún, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve, Los Cabos

Take a seat in the Templo de Calor, the temazcal of the five-star Los Cabos Hotel, for a 90-minute purifying experience. It starts with an energy cleansing ceremony and traditional chanting led by a shaman. Then you will detox while the temazcal heats up. Then cool off in the outdoor shower to improve blood flow and boost your immune system.

Live Aqua Urban Resort San Miguel de Allende

A rebirth ritual is held in the stone temazcal at the hotel’s four-star spa. A shaman begins with an energy-harmonizing sound bath and then performs a cleansing with copal, a tree resin that has long been used as an offering in ceremonies. This sets the stage for symbolically entering the womb of Mother Earth, which the chamber represents, for a steam bath.

Rosewood Mayakoba, Riviera Maya

You’ll find sanctuary at the Five-Star Sense, A Rosewood Spa in Mayakoba, which sits on its own lush private island, accessible by boat. In the stone sweat lodge, the shaman pours water scented with herbs and essential oils over volcanic stones, allowing the steam to gradually envelop you. During the session the shaman will chant mantras and guide you through rituals.

The St. Regis Punta Mita ResortRiviera Nayarit

As part of the Riviera Nayarit hotel’s recent $45 million renovation, which debuted during its 15th anniversary, The St. Regis added a temazcal. The building is hidden in green gardens of the recently renovated spa. After a sweat session, head outside and just steps away you’ll find a fire pit, lounge area, and cold dip where you can continue to reflect.

Maroma, a Belmond Hotel, Riviera Maya

At the beachside temazcal at Five-Star Maroma, a Mayan shaman begins the ritual by touching a shell and praying to each of the cardinal points, asking the universe for permission to begin. He then cleanses your energy with copal before you enter the hot dome. Afterwards, you are invited to refresh yourself with a dip in the nearby sea.

Conrad Punta de Mita

The best parts of the four-star hotel’s 10,000-square-foot spa are found outdoors, including seven cocoon treatment cabanas made of branches connected by a tunnel of plants and flowers, a series of pools and a temazcal, the first in a Hilton property. The rituals used here are based on the practices of the Huichol, the indigenous people of this region of western Mexico.

Fairmont Mayakoba, Riviera Maya

In the Mayan-inspired Four-Star spa, the temazcal provides a connection between people and the gods. As you detox in the room, you will learn about the Mayan cosmogony of the temazscalero. For example, copal is used to cleanse the mind and recall your heritage and cedar expresses gratitude and blessings. Then retreat to the cold plunge pool of the spa garden.

Hotel Xcaret Arte, Riviera Maya

Four-star Muluk Spa has its unique treatment rooms carved into the stone caves of the rocky hillside, but the sweat lodge is nestled in the middle of the Riviera Maya jungle. A shaman guides you through the ceremony, putting you back in touch with your emotions and ancestors. During the ritual you experience phases related to the movements of the sun and the earth, the cycles of nature and the phases of life.

One&Only Palmilla, Los Cabos Resort

Everything from the volcanic stones to the desert spices used in the five-star hotel’s adobe temazcal comes from the surrounding Baja region. You’ll listen to native music and inhale copal incense as a local shaman takes you through the intense healing experience. When it’s over, the shaman will help you hydrate with a detoxifying drink.

Fiesta Americana Hacienda Galindo Resort & SpaQuerétaro

This hotel in Galindo, Querétaro goes back 500 years in history and also looks to the past for the temazcal experience. Fiesta Americana honors the traditional representation of a mother’s womb through the temazcal, which is associated with the mother goddess Toci. When you enter the dome, you are seeking rebirth. Natives used these facilities for purification, believing it cleansed both body and mind.

Banyan Tree Veya, Valle de GuadalupeEnsenada

This newly opened hotel is the first Veya, Banyan Tree’s new wellness brand, in the Americas and the second worldwide (the first is in Phuket). Just two hours south of San Diego, it debuted Valle de Guadalupe’s first temazcal among its hilly 16 hectares. Inside, a temazcalero guides you through deep breathing exercises, meditative chants and drums.

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