Choosing Between a Destination or Resort Spa
There are two kinds of spa in Mexico, which are described below along with their description, advantages and disadvantages.
Destination Spas
These are spas which have been created to provide spa services and nothing else. They are often located in quiet, serene areas. Some accept children, others have minimum age limits, e.g. 13 years, 18 years, etc. Destination Spas sometimes specialize in a particular area; for example:
Holistic - Ffocus on an experience that will harmonize the mind, body and spirit. Activities such as meditation, yoga and acupuncture will be common.
Weight Loss - Some centers can focus on exercise, aerobics, diet and nutrition
Sports - Some spas will provide facilities to play particular sports (e.g. Golf course, Tennis courts) and focus on services that facilitate the development of your skills and body muscles to enable you to participate in these better.
Some centers provide a choice, and you can elect one, or none of these and just choose to relax and be pampered for your stay or visit.
Destination Spas are residential - They provide all of your accommodation and food, which can be prepared by top chefs whose aim is to provide a well balanced diet for your needs.
Some Residential Spas are quiet and relaxed; others have parties at night and are quite energetic places; you can choose what kind you'd like to go to; there's something to suit everyone!
Advantages - Enables you to get away from it all; all your needs are catered for, and its hassle-free. You don't have to worry about anything: your accommodation is provided, three meals a day are prepared and served to you, and you will get to experience a complete change from your normal routine. The best practitioners are often based at these centers, and you will receive a more focused approach to the health spa concept.
Disadvantages - The main disadvantage, perhaps, is that you or your partner or family may not want an all-engaging Spa experience and want to just sit on a beach, or take part in some other vacation activity some of time as well. In these cases, a Resort Spa will be a better option for you.
Resort Spas
Resort Spas are based at vacation resorts or hotels. Instead of being a bespoke Spa Experience, the Spa is one of the many facilities the resort or hotel offers: in effect, the Spa is a walk-in center that you choose to do, or not, depending on your mood.
The services and facilities offered at resort spas will vary depending on the individual location.
In recent years, good quality hotels have invested millions of dollars creating spa-centers inside their resorts. The quality of many of these centers is extrenmely high, offering a wide range of spa services (including many of the services traditionally offered only by destionation spas) diligently delivered by professional staffed, trained to take proper care of spa guests.
The resort spas advertise the services they offer, so you'll know beforehand what to expect. Universally, all tend to offer pools, steam and sauna rooms, massage, beauty treatments, facials and a gym. More specialist services, in particular those around holistic therapies (yoga, meditation, acupuncture, aromatherapy, etc) may only be available at more up-scale resorts, or those which have these services included as a unique service proposition for clients.
Advantages - Because they are part of a resort, the services they offer may be bought on a "per use" basis, so you only pay for what you'll use (although some Destination Spas operate this system too).
Resort Spas tend to work out less expensive than Destination Spas. Your accommodation will have already been provided as part of your hotel or resort accommodation, and your food will be provided by the hotel/resort hotels, or elsewhere locally if you choose.
You may also elect to have a "Spa Experience" for a couple of days, a whole week, or not at all. If your partner and/or family don't want to participate, they don't have to and still enjoy a great vacation using the the resort's other services and facilities. If you don't want a spa, they can parcipate. It's flexible.
Disadvantages - You are unlikely to get a totally focused Spa Experience at a Resort Spa; altough as mentioned earlier, in recent years the range and quality of services being delivered at resort spas has increased exponentially, as a direct result of significant new investments by the resort-hotels.
The practitioners at some of the lower budget resort spas may not be as experienced as those working in the Destination Spas, and some Spas may lack some the more specialist services such as yoga, meditation and alternative therapies.