Mayan Luxury Spa
By Chris Ciolli
Well-ranked in “best-of-Barcelona” spa lists, the Mayan Luxury Spa at Hotel El Palace is a splurge for a special occasion.
With a menu of pre-Hispanic-themed treatments, one of the spa’s more unique features (for Barcelona, at least) is its tiered, Temazcal sauna, based on an ancient Mayan design where water infused with medicinal herbs is poured over heated volcanic stones to purify the spirit. If this sounds like your cup of tea, go all in and book a rebirth ritual performed by a shaman – but bring a friend, as there’s a two-person minimum.
If you prefer physical to spiritual treatments, Mayan Luxury also has more traditional offerings, including deep-tissue massages, body scrubs and cryotherapy facials. For something more middle-of-the-road between beauty and mysticism, we recommend the Xocoatl or Chocolate Extasis ritual. Somehow there’s something sacred yet down-to-earth about being covered in cocoa and all its antioxidants