Massage in a Beach Hut at the Ritz-Carlton Cancun
Julie Register visited this hotel spa in Cancun's Hotel Zone in September 2002

After a $15-million renovation following the devastation of Hurricane Wilma, hotel reopens October 2006 with an upgraded spa and new facilities, among them a year-round tennis center and culinary center.

Socorro’s deep massage strokes strummed the painfully tight muscles surrounding my shoulder blades. It had only been two weeks since my last massage, but you’d never know it. I blamed the tenseness on lack of sleep and lots of recent travel. Perhaps on a subconscious level, my body knew that Hurricane Isadore was about to visit the Yucatan Peninsula.

I saw the massage hut on the beach shortly after I checked into the Ritz-Carlton and knew what I was going to do before anything else in Cancun. Less than an hour later, there I was… enjoying the scent of Melisa (good for relaxing, headaches and, coincidentally [?], insomnia) and Oil 13 (a general, beneficial tonic). Sounds of a babbling brook flowed from the “The Mountain Stream” on the CD player. Waves crashed rhythmically on the beach only yards from the hut. Socorro was a very skilled massage therapist and worked out every last knot from my back. The massage ended with a soothing cup of hot tea. It was a wonderful massage for all the senses.

I had my massage on a bright, sunny afternoon. However, the open-sided, thatched-roof beach hut is more commonly used for The Caribbean Massage, a couple’s massage performed in the evening when the beach is essentially empty. Encircled by the warm flickering light of tiki torches and cocooned by walls of mosquito netting, the beach hut becomes a private island, perfect for a romantic spa treatment.

Other romantic amenities offered include private sunset dinner on the beach, rose-petal turn down, crystal champagne flute keepsake, monogrammed his and hers bathrobes, silver picture frames with names and date engraved, champagne and caviar, chocolates and cordials, and a serenade by a Mexican trio.

The Spa and Fitness Center

In addition to the beach hut, the spa offers separate men’s and women’s locker rooms with showers, steam rooms and saunas (whirlpools are found in the resort's two public outdoor pool areas). There are three treatment rooms where the spa offers services such as exfoliation, body wraps, seaweed body mask, leg treatment, anti-cellulite treatment, and massage (Swedish, shiatsu, deep tissue, aromatherapy, reflexology, neck and back, and couples). The Fitness Center is equipped with a good selection of strength and cardio equipment. Aerobics, tai chi and yoga classes are offered as well as the services of a personal trainer.

The Salon

The Salon provides facials, paraffin treatments, waxing, manicures, pedicures, and hair services. On the third day of my visit, Hurricane Isadore arrived in the Yucatan Peninsula. We got lots of rain and high winds, but the worst damage from the storm was west of Cancun in Merida. I spent a few hours in the salon on one of the days I was hotel-bound. Candy gave me a relaxing pedicure and a haircut. There was an element of the surreal having my foot massaged while watching a hurricane from the quiet salon. I was concerned about Candy's trip home. She did not seem to be worried about it. I have gotten quite a few compliments on the haircut. Candy washed my hair before cutting it and again before blow-drying it. That eliminated the necessity of showering right after the cut. I am going to suggest it to my stylist at home (who, with two exceptions, has done every haircut for me for the last 19 years).

The Hotel

The award-winning Ritz-Carlton Cancun is in Cancun’s hotel zone, only 15 minutes from the airport. There are 365 guest rooms and suites, all with ocean views and private balconies or terraces. I stayed in one of the 46 Club Level guest rooms on the eighth floor that can only be accessed by a private elevator key. The Ritz-Carlton Club amenities include private butlers to unpack and pack guests’ belongings and reserved cabanas with fully stocked personal coolers at request. The amenity I appreciated most was the constant serving of food in the lounge area… breakfast, light lunch, afternoon tea, light dinner cocktails and hors d’ouvres, and chocolates and cordials. When Hurricane Isadore came close, I spent three days watching the weather from the club lounge, drinking tea and coffee and enjoying the selection of food available. I have to say I felt very safe in the hotel. It was built to withstand hurricane force winds. If, however, it had become necessary, the hotel had an evacuation plan and would have moved us to another hotel further inland. Fortunately, it wasn't necessary.

Guest Rooms

All guest rooms offer marble bathrooms, remote-controlled television with international cable, Lodgenet in-room pay-per-view movies, Nintendo Ritz-Carlton 64 systems, a mini-bar, three telephones with dual lines and data ports, plush terry bathrobes, slippers, irons and ironing boards, and in-room safes. Room service offers a “Spa Alternative” breakfast of grannery muffin and pumpkin-sunflower seed bread rolls, egg white omelet with mushrooms and ricotta cheese, fruit juices, coffee, tea, or hot chocolate.

A Bath Butler is available for The Margarita Bath. The tub is lined with sea salts, designed to resemble the edge of a margarita glass, bath water is garnished with fresh slices of lime and lime-scented bath gel for an authentic recreation of the popular beverage. Fresh margarita flowers, votive candles floating in margarita glasses on the lip of the tub and a pitcher of margaritas with two glasses complete the experience.

Ritz-Carlton Lounge at the Cancun Airport

For a small fee ($25 USD at the time of my visit), guests of the Ritz-Carlton Cancun have access to the Ritz-Carlton Lounge at the Cancun Airport. Beverages and light snacks are available, as well as comfortable chairs (two are massage chairs), televisions, computers, magazines, newspapers, and a flight monitor. Because of Hurricane Isadore, my flight was delayed six hours. I was very thankful that I had access to this comfortable place to wait.

Final Thoughts about Isadore

September is one of my favorite months to travel. The weather is usually still summer-like and there are no crowds. However, when traveling in the Caribbean, there is always the possibility of hurricanes. This year, I ran into Isadore. I always felt safe, was only slightly inconvenienced and got home the day I was supposed to. I guess one storm in all the traveling I have done isn't too bad. Would I still travel to the Caribbean in September? Absolutely!

Information and Photos

Contact The Ritz-Carlton Cancun • Address: Retorno del Rey #36 Zona Hotelera Cancun, Quintana Roo Mexico 77500 • Phone: (998) 881 0808 • Fax: (998) 881 0815 • Email • Web Site Related Resources Cancun • Cancun.info	More Spas in and around Cancun • Mexico Spa Directory The Hotel Zone in Cancun • Le Meridien Cancun Resort & Spa • Ritz-Carlton Cancun • The Royal Sands Puerto Morelos • Ceiba del Mar • Thalasso Center at Paraiso de la Bonita Other • The Salon Spa at the Cancun Airport
The Ritz-Carlton Cancun* View from The Ritz-Carlton Cancun Stained-Glass Rotunda Lush Plants Guest Room on the Club Level - 8th Floor Guest Room Balcony Guest Room Bathroom Fitness Center Fitness Center	Spa Entrance Women's Changing Room Vanity in Women's Changing Room Shower in Women's Changing Room Sauna Steam Room Treatment Room
Eyewitness Travel Guide to Mexico	Frommer's Cancun, Cozumel and the Yucatan 2004
Spas and Hot Springs of Mexico: Over 60 Restful Places from World-Class Spas to Simple Hot Springs	Jiffy Phrasebook Spanish
Adventure Guide to the Yucatan, Cancun & Cozumel	Hidden Cancun & the Yucatan

Photos copyright 2002, Julie Register
except those marked * which have been provided by The Ritz-Carlton Cancun