A few luxury spas provide the most luxurious massage and body care at unimaginably low prices because they are in Canada or South America, where real health bargains abound because of currency parities and low labor costs. Much has been written about the low cost pharmaceuticals in Canada and South America, but few realize that even greater bargains abound for body care.
Take for example the lush treatments at La Mirage Garden Hotel and Spa in Ecuador. South America may seem far away, but from Miami, the trip is under four hours and air fares are often as low as $350 round trip.
Yet La Mirage Garden Spa is one of just a few Relais and Ch’teaux rated hotels. Relais & Ch’teaux is the world's most prestigious hotel group. The criteria for becoming a member of this group is so stringent that there are only 18 such hotels in all of Canada and South America. Even fewer are spas.
These spas cannot even apply for this rating without an invitation to apply. Then a candidate property forwards its official dossier to the group's head office in Paris. If the application meets a set of formal conditions, suitability is evaluated during an initial property inspection. After these preliminary efforts, the establishment is visited anonymously (several times in the year following application) to determine whether its services comply with the Relais & Ch’teaux Quality Charter. These inspection reports are examined by the Board of Directors which approves the acceptance of new members.
Relais and Ch’teaux services are called the "5 C's": character, calm, charm, courtesy and cuisine. Each spa is privately owned and operated. Beyond that of quality, their common denominator is the passion with which every hotelier runs his particular establishment.
At this time, there are twelve Relais & Ch’teaux properties in Canada and just six in all of South America, one of which is La Mirage.
This is the first in a three part series introducing several Relais & Ch’teaux spas where you can get extraordinary body care at a rock bottom price. We begin by looking south.
La Mirage Hotel and Garden Spa a contemporary resort built on the grounds of a 200-year-old hacienda. Guests there wander through extraordinary fragrant hummingbird-filled gardens, watching peacocks strolling by. Guests enjoy delightful regional and international cuisine. Located in the Ecuadorian village of Cotacachi in the sacred province of Imbabura, the spa is surrounded by ancient volcanoes including Mount Cotacachi where white mists creep on jagged peaks mirrored in the huge lake below.
The grounds are about twenty minutes form Otovalo South America's largest native market) and two hours north of Quito, Ecuador's capital in the Northern Highlands of the Andes.
Those staying at La Mirage are surrounded in the nourishment of the most luxurious spa in South America. The rooms are magnificent, one built for a queen (Queen Sofia of Spain to be exact), each a decorator's delight, stuffed with antiques, flowers everywhere, rose petals strewn on the pillows, a roaring eucalyptus fire in your room after dinner and hot water bottle tucked at the bottom of the bed. There is comfort, taste, charm, space, every imaginable amenity and exquisite attention to detail.
The grounds are stunning from the ornamental garden to the lush orchards and hummingbird feeders that hang by the sunroom where breakfast is enjoyed with an aviary full of feeding birds.
The outstanding lunch and dinner menu is perfectly served by smiling Otovalans dressed in their native costumes and the excellent wine cellar includes some rare Ecuadorians wines that are inexpensive but good.
Value
Despite the exquisite quality prices are low. A head, neck and shoulders and the foot reflexology massages are only $25. Look at the most expensive spa treatment, Cleopatra's Bath, described in the spa's menu of services:
"Experience the rejuvenating energy bath of warmed milk, oil and essential aromatic fragrances during thirty minutes. Then your body is wrapped with perfumed sheets, covered with rose petals and a thermal blanket for another thirty minutes. The treatment concludes with a full body message in specially designed and decorated Egyptian chamber alongside a roaring eucalyptus fire."
Yet the price of this hour and a half health treat is a mere $75.
Here are five more of the eleven comprehensive treatments available at La Mirage Spa and their low prices.
Herbal Bath Wrap: Soak in a Jacuzzi infused with Lemon grass, Eucalyptus, Clove, and Cinnamon. The essences are known for their immune enhancing and circulation stimulating qualities. The bath is followed by a wrap in steaming unbleached blankets saturated with these same powerful herbs which encourages a deep state of relaxation and a complete body massage. 80 minutes. $60.
Hot Stone Massage: Hot Stone Massage is a Swedish massage which incorporates the use of smooth, heated stones. The warm stones are integrated into the massage as well as placed on key tension areas of the body. The combination of the heat with the pressure of the strokes allows the muscles to warm and let go. This treatment is great for the areas of chronic muscle tension. 50 minutes. $50
A Touch By Angels: This is an all natural aromatherapy mineral bath and massage that incorporates the finest essential oils, thermal minerals, and trace elements. The specific oils in the aromatherapy mineral bath crystals produce a soothing and invigorating effect, depending on the bath selected.
After the bath your body is wrapped with warm sheets covered in lavender, chamomile and rose petals. This gentle natural aromatherapy wrap is ideal for undisturbed relaxation and followed by a full body massage technique that uses premium pressure to relieve tension and create a heightened sense of well-being. 80 minutes $65.
Mirage Ecuadorian Volcanic Clay Body Treatment: This begins with a complete body exfoliation with cleansing gels. Then a salt glow treatment with Body Masque is followed by a rich substance of Ecuadorian Volcanic clay over the entire body. Then your body is wrapped with cellophane and covered with a thermal blanket. While relaxing, a face clay masque from the Dead Sea is applied and afterwards the face is massaged with light oil. After a shower the there is a light body massage with fine oil.90 minutes. $65.
Shamanic Purification Treatment: The Shamans possess a great vision for medicines in the countryside and in particular, for plants often used-mainly for healing purposes. In addition, they are specialist in using elements such as Fire, Water, Earth and employ them in order to call the spirits for assistance. The Shamans use substance such as crystals, candles, smoke and eggs and the La Mirage Spa offers the healing powers of a female Shamana who has inherited years of experience from her father, a recognized Shaman in this region. The purification room at La Mirage is oriented towards the established indigenous healing practices of Body, Mind and spirit. Taking these concepts into account, her methods blend relaxation techniques using a float tank, the Shamanic Ritual and Aromatherapy Spiritual Massage. 90 minutes. $65.
For more details: www.mirage.com.ec
La Mirage Garden Hotel and Spa,
10 de Agosto s/n
Cotacachi - Imbabura (Highlands of the Andes)
Ecuador
Altitude :2450 metres
TÈl. + 011 593 6 291 52 37
Fax + 011 593 6 291 50 65
Those who want top body care and luxury at a low price will find it when they travel south to La Mirage. Yet there are bargains for luxury in the north as well. Part two and three of this series will look at Relais and Chateaux spas in East and West Canada.
