Spa consultant, Diana Mestre, of Mestre and Mestre Spa and Wellness Consulting, is helping to produce a new spa inspired by ancient Mayan myths, along the Riviera Maya, Mexico.

The Auberge spa concept will be a part of Etéreo, a new luxury destination from Auberge Resorts Collection with 75 contemporary guesthouses and two dining venues, scheduled to open in 2021.

Mestre spoke to Spa Business and explained that her consultancy is being involved from concept to operation.

She has been instrumental in devising the spa programming and claims treatments will take their inspiration from local healing traditions and the Mayan reverence for the celestial.

Her vision is to create a spa which guides guests through a magical journey where they travel from the dark into the light, leaving behind the Mayan underworld of stress and fear, called Xibalba, and making a journey to the final destination of Ka’an – Mayan heaven.

When entering the spa, guests will step across a water threshold to symbolise the beginning of their inner journey where a water purification ritual will prepare their body and mind to reach Etéreo’s version of Kaa´n – the spa’s six private treatment pavilions where guests will receive ancient healing rituals.

Integrated into the natural environment, treatment rooms will feature private gardens with outdoor showers and baths, as well as access to a gym and yoga pavilion. The wellness space covers a total of 1,029sq m.

Spa facilities will include a clay room, healing sound cave, cenote pool, sauna and herbal steamroom, as well as an outdoor experience pool, whirlpool, polar pool and mangrove lounge.

According to Mestre, the overall experience at Spa by Etéreo will be designed to honour ancient traditions, people and the land, that is guarded by Aluxes, mythical Mayan beings that bring luck and abundance to its visitors after they place a corn offering.

“My mission is to bring purpose to the design by connecting and creating a story, where we celebrate the indigenous Mayan culture, the richness and sacredness of the land, and its ancestral healing traditions,” said Mestre.

“My vision is to design an impeccable, memorable and unforgettable wellness experience where guests can experience a genuine transcending healing experience for body mind and soul.”

The destination is being developed by Migdal Arquitectos and completed with interior design by Meyer Davis.

It will be comprised of a collection of patinaed coral stone structures designed with modern Mayan references and elevated to seemingly float like islands among fields of dense tropical vegetation. All buildings will be laced together via a series of discrete wooden boardwalks and pathways.

Etéreo is owned by Abraham, Alex and Carlos Metta Cohen.