Foraging Spa Treatments: We’ve Hunted & Gathered a Few Spas for You!

As a serious spa enthusiast, I’ve had the good fortune to try some amazing treatments over the years. There was the Cabernet Scrub at Caudalie Vinothérapie Spa, the Red Flower Hammam Experience at Sahra Spa & Hammam at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas, and the signature Zareeba  ritual at The Regent Palms in Turks & Caicos—but one that’s definitely on my list to try is a “foraging spa treatment.” Here, a forager, sometimes even the spa-goer, goes out into nature and picks the ingredients to be used in a spa service.

This treatment is not only indulgent but enlightening as well: This hunter-gatherer approach provides the perfect opportunity to escape my technologically overloaded lifestyle and digitally detox, appreciate nature, and learn about earth’s countless healing properties. Foraging is still a fairly new trend in the spa world, mentioned in our 2013 Global Spa & Wellness Trends Forecast—and we hope it gathers more attention going forward!

We searched to highlight just a few treatments below—but if you’ve partaken in a foraging spa experience, share with us in the comments.

The Spa at Paradise Point – San Diego, CA: The two-hour Island Origins spa experience ($260) is designed to take “guests beyond the treatment room and back to the roots of herbal healing.” It starts with a private botanical tour of Paradise Point Resort’s 44 acres of tropical flora and fauna (the grounds are brimming with 600-plus types of foliage sourced from more than 20 countries worldwide!), as the forager, aka spa-goer, and a spa professional handpick ingredients and learn how they are used in oils, exfoliants, and more. Following the guided botanical tour, enjoy a quartet of treatments, including a 50-minute massage, foot scrub, and scalp treatment using four of the island’s most powerful plants: ginger, hibiscus, tee tree, and eucalyptus. Pricing includes access to the resort pool, fitness studio, steam room, and sauna.

Maruba Resort Jungle Spa – Maskall Village, Belize:  The jungle spa’s signature treatment is the Moor Mud Massage™ (50 mins, $90), using various-colored moor muds that are harvested nearby.

Sorrel River Ranch Resort & Spa – Moab, UT: The 160 acres of terrain are foraged for both cuisine and spa treatment ingredients.  The Garden Herbal Scrub (80 mins; $200) uses fresh basil and chamomile from the Sorrel River Farm.

Verana – Puerto Vallarta, Jalisco, Mexico: You’ll find raw ingredients, from bananas to herbs, that the staff has grown and foraged in your spa services.

Rancho La Puerta – Baja California, Tecate, Mexico: Rancho La Puerta prides itself on applying aromatic and medicinal herbs, among other healing plants, from its organic gardens in spa treatments.

Wildfitness™: On the wellness front, Wildfitness™ introduces people to programs based on nature and evolution; fitness holidays—in Kenya, Andalucia, and the Isle of Wright—extend three days to three-and-a-half weeks and include elements like “Wild Eating,” “Wild Moving,” and “Wild Living” programs.