common attribute among most memorable spas,
not many can claim their own cenote, a sacred site
thought to be a portal to the Mayan underworld.
Chablé (Chocholá, Mexico), however, is centered
around a natural spring-fed sinkhole. In fact,
the cenote, is a focal point for numerous healing
journeys offered at Chablé Spa . According to spa
director Carmelina Montelongo, it’s what helps set
the spa apart. “Its waters are magical and powerful
at the same time and considered a source of eter-
nal youth,” she says. “Part of what gives our spa its
unique essence is its duality—that eternal dance
between two opposite forces that strengthen each
other,” she says. Spa consultant Amy McDonald,
owner and CEO of Under a Tree Health and Well-
ness Consulting, found it to be one of the most
challenging aspects of conceptualizing the retreat.
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“Because we wanted to really reflect the traditional
Mayan rituals and cosmology, we had to dig deeply
to represent and express the dualities we wanted
to, such as the convergence between intangible
and tangible, spiritual and material, traditional and
contemporary,” she says. “Additionally, being that
the spa is quite a large feature for the property, we
wanted to make sure it was the main attraction and
could sustain a variety of wellness programs and
packages with integrated experiences.”
In creating the treatment menu, Montelongo
considered what spa-goers seek when they visit.
“We’ve learned that our typical clientele likes
simplicity,” she says. “They value the reduction of
complexity that is reflected in the fact that they do
not need to make too many decisions among sev-
eral offerings. Less is always more for them. They
love silence and being in contact with nature. They