There are no "destination" spas in Panama, but most resorts and a couple of upscale hotels have a top-of-the-line spa, or at the very least provide services such as massage, a gym, a sauna, and sometimes a steam room. I don't foresee a huge boom in this market, in spite of its rapid growth worldwide, but a few hotel owners are slowly catching on to this hot trend. At the time of publication, La Casa de Lourdes (tel. 983-6450; www.lacasadelourdes.com), an exclusive boutique hotel in the relaxed, pastoral setting of El Valle de Antón, was breaking ground on what promises to be a deluxe spa facility for guests and the general public, slated for opening in 2007. Treatments will include stone therapy, massage, and body wraps, and they have a whirlpool and outdoor pool. Instead of a gym, they send guests out on biking and hiking excursions to work their muscles and "feel the energy of the valley."
Inter-Continental Playa Bonita Resort & Spa (tel. 211-8600; www.ichotelsgroup.com) is brand-new and located on the Pacific, just a 30-minute drive from Panama City. The plush beach resort has a sybaritic spa facility with all the trimmings; services are booked individually, or as part of a package that combines fruit- and chocolate-infused skin treatments, massage, aromatherapy, and body wraps.
Decapolis Radisson (tel. 215-5000; www.radisson.com), a sleek, trendy hotel, has the Aqua Spa, the top spa in Panama City in terms of service and hip decor, and you don't have to be a guest to book an appointment. They offer a full range of treatments and a stylish beauty parlor for one-stop makeovers.
Veneto Hotel & Casino (tel. 340-8888; www.venetocasino.com) has a building facade that screams Las Vegas, but inside it's as elegant as can be, and their Bamboo Sea Spa & Gym is a calm oasis that opens out onto a rooftop swimming pool. This is the spa with the widest range of treatments (Vichy-style), including hot stone massage, mud baths, aromatherapy, hydrotherapy and facials, and more.
Gamboa Rainforest Resort (tel. 314-9000; www.gamboaresort.com) is the best-known spa in Panama, and although the service here has always been top-notch, the facilities were clunky and drab -- but they're reportedly renovating the spa in late 2006. Expect traditional massages, body scrubs, and facials. If you're not staying at the resort, you can visit the spa anyway, and combine it with a bike ride and lunch.
Panamonte Inn & Spa (tel. 720-1324; www.panamonteinnandspa.com) is the place to go in Boquete to be pampered. It's a country-cozy-style spa and is very complete, with shiatsu, Swedish and sports massage, a sauna and steam room, skin and spa treatments using Natura Bisse products, body scrubs, and mud treatments. Their facials are especially noteworthy.
Los Quetzales Lodge & Spa (tel. 771-2291; www.losquetzales.com) is a slight misnomer -- there is a "spa" building here but it is small and services are not up to snuff. Massage rooms are shared, for example, unless you throw down extra cash for a private room. There is a sauna, and the spa center is backed by forest and a rushing river, but the center is more a lodge amenity than a spa destination.
