The Best Spas and Wellness Centers in Panama

Is there anything a blue algae body wrap and Swedish massage can’t fix? Not at the Waldorf Astoria spa. Follow it up with a dip in the rooftop pool and you’ll be totally Zen. This hotel spa in Panama City is two blocks from the coastal path – cycle or wander southwest, admiring Pacific Ocean views until you reach Casco Viejo, where the Unesco-listed neighborhood is packed with colonial architecture and trendy bars (don’t miss rum cocktails at Pedro Mandinga).

You’ll need to hop on a boat from Isla Colon to reach this tiny private island in Bocas del Toro. Here, a handful of fuschia bungalows are suspended over balmy Caribbean waters, and the resident monkeys – rescued by friendly host Francine – swing between the branches above. Treat yourself to a massage among the mangroves, go snorkeling around the neighboring Zapatilla Islands, or hole up in a hammock with a book – you’ll find time slows down here.

There are nine pools at this sprawling beachfront resort in Río Hato. And with a golf course, tennis courts, plenty of restaurants and a top-notch spa, you may never need to leave – but it’s worth venturing out along the coast, if only to find more pristine white sands on which to lay your sarong and lie back and relax to the sound of the lapping surf.

Spanning 346 acres (140ha) at the quiet end of the increasingly popular Venao Bay, Eco Venao is part resort, part reforestation project, having planted more than 50,000 trees in the last 15 years. Among all that greenery lies a collection of cabins and colonial-style casitas, all built using local, low-impact materials. Practice your chaturangas with a yoga class in the stilted beachfront shala, or destress with a Thai massage or reflexology at the spa.

Want to go off grid, without foregoing luxury? Hop on a seaplane to this private all-inclusive adults-only island. The resort is powered entirely by solar power. The romantic water villas have huge canopy beds and broad decks leading to clear Caribbean shallows – some also have private plunge pools. Laze away the days with Swedish massages and snorkel sessions, saving time for a dolphin-spotting excursion in nearby Dolphin Bay.

Traffic-free Taboga Island is an easy-to-access getaway, just a 45-minute ferry from Panama City. This beachfront hotel has pretty pastel rooms – with names such as Magnolia, Jasmin and Honeysuckle (it’s the Island of Flowers after all) – and a rooftop infinity pool. Serious spa-goers will love the hopi candle ear wax treatments, cupping and lymphatic drainage massage. Don’t miss a trip to nearby Iglesia de San Pedro: built in 1550, it’s the second oldest church in the western hemisphere.

Just a 10-minute drive from the capital, this plush hotel spa in Panama City features neutral-toned rooms with marble bathrooms and views of the 18-hole golf course. The large outdoor pool will be a welcome sight after a round or two working on your handicap. Here to be pampered, Panama style? Spa treatments are inspired by indigenous healing traditions and local ingredients. For total indulgence, start with the coffee body scrub and cacao mask followed by a herbal hot stone massage.

This jungle-shrouded all-inclusive resort is just a 20-minute drive from Panama City but feels a world away from the frenetic streets of the capital. The fabulous spa menu includes couples’ massages, after-sun facials and seaweed body wraps – though a swim in the oceanfront infinity pool can be just as relaxing. Between July and September, guests are invited to watch baby turtles being released into the wild on the beach.

Yogis and surfers assemble: this hip beachfront retreat in Cambutal on the Azuero Peninsula is the ultimate spot to take care of your body and mind. If wipe-outs and warrior poses leave you feeling sore, soothe your aching muscles at the open-air spa shala. The four-hands massage is particularly knot-melting. Sleep it off in one of 12 individually styled cabanas with handcrafted wood furniture and a private terrace.