Aurum Spa

Ancient Colombian civilizations revered the sun as a god, and the sun was believed to live in the earth itself in the form of gold, or aurum in Latin. Gold lives on as a deity at the Aurum Spa, whose stunning rooms are themed around the metal, as is its signature treatment: a nourishing gold body wrap. Aurum has Cartagena’s only authentic Moroccan hammam, as well as a plethora of multisensory rituals involving coffee, volcanic mud and pure tobacco. The spa lies inside Casa Santa Augustin, a boutique hotel that brings together all of Cartagena’s glory in a set of colonial-era houses once frequented by beloved Colombian author Gabriel Garciá Márquez. Bursting with original features, the spa even has an aljibe (a traditional wishing well) just in case your most golden dreams haven’t been fulfilled. After an afternoon at Aurum, it might not be necessary.