Including room rate, taxes and mandatory resort fees
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Forbes Travel Guide performs independent, incognito inspections of all hotels we rate. This is what we paid when we stayed at this hotel.
Rates can vary widely by room type and season. "We Paid" is intended to give a general sense of price, but you might find considerably different rates for your trip.
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Tucked into the lush rainforest above the Pacific, Naku Spa & Wellness at Nekajui, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve feels like stepping into a hidden sanctuary where the line between built space and natural landscape blurs. Here, the journey to your treatment is as intentional as the experience itself. You’ll traverse a suspended bridge and winding garden paths before arriving at an expansive, multi-level retreat that seems to grow organically from the hillside.
In keeping with the spa’s Blue Zone (areas around the world where inhabitants consistently live past 100 years old) heritage, it features Costa Rica’s largest hydrotherapy pool with thermal jets and underwater soundscapes. The aquatic experience sets a restorative rhythm, encouraging slow movement through hot, cold and sensory water experiences rather than rushing from one element to the next.
Treatment “cabins” resemble modern treehouses, with their reclaimed teak and volcanic stone finishes framing endless ocean glimpses as therapists work with volcanic mud, native botanicals and tailored massage techniques that honor local healing traditions.
Tucked into the lush rainforest above the Pacific, Naku Spa & Wellness at Nekajui, a Ritz-Carlton Reserve feels like stepping into a hidden sanctuary where the line between built space and natural landscape blurs. Here, the journey to your treatment ...READ MORE about Naku Spa & Wellness
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Our Inspector's Highlights
From arrival to ritual baths, each moment at the Costa Rica spa feels threaded with the rhythm of the country’s biodiversity, rather than another indoor spa sequence.
Unlike most resorts where the spa café feels secondary, Naku's own menu of salads, chilled proteins, fresh juices and smoothies makes it easy to transition from a session to healthy nourishment without leaving the wellness space.
Beyond hands-on services, there’s a dedicated movement studio where gentle yoga and breath-work classes balance tension release with mindfulness, providing an excellent complement to more passive treatments.
The separate steam rooms and saunas aren’t afterthoughts; they’re positioned with panoramic ocean views so you can sweat it out while watching clouds drift over the water.
Naku Spa & Wellness features the country’s largest dedicated hydrotherapy pool with multiple jets, thermal experiences and an underwater soundscape that encourages you to linger long before or after a treatment. Many visitors make this their first wellness stop of the day.
The Treatments
A perfect example of the spa’s Blue Zone expertise, the Volcanic Lift Facial is a detox-forward treatment that uses volcanic glass and activated carbon to draw out impurities. Reflexology is woven in to support circulation and give you that post-treatment glow.
Inspired by the indigenous Chorotega, the 90-minute Earth Therapy bodywork treatment incorporates clay, pottery and woodwork into a gua sha-style massage to relieve pain and re-center your natural vibrations.
Massages are elevated with locally sourced ingredients like juanilama (an herb used for healing) and volcanic stones that help you feel a deeper connection to the island’s Blue Zone energy.