Kayantá spa in Cancun review: luxury oasis at Kempinski Hotel

What to expect at this private spa at Kempinski Hotel Cancun

I don’t know about you, but when I think of Cancun, I picture parties. Weddings. Bachelorettes. Gangs of friends. Of course, I think of relaxing by the ocean too but mostly consider this popular Mexican resort city as a place designed for visitors who want fun in the sun.

What if you want some quiet time in Cancun though? Or you’re tired of sharing the hotel pool with hundreds of others? Allow me to introduce you to Kayantá, a semi-private spa in Cancun located within the Kempinski Hotel that’s designed for peaceful relaxation.

Kempinski is one of the most exclusive and luxurious hotel chains in the world. I’ve had the chance to experience its five-star service at their Resense spa on the Dead Sea in Jordan. So I was excited to find they had a spa in Cancun.

Kayantá offers an “Aqua Retreat” Day Pass, allowing access to its spa’s hydrotherapy circuit even if you’re not getting a massage or other spa treatment, or staying at the hotel. On this trip to Mexico I had only a few hours in Cancun before my flight home and this seemed like the perfect way to reset for the afternoon before returning to Canada. What I found there really surprised me. Read on for the complete review!

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This review of Kayantá Spa at the Kempinski Hotel Cancun is part of my series 100 baths, my search for the world’s best public bathing experiences. Read more and see the list here. I was a guest of Kayantá spa; the opinions in this review are my own.

Disclosure: My blog contains links from Affiliate programmes. At no extra cost to you, if you make a purchase from these links, I earn a small commission. Thank you for supporting my work and the site!

Check-in and First Impressions

If you’ve been to a major resort in the Cancun hotel zone, you know these properties are huge. Thankfully, the hotel’s helpful Lady in Red was in the lobby to direct me, past the opulent floral arrangement and chandelier, down the romantic stairway to the lower levels where the spa is hiding.

At check-in, I was offered a welcome drink, an elixir of lemongrass tea infused with butterfly pea flower that came in a vibrant blue hue and a neat trick I won’t spoil for you.

A friendly attendant then gave me the tour. I have to admit, I was expecting a bigger space. Possibly because the Kempinski Dead Sea spa is really large, or perhaps because I’ve become used to the outdoor Nordic spa experiences in Canada. So the tour was quite short. I quickly put any preconceptions aside, slipped into the cozy robe provided, and prepared to enjoy this intimate circuit.

What facilities are included at Kayantá spa in Cancun?

The Kempinski hotel Cancun spa is an intimate space located half inside, and half outside. The spa is gendered—separate areas for men and women. (Unless you are getting couples treatments, that happens in a separate area, like outside on the beach.) The facilities include:

• Relaxation lounge (interior)
• Hot whirlpool (outside, partially covered)
• Cold pool (outside, partially covered)
• Steam room (connected to the change rooms)
• Luxury massage shower (more on that below)

The personal touch

At most spas, staff disappear after handing you your slippers and locker. Here, I felt personally attended to throughout my visit. It started with ice cold towels placed beside the whirlpool. “For your eyes,” I was told. I’ve never put a cold compress on my head while sitting in a hot tub before and have to say, it feels great! The individual tray also included a cold bottle of water and fresh flower. So pretty.

Later, in the relaxation room, staff showed me how to use the Tibetan singing bowl. (Confession: tried to show me. I couldn’t master it!) They also adjusted lighting for me and even brought a warm blanket and neck pillow. It felt above-and-beyond and really contributed to my overall relaxation. If you’re someone who likes to feel pampered, and have your needs anticipated, the attendants here will take good care of you.

Hot and Cold and Repeat

The two pools at the Kayantá spa are located in small outdoor area that is covered. As someone who tries to stay out of the sun, I appreciated that. It was also very quiet here—they’ve picked a perfect location away from environmental noise.

As with all things Kempinski, the small details have been well thought out, such as towels on the steps leading into the pools so you don’t slip. The pools are also right side-by-side, so it’s easy to switch from hot to cold. The cold plunge (they call it a “cold pit”) is pretty deep – like I’m 5’4″ and couldn’t touch the bottom so just hung out on the steps. There are lounge chairs here but I preferred to lounge inside.

The steam room, located inside the change area, was basic but did the trick to get me super sweaty. I love the sensation of my pores opening and breathing in the hot air.

The best part? I had the place to myself. I took advantage to do this hot and cold circuit a couple of times without any interruption, which was a real pleasure.

Relaxation Station

The biggest surprise from my visit was the relaxation room.

It’s a rather unassuming cream-coloured room with upholstered chaise lounges and a table of small … well I can’t call them snacks they were more like tiny explosions of joy, these exquisite deserts placed under individual glass cloches. I had a most delicious tiny chocolate brownie and a feather-light lavender macaron. Nuts and dried fruit, fresh fruit, and citrus water were also available, and you can select from a menu of hot herbal teas which they will make for you.

After trying unsuccessfully to get the Tibetan singing bowl to sing, I just settled into a chair with my aforementioned warm blanket and neck pillow and could have easily fallen asleep. I then noticed a small stack of cards on the table beside me.

A small sign invited me to pick a card. At random, I selected on and turned it over. “To love oneself is the beginning of a lifelong romance.” What a wonderful sentiment for a solo traveller!

After completing my circuit and relaxing to the extreme, I discovered one of my favourite things at the Kayantá spa: the shower. First off all, it was spacious and had a door. I wish all spas had the same. More importantly, it had body jets, six adjustable heads on both sides of the shower, in addition to the rainfall shower head. When fully deployed, this felt like a warm body massage. This is a spa upgrade I’ve love to see more often.

Is this hotel spa in Cancun worth it?

Kayantá spa is tiny, but what it lacks in facilities it makes up for in service and thoughtfulness. At most, the spa welcomes 11 guests total (both women and men’s areas). I saw just one other guest, and that was on my way. This is the opposite of those Nordic spas I also love but where you hear other people’s conversations, or may need to wait to find a space near the fire to relax. I felt like I had private spa all to myself, which is pretty rare.

What makes this place special is the personal attention, the privacy, and the exceptional-quality complimentary sweets and treats. I loved how quiet it was.

I suspect that most guests at this spa in Cancun are hotel guests, but I recommend Kayantá spa for anyone in the area who wants to be alone, to soak, to steam, to dream. I often feel like I need a vacation after a vacation because I pack my trips with activities. Not this time! I arrived home blissful and ready for what’s next.

Know Before You Go

My last visit was January 2025. Always check their website for latest info and promotions.

Where: Kayantá Spa is located inside the Kempinski Hotel Cancun on the Hotel Zone. + 52 998 881 0800 ext. 5228

When: Open Daily from 8am to 8pm.

What to bring? Just a swimsuit. Robes, unlimited towels, sandals, locker are all provided. Shampoo and conditioner are provided in the showers and they have an excellent section of beauty products (hair spray, lotions, etc.) at the vanity. If somehow you found yourself in Cancun without a swimsuit (not sure how!) there is a boutique selling designer suits by La Pearla, etc in the hotel.

How Much: Day pass for the Aqua Retreat is 1500 Mexican Pesos (approx $105 CDN). Also included in any massage or spa treatment.