According to the National Honey Board, Americans consume about 1.3 pounds of honey per person each year. Now more than ever, people are realizing the amazing versatility of the all-natural ingredient. Its sweet taste is old news, but the popularity of honey and it’s skin-saving benefits is making its way into many beauty products and treatments. Honey is a humectant, so it attracts and retains moisture which makes it ideal for cleansers, creams, shampoos, conditioners and spa treatments.
Home to a Mayan honeybee colony on site, The Sandos Caracol Eco-Resort & Spa located in the Mexican Caribbean, infuses local culture and traditions into their spa treatments. In an effort to protect the endangered specials, the resort is home to a Mayan honeybee colony. Twice a year a Mayan Shaman performs a ritual bee ceremony, which requests permission from the bees to extract honey for use in the spa’s rituals such as the Nourishing Ancient Maya Ritual, a therapeutic treatment that feeds the skin with vitamins and nutrients.
On Saturday, September 1, 2012, Sandos Playacar visited the local Mayan villages of Lo-Bel and Carrillo Puerto in the rural area of southern Quintana Roo. Our mission was to bring household items, such as clothes and shoes, donated by our Sandista staff to these indigenous communities. Lol-Be and Carrillo are in Chemax Municipality of Yucatan Mexico, approximately three hours from Playa del Carmen. The total population is 630 inhabitants, the majority of which are children.
Most members of the communities live in traditional indigenous households, or palapas, which are handmade from local wood and palm leaves. They do not have toilet facilities inside their homes, and the majority of homes, as is traditional in the Yucatan, have dirt floors and consist of one room that houses an entire family. Community members wash their clothes by hand and typically cook on an open fire. Only one of every 25 households has a television.
Spa treatments are complementary to other activities offered by Xcalacoco Experience: walking tours, bicycle and boat, swimming in cenotes, visiting the aviary, encounters with deers, but also environmental awareness activities such as the ‘Plant a tree’ programme. The wellbeing of body and soul also inspired the ancient ritual of Temazcal, called zumpul-che by the Maya, a steam bath with aromatic herbs. This practice has survived from the ages thanks to several native communities’ traditions. Its use is both therapeutic and relaxing as well as spiritual.
