Tabacón Thermal Resort & Spa, the rainforest bolthole nestled beneath Costa Rica’s Arenal volcano, has rolled out a new wellbeing programme aimed squarely at executives seeking an antidote to digital burnout.
Billed as Sensory Luxury, the initiative pivots away from the engineered wellness offerings that have dominated the upper end of hospitality in recent years, arguing instead that restoration can be drawn organically from the surrounding environment. The programme is built around five sensory pillars, air, water, sound, texture and flavour, and blends passive immersion with guided practices across the 570-acre reserve.
On the olfactory front, Tabacón is leaning into three decades of rewilding work. The rainforest canopy releases phytoncides linked to reduced stress and improved immune function, while gentle steam rising from the thermal river creates what the resort describes as a natural sauna effect. Guests encounter the effect during yoga in the outdoor shala, on hikes to the source of the Tabacón River, and through locally-crafted sleep aids provided at turndown.
Visual wellbeing draws on Attention Restoration Theory, with the property encouraging guests to practise horizon gazing towards Arenal, nature gazing along the river, sky gazing and moon gazing while floating in the thermal waters — each intended to give the overstimulated mind permission to rest.
The soundscape, meanwhile, has been bottled. Tabacón has recorded its own binaural beats soundtrack drawn from the rush of the thermal river and the calls of frogs, birds and monkeys, pitched at guests looking to reset circadian rhythms long after they have flown home.
Tactile therapy remains the resort’s signature draw. Costa Rica’s largest collection of naturally flowing thermal and mineral springs feeds 18 pools ranging from 24 to 40°C, with balneotherapy sessions now structured via a Balneotherapy Concierge offering Rapid Flow or Linger Longer circuits. Treatments incorporate volcanic mud, thermal water and indigenous wellness traditions.
Rounding out the programme, culinary director Saúl Umaña has built menus around native superfoods, medicinal plants and seasonal tropical produce, with fruit-and-spice ceviches, vibrant gazpachos and herbal infusions featuring ingredients such as moringa, avocado and pineapple.
Three-night Sensory Luxury packages start from $2,399 per room based on double occupancy, including accommodation in an Orchid Room, daily breakfast, one lunch at the adults-only Shangri-La Gardens, dinner at Ave, a daily wellness drink, a private yoga session, a 50-minute spa treatment per person and a curated mini-kit of organic spa products by Biosfera.