Why this Mexican longevity resort scored with our writer

Luxury med-wellness resort Sha Wellness Clinic in Mexico.SHA Mexico/Supplied

I’m standing on a raised platform in an all-white room, stripped down to my underwear. A woman in a white lab coat gestures toward two large handles at hip level with small silver sensors for my fingertips. I place my hands on the sensors and grip tight. The platform begins a 360-degree spin and an oversized flat screen composes a 3-D silhouette of my body in real-time, alongside a series of numbers and graphs. Squinting, I ask what I’m looking at.

It’s the future, laughs the woman in the lab coat, bemused at my reaction to the tech. She tells me to put on my clothes and then escorts me to another room. For the next hour, I’m put through a series of tests outlining my body composition, cognitive health and the functionality of my nervous system. This isn’t a sci-fi film. I’m not at a doctor’s office. It’s my first day at a luxury hotel.

A model using Sha Wellness Clinic's advanced preventative diagnosis service.SHA Mexico/Supplied

Sha Mexico is a hotel and wellness resort that’s about a 40-minute drive from Cancun International Airport. Named Latin America’s Best Wellness Retreat and World’s Best Longevity Programme by the 2025 World Spa Awards, Sha offers visitors a combination of cosmetic, medical and holistic treatments based on each client’s needs and preferences.

There are stem cell and peptide therapies. Gut health experts. A dentist. Acupuncture. Hormone balance support for perimenopausal women. Cutting edge (and scientifically contested) technologies such as advanced cellular regeneration machines and virtual reality fitness training. For those who can afford it, the resort offers almost every wellness treatment you’ve heard of and a few you probably haven’t.

Opened in January, 2024, Sha Mexico is the second location from the brand. Their flagship destination in Spain opened 17 years ago, and a new location is currently under construction in the United Arab Emirates. Sha is part of a lucrative and growing trend in wellness tourism, with The Global Wellness Institute projecting that wellness trips will make up nearly 10 per cent of the vacation market by 2027.

A model at Sha Mexico's infinity pool.SHA Mexico/Supplied

The resort’s packages are focused on achieving optimal weight, performance, hormonal balance and more, complete with customized itineraries and meal plans. Sha uses tests and biomarkers to address lingering issues before they become real problems, suggesting habits and routines to incorporate into life outside your vacation.

“The vision was always to integrate science-backed, longevity health protocols and holistic health. We’ve created a scientific advisory board that meets on a monthly basis. The leaders of each unit propose new treatments, protocols and technologies to best serve our guests,” Alejandro Bataller, managing partner at Sha Wellness Group, told me over lunch at the resort restaurant. Bataller is a true believer in the diets and methodologies offered at Sha.

Bataller’s father had spent years struggling with health issues until he found a doctor who started him on a macrobiotic diet and a number of holistic health treatments. The family hoped to share the value they found in nutrition and health practices, with the hope of living a fitter and longer life. “Our focus is that you stay here, and if biomarkers suggest something is imbalanced, we’re able to implement an action plan to optimize what we can,” he said.

The resort’s clientele ranges from fitness enthusiasts to those looking for major lifestyle and health changes to VIPs seeking an escape and reset. The main thing guests have in common is that they can afford the price tag. The Rebalance & Energize package is the cheapest program, costing US$1,600 for two days, before paying for accommodations.

But sometimes things are expensive because they’re very well done. With a staff of expert practitioners – including five in-house MDs – the resort has put a tremendous amount of effort into ensuring it lives up to its reputation. My experience at Sha began before even setting foot on the property. Once my booking was confirmed, a survey arrived asking a number of questions about my physical and mental health, and my goals for the four-day visit.

Shortly after hitting submit, an automated itinerary outlining my custom wellness plan appeared in my inbox. The message assured me that adjustments to the plan would be made shortly after arrival, following appointments with their health experts.

Any worry that Sha’s medical focus might make the hotel feel sterile or cold were quashed during a tour of the property. Created by Mexico City-based architect firm Sordo Madaleno, the building is designed to loosely resemble a DNA helix. Decor is minimal without feeling spartan, with thoughtfully chosen modern furniture and abstract art pieces.

My room was massive, with views overlooking the infinity pool, white sand beach and boardwalk leading out to an ocean cabana that was free for all guests. But the real highlight of the property is the six-storey spa building. Each floor is dedicated to different treatment facilities, including a rooftop lap pool and comprehensive gym.

The basement of the spa houses Sha’s hydrotherapy circuit, featuring a sauna, steam room, ice plunge, hot tub and pool. From the hydrotherapy circuit, guests can make their way through an elevated mangrove path spanning the back half of the property.

Sha's hydrotherapy circuit.SHA Mexico/Supplied

On day one, after the aforementioned tests, I met with a doctor and nutritionist to go over my results. I could cut down some body fat. My cholesterol was a bit higher than they’d like it to be. But the biggest concern was how my nervous system was functioning: Based on analysis of my heart rate, it looked like my body was in a constant state of fight or flight, with poor stress resilience. Had I been feeling tension in my shoulders? Was there trouble focusing? How was my energy and digestion?

The focus of my stay would be to make some immediate changes to those numbers and set me up with a series of habits and suggestions to continue the work at home.

My days were full of massage and acupuncture sessions, vitamin IV drips and guided meditations. There were one-on-ones with a personal trainer. I followed a customized diet plan, including miso soup for breakfast and pickled vegetables throughout the day to help digestion.

As a person whose mind is continually racing, a day of scheduled relaxation-oriented activities was a perfect fit, the structure forcing me to participate and be present, while calming my constant need to feel productive.

All practitioners and wait staff had an overview of my file, meaning that they were able to both greet me by name and tailor the sessions to align with specific goals. In a cooking class, Sha’s head chef walked me through a number of gut-healthy meals. At a physio appointment, a therapist taught me stretches to help alleviate tension headaches. I felt truly taken care of.

Not everything worked perfectly to my tastes. While the instructor was enthusiastic, an aquatic spin class (with an exercise bike placed directly in the lap pool) seemed more like a novelty than a real workout. A body wrap session had me painted in mud, strapped in bandages and placed on a massage bed. The supposedly relaxing technique made me feel like a sous-vide fish. But the team was quick to make adjustments and was open to feedback, keen to make sure the process was enjoyable while still following their health guidelines.

A sound healing session at Sha.SHA Mexico/Supplied

It took a bit of buy-in and trust in the Sha team, particularly with non-Western medicines and newfangled tech, but I left the property feeling calmer than any time I could remember. Even better, I was energized to incorporate what I’d learned into my day-to-day life outside a five-star resort.

At checkout, the front desk noted how many repeat clients the resort has. It’s easy to understand why. A yearly health check-in at an all-star facility feels like a recipe for success – so much so, that I started crunching the numbers on how to go back again.

If you go

Sha Mexico is less than an hour’s drive from Cancun International Airport. Rates for double occupancy start at US$2,037 per night and are inclusive of the Rebalance & Energize health program, accommodations in a deluxe oceanfront room and meals from the Sha nutrition plan. All guests must purchase a program. À-la-carte options are only available to repeat customers.

The writer was a guest of Sha Wellness. The hotel did not review or approve the story before publication.