Spa and wellness programs are very popular with both local and international patients in Cuba. The country offers a variety of these types of health tourism plans in the use of thermo medicinal waters – thalassotherapy in the treatment of a variety of skin ailments and massage. Wellness programs will include these “cures” via a series of activities designed to promote an improved sense of well being.
To clarify what exactly is a wellness program, one need only think of the pursuit of a higher quality of life and the type of activities one needs to achieve this state of being.
What is wellness tourism? Wellness tourism is an activity with the goal of balancing and improving all aspects of an individual’s life leading to a higher quality of life found in the spiritual, physical, mental, emotional, occupational, and intellectual domain.
A wellness program could also be defined as a quality of life program which promotes activities aimed to prevent disease. Activities such as healthy eating, physical exercise, relaxation therapies for stress reduction (meditation, massage, aroma therapies), body pampering and healing programs.
A few examples of the places and programs within Cuba that offer this type of wellness tourism are the La Pradera Health Center, the Siboney International Clinic, the Water Route program which includes a spa such as the one at San Diego de los Baños or recently created Happy Age program for Canadian seniors.
Wellness tourism programs can also be found at some of Cuba’s best hotel resorts including those found in the Yhi Spa experience at the Meliá Cuba’s Paradisus and other Meliá hotels.
