In mid-February, I escaped arctic temperatures in New York City and landed in sunny San Miguel de Allende—a UNESCO World Heritage Site in Mexico’s central highlands with 16th-century Spanish Colonial Baroque architecture and charming cobblestone streets, originally created as a stopover on the Spanish silver route. I was there for a literary conference, but I also wanted to dive into a couple of my New Year’s wellness resolutions, which included lowering stress, sleeping more, and finding balance.
Whenever I visit a place, I seek out authentic cultural and culinary experiences—and the same goes for spas. I was delighted to discover the Lineal Mezcal treatment at Hotel Matilda, a boutique property in the heart of San Miguel. “The lineal mezcal is developed here, for our brand,” said Tania Gonzalez, a holistic counselor at Spa Matilda. “It is a treatment from home.” She explained that they did research about mezcal for the treatment, and agave is one of the primary ingredients they focus on in the spa.
The two-and-a-half-hour detoxification treatment began with a scrub made from rosemary, arnica, and inulina—sugar from the agave leaf—followed by a steam room session. After I’d rinsed off the scrub, I was cocooned in a warmed local red clay wrap spiked with a shot of mezcal, which Gonzalez said helps the skin absorb the other products into the bloodstream. I showered off the clay and returned to the table for a blissful body and scalp massage with rosemary and arnica oil. My stress levels were significantly lowered, and I felt like a new person who had (literally) shed old skin.
My wellness journey continued at Rosewood San Miguel, where I’d booked a 90-minute Sun to Moon Ritual—a lunar-inspired treatment designed to restore balance through lomi lomi massage, reflexology, and intension-setting with moonstones. The evening prior, I received a “lavender kit” from El Proyecto de Lavanda with natural local lavender, containing lavender soap, essential oil, an eye pillow, and a sachet. After sprinkling a few drops of lavender essential oil onto my sheets and resting with the eye pillow before bedtime, I had the best sleep I’d had in months.
The following day, I woke up relaxed: my shoulders had dropped, my breathing had slowed. I took a tour of the impeccably landscaped property, with brick herringbone paths lined with Jacaranda trees. It was like a walking meditation. At the hacienda-style spa, my therapist drizzled warm lavender-bergamot oil on my spine, immediately calming my nervous system. After a blissful face and scalp massage, I could barely roll off the massage table.
Another bespoke treatment had caught my eye, and I had time to squeeze it in before leaving. I was eager to see what the Cosmic Journey—combining birth chart and tarot oracle—had in store for me in 2026. The 90-minute experience, designed to provide “a comprehensive understanding of your psychic realities, offering guidance and clarity on your life’s journey,” did not disappoint. A session with Perla Krigsfeld revealed strong activation for me in career sectors, with themes of practical reinvention, bold leadership, and new territory, in addition to a focus on redefining partnerships and nervous-system care. “This is not a quiet year,” Krigsfeld said. “The Solar Return Sun emphasizes visibility and recalibration of life purpose. This year pushes to ask: What version of myself am I stepping into now?”
It’s a good question for all of us.