At Etéreo, a New Resort on the Riviera Maya, Modern Design Meets Mexican Tradition

An appreciation for nature is woven into every aspect of Etéreo. Designed by New York-based studio Meyer Davis, the resort brings its surrounding splendor indoors through the use of local materials like lava stone, copper, and indigenous tzalam wood. Each oceanfront suite is also outfitted with thoughtfully curated furnishings and pillows, towels, and rugs by Mexican artisans. But the crown jewels of the design work are the wooden screens created by the celebrated Mexican artist Manuel Felguérez, which feature throughout the property. These sculptural dividers, in which cylindrical wood carvings form an intricate lattice, represent the Mayan belief in life cycles.

At Sana, Etéreo’s serene onsite spa, ancient Mayan beliefs and techniques are on full display. The bathhouse—a cool cavern with a simple skylight—was designed to feel like a cenote, another nod to the landscape of the Yucatán Peninsula. (There are over 6,000 of these geographical wonders in the region.) The menu presents an appealing hybrid of old-world traditions—Mayan healing stones, clay wraps made of local herbs—as well as more modern, epicurean treatments. I chose the “skin alchemy” facial, which harnesses energy from crystals—in my case, a rose quartz gemstone—believed to revitalize both spirit and skin.