Soul journey

Located in the heart of the dusty yet charming town of San Pedro, Terrantai is a quintessential example of local adobe architecture. And while the property itself has no formal spa, a trip to nearby Puritama provides a spa experience of the highest order, one that only nature can bring: After a brief but beautiful hike, you reach a dramatic, rocky gorge, wherein several glimmering hot spring pools await — each one captured amid the flow of the Puritama River and varied in temperature and size. Their effects on both body and soul are immediate: As the warm, aqua blue water melts your muscles, the surrounding scenery (azure sky, hauntingly craggy cliffs and masses of tall, plumed grasses) induces a let-me-take-this-all-in state. Then a secondary reaction kicks in: Upon realizing how many warm pools lie before you, the inner eight-year-old takes over as you start scurrying from one to another in an attempt to determine which is best. But that answer is not forthcoming. Each is delicious.

In the surrounding area, spiritually rejuvenating experiences are plentiful, too. I was particularly taken with the primordial El Tatio Geysers observed at sunrise and the Moon Valley, a stretch of ghostly dunes, Seuss-ian rock formations and lunar flats that when hiked at just the right hour leads to the most breathtaking sunset perch imaginable. In both of these places, psychic clutter is washed away by the pure, unadulterated spectacle of nature.

PERU

Further north in the Andes, the town of Cusco is a gorgeous, anthropological layer cake, a study in the strata of ancient empires. Although the city itself is a backpacker’s haven replete with Internet cafés and pizza joints, the city’s marvel of colonial baroque architecture is world-renowned, and numerous religious buildings remain. Among the most famously reappropriated of these is the one where I stayed: Hotel Monasterio, a beautiful 16th-century Jesuit monastery turned luxury hotel. Many of the original details have been left intact — not least of which are the monks’ quarters one stays in. Sure, the rooms have electricity and running water now, to say nothing of the imported chocolate and linens, but the size and shape of each is — by law — unchanged since Jesuit times. Another upgrade the monks probably never contemplated: spa services. I tried the Coca Leaf bath, though it’s just one of the in-room soaks you can order from a resident bath butler. And because the town is 11,000 feet above sea level (I had begun to notice a dip in my energy), there are also altitude-adjusting massages offered in a modest “massage room” (soon to be replaced by a larger spa) as well as oxygen-enriched guest rooms for those feeling fatigued by the thin mountain air. But for me, more than the treatments, the warmth of those administering them is what lingers in my memory, especially at home in New York, where even eye contact with strangers is deemed too personal.

The same held true aboard the Hiram Bingham — a joint effort between PeruRail and Orient Express and the most luxurious way to get to Machu Picchu. Upon learning of my family background (my Cuban father was a Guevara-era émigré to the United States, and I’ve grown up speaking Spanish), the resident musicians thoughtfully proceeded to play every old Cuban standard in the book — basically, the soundtrack to my childhood. Not that the more material aspects of the ride went unnoticed: You’ve got to love a bar car that provides cushy banquettes, free-flowing champagne — and unobstructed views of cloud forests, raging rivers and the occasional herd of llama.

Disembarking at Aguas Calientes, in the heartland of the Incas, I was met by an envoy from the nearby Machu Picchu Pueblo Hotel, an haute-eco boutique property in the shadow of its namesake (located just a 30-minute bus ride or 45-minute walk away). While the hotel’s natural setting — lush rain forest and streams wherever you look — would alone be worth the trip, there’s no mistaking the vibe that comes from being so close to Machu Picchu. Whether you buy into the local spiritual energy yourself or simply appreciate that others do, you can feel its spark in the air.

I felt the energy carry through to the hotel’s Unu Spa, where the lead therapist — a holistic health practitioner who possessed one of the gentlest, most calming presences I’ve ever encountered — has a knack for reading not only human energy but also that of water, trees, rocks and anything else you might find on one of his guided meditation walks. Also available at the intimate, white scrim-draped spa: unexpectedly fabulous Thai Yoga Massage. The spa’s Andean Sauna, a stand-alone structure that resembles the top half of a coconut, is so small you have to stoop to enter. But once the space filled with delicious, eucalyptus-spiked steam, its coziness was just right.

MORE FROM SOUTH AMERICA

South America Section Front

13 sizzling South American beaches How to spend a couple days in Sao Paulo South America's sexiest beaches Discover riches in Peru’s original City of Gold The toast of Argentina Buenos Aires reborn Everything old is new again in Quito Off beaten track in Peru South America’s wilderness lodges Brazil: Under the equator South America Section Front   Add South America headlines to your news reader: