Four rituals, one for you: how to choose

Someone wants to give their mum a ritual. They open the menu, see four lovely names at the same price, and pick the one that sounds nicest. Their mum, who gets dizzy in the heat, spends part of her afternoon in a sauna she didn't enjoy.

All four rituals cost $2,400 MXN and last about the same time, but they aren't interchangeable. Each is built around a different massage and a different kind of heat. This guide will help you choose, for yourself or for someone else.

A note on names: we keep the rituals in Spanish because that's what you'll say when you book. The English is just so you know what you're saying.

What they share

All of them combine hot water, salts or flowers, and a long massage. All include fruit, mineral water and herbal tea. And all are for one person: if you want something for two, you're looking for a circuit like Meree Aatm (My soul), not a ritual.

The difference from a circuit is the centre of gravity. A circuit is a route with many stops: sauna, jacuzzi, scrub, wrap and massage. A ritual has fewer steps and is built around one specialised massage, which is the whole reason to choose it.

Mirando las estrellas (Stargazing)

What's included: jacuzzi with a flower bath, aromatic salts, a body scrub and a 90-minute hot stone massage. 120 minutes in all.

Who it's for: people who always feel cold, people who carry stress in their back, and people who don't like firm pressure. Hot stones relax muscle with warmth instead of force, so this is the ritual that goes deepest without being the most intense.

Save it for another time if: you have prominent varicose veins or poor circulation in your legs, you're pregnant, or you just don't do well with heat.

The hot stone massage on its own is $1,800. For $600 more, the ritual adds the jacuzzi, the salts, the scrub and an extra half hour.

Para el alma (For the soul)

What's included: hydromassage with a white flower bath, salts, a body scrub and a 90-minute Abhyanga massage with a dosha test. 120 minutes in all.

Who it's for: anyone running on overdrive, sleeping badly or unable to switch off. Abhyanga comes from the Ayurvedic tradition: a slow, rhythmic massage with plenty of warm oil. First we do a dosha test, a short questionnaire about your constitution, and use it to choose the oil and the pace.

Worth knowing: you'll leave with oil on your body and probably in your hair. Don't book it before a meeting. Bring a hair tie and, if you can, keep the rest of the afternoon free.

Abhyanga on its own is $1,500.

Gotas de lluvia, un bálsamo para mí (Raindrops, a balm for me)

What's included: sauna, a bubble bath with white flowers and a balsamic massage. 110 minutes in all, the shortest of the four.

Who it's for: a rough stretch of life. The balsamic massage is a sequence of essential oils on the back and feet, designed to ease emotional tension more than muscular tension. It's the one we'd give someone who's had a hard month.

Worth knowing: a ritual is time for yourself, not therapy. If what you're carrying is grief, or something that's been weighing on you for a while, OMLAM also offers psychology and grief counselling. One doesn't rule out the other.

Save it for another time if: dry sauna heat makes you dizzy, or your blood pressure is high and not under control.

Las hierbas de la abuela (Grandma's herbs)

What's included: sauna, hydromassage, salts and a 90-minute pinda massage. 130 minutes in all, the longest of the four.

Who it's for: bodies that work hard. People who lift, run, stand all day or have knots that never quite go away. Pindas are cloth bundles filled with herbs, heated and pressed onto points of tension. The moist heat goes deep, and the smell of the herbs is part of the effect.

Save it for another time if: you have a recent, inflamed injury, you're pregnant, or strong scents bother you. If you're allergic to any plants, tell us when you book.

The pinda massage on its own is $1,800.

Still not sure?

• Always cold, tight back? Mirando las estrellas.
• Mind racing, sleeping badly? Para el alma.
• Had a hard month? Gotas de lluvia.
• Body sore from being used? Las hierbas de la abuela.

If none of those sounds like you, message us with what's going on and we'll suggest one. We might also tell you a ritual isn't what you need.

If you're pregnant

All four rituals involve heat — sauna, jacuzzi, stones or compresses — and intense heat isn't recommended during pregnancy. What we do have is a 90-minute prenatal massage, lying on your side with supports, for $1,500. It's a better choice than any ritual adapted halfway.

If it's a gift

• Give the ritual, not the date. Let them choose the day.
• If you don't know which one, casually ask whether they like heat and whether they like firm pressure. Those two answers are enough to choose.
• If they have a health condition or are pregnant, let us know first so we can suggest something that suits them.

On the day

Eat something light two hours before. Arrive 15 minutes early so you don't start in a rush. No alcohol beforehand. Put your phone away: two hours without a screen is half the ritual. And don't plan anything demanding afterwards. Your body takes a while to come back.