At Oxygen Jungle Villas in Uvita, we built the Div Shum River Spa to keep the natural wonders of the rainforest at the center of everything. It’s a jungle river spa unlike any other in Costa Rica, set beside a river inside a private reserve, and it’s open to the public, so walk-ins and half-day passes are welcome, no overnight stay required.
When most people picture a massage, they picture a room. A dim one. Low music from a speaker in the corner, a door that clicks shut, and the flat hum of a unit holding the air at the same temperature it held yesterday.
Now imagine a different kind of spa… one surrounded by relaxing water instead. The river moving over stone. Birds chirping in the canopy overhead. A treatment table on a wooden platform, and on your skin the actual air of the rainforest, warm and moving. This is exactly the unique experience we’ve created at Oxygen Jungle Villas.
Ready to book your one-of-a-kind jungle river spa day?
Reserve at the Div Shum River Spa
The Div Shum River Spa: Where the setting is part of the treatment
Let’s start with the setting, because here the setting is the treatment. The Div Shum River Spa sits alongside a misty river that has run through this tropical rainforest far longer than we have, inside a private reserve on our mountainside above Uvita, a sanctuary for the wildlife that lives in it.
It’s deep enough into the lush trees that the loudest thing you’ll hear is the water. You reach it on a short, scenic jungle path from the villas, where you might catch wildlife in the branches. The vibrant green of the canopy closes over you. Then the river opens up, shallow and moving, with pools worn into the rock and a waterfall a little further on.
While most of our guests come for the infinity pool, the glass villas, and the endless views, the spa is always a favourite part of any vacation here, the one amenity guests bring up first. One guest, staying right through the rainy season, wrote that the spa day by the waterfall is highly recommended and a must-visit in its own right.
The 5 Senses Experience: our rewilding ritual
The 5 Senses Experience is our signature treatment, and we call it rewilding. Rewilding means handing a body that’s lived indoors, on a screen and on a schedule, back to the riverbank for a couple of hours to unwind, until it settles into the slower pace of the forest.
Here’s what to expect: It opens with a signature opening potion and aromatherapy to ease you in. Then a bespoke deep-tissue massage, worked to the pressure you ask for, followed by an organic aloe vera wrap in broad native Bijagua leaves, the heat drawing down into the muscle. It ends the only way it can here, with you standing up, walking a few steps, and lowering into a cold natural pool beneath a waterfall.
And our treatments bring together native Costa Rican ancestral practice, local plants, and skilled therapists who know these rituals by heart.
Short on time? Try the Riverside Renewal Ritual
Not every visit needs the full river spa sequence.
If you’re short on time, don’t miss the Riverside Renewal Ritual, a shorter way to experience the wonders of the jungle: aromatherapy to start, a deep-tissue massage, a herbal body wrap, and the same river plunge to finish.
Same setting, same water, the same atmosphere, a little less time on the table. You’ll still leave feeling like a whole new you in all the best ways.
Can you visit the Div Shum River Spa if you’re not staying at Oxygen Jungle Villas?
Yes! The Div Shum River Spa is open to the public through the Jungle Spa Day Pass, and you don’t need a villa to book one.
The Day Pass is a half-day. You get the private jungle river with its natural swimming holes and waterfall, a 60-minute relaxation massage, a freshly made green smoothie, and a light lunch (the kitchen keeps it simple, a chopped salad, a soup, or a quesadilla). You pick a window when you book: morning, 9am to 12pm, or afternoon, 1pm to 4pm. Bring a swimsuit and an appetite, because lunch is part of it!
It’s the lowest-commitment way to feel what we’re talking about, whether you’re staying in town, passing through Uvita for a few days of adventure, or you live here and just want a morning by the river.
Prefer to stay in? Treatments in the Spa Villas
While the jungle river is our signature experience, we also bring treatments to you.
Book the Jungle Spa Villa or one of the Ocean Spa Villas and a therapist comes to your own terrace. The scrubs and body polishes are made from the same native remedies the therapists use down at the river.
Some guests want the walk to the water and the sound of it. But others want the door closed and nobody else on the deck.
The healing benefits of nature
There’s a reason nature keeps turning up in wellness, and it goes deeper than a pretty view. Researchers at the University of Exeter studied nearly 20,000 people and found that those who spent at least 120 minutes a week in nature were far more likely to report good health and wellbeing than those who spent none.
And that’s the thinking behind every treatment here. The river gives your senses one honest thing to do at a time, the sound of the water, the cold of the pool, the weight of a warm wrap, until the noise you carried in goes quiet.
Afterwards, most people are hungry in a good way. Meet at Terraza Bistro, our on-site restaurant, order a cocktail on the terrace, and watch the light go gold.
Plan your visit to the Div Shum River Spa
When you’re ready for the river, check availability and reserve a treatment or a half-day Jungle Spa Day Pass on the spa page, pick a morning or afternoon, and we’ll have the platform waiting.
Plan your visit to the Div Shum River Spa
Frequently Asked Questions
Where is the Div Shum River Spa?
The Div Shum River Spa is at Oxygen Jungle Villas, a boutique hotel and retreat in the rainforest above Uvita, in Costa Rica’s Puntarenas Province. It sits beside a river inside a private reserve on the property, roughly ten minutes by car from Uvita Beach, and you reach it on a short jungle path from the villas.
Can non-guests visit the Div Shum River spa?
Yes. Anyone can book the Jungle Spa Day Pass without staying overnight. It’s a half-day with access to the private jungle river, natural swimming holes, and waterfall, plus a 60-minute relaxation massage, a green smoothie, and a light lunch. You choose a morning slot (9am to 12pm) or an afternoon one (1pm to 4pm) when you reserve.
What’s included in the 5 Senses Experience?
The 5 Senses Experience is our signature spa sequence: a signature opening potion, aromatherapy, a bespoke deep-tissue massage, an organic aloe vera body wrap in native Bijagua leaves, and a plunge into a private natural pool and waterfall. We call it a rewilding ritual because it hands your senses back to the river one at a time.
What spa treatments does the Div Shum River Spa offer?
The river spa treatments run from a relaxing massage on the Day Pass to the full rewilding sequence. Every option blends aromatherapy, a deep-tissue or relaxation massage, an organic body wrap, and native scrubs made from local Costa Rican plants.
Is the river plunge safe, and do I have to do it?
The plunge is into a calm, clear natural swimming hole fed by the waterfall, shallow and slow-moving, and your therapist guides you in and out. It’s the closing step of the treatment, so most guests do it, but it’s always your call. Skip it and rest on the deck if you’d rather stay warm.
Can I have a treatment in my villa instead?
Yes. If you’re staying in a Jungle Spa Villa or an Ocean Spa Villa, treatments can be done privately on your own terrace, which has an outdoor soaking tub. The in-villa scrubs and balms use the same native remedies as the riverside treatments, so you lose none of the ritual.
When is the best time of year to book a jungle spa day near Uvita?
The spa’s open year-round. The drier months, roughly December to April, bring brighter mornings, while the greener low season, May to November, brings fuller water at the falls. A rainy-season morning by the waterfall has its own following, so whenever your vacation lands, there’s no wrong window. Check current options on the spa page when you book.
