Dear Barbara and Fran - Just after the pandemic abated a bit, I wondered whether or not to re-open Spa Boquete, as it had been closed for over 2 years. I gave myself 2 months to figure it out; during that time, you two showed up. It became very clear to me that I love doing massage too much to give it up completely, though I now limit my appointments to two per day. Each time I work, I think about all the fantastic teachers who crossed my path, both here and especially in Boston, and am so grateful to have learned and practiced a lot of different techniques that help me better address my guests' situations and requests. Thanks so much for your visits and for taking the time to write and post a review for my spa.

Thank you so much Mellymel, for taking the time to write and post a Trip Advisor review for Spa Boquete. Self-care tips and tecniques were an important part of my professional massage training at the Muscular Therapy Institute, and they've become even more important to me after 25 years of practice. I've learned a lot, both from my clients and from my own challenges, over the years, and am especially happy to share suggestions with visitors who may be far away from their usual practitioners.

Many, many thanks, Roxanne, for figuring out how to use the Trip Advisor Review link and for posting your comments. We've known each other for a very long time - I think about 14 years - here in Boquete. Airline seats are the worst, and I'm glad that you were able to get back to hiking in short order. Most of my guests are short-term visitors to Boquete, so it's a special treat to welcome folks over the years and discover how their lives have evolved, especially people like you, a shining star who very likely inspires much happiness in the lives of your friends and family here when you come to visit.

Thank you so much, NamLe, for your very kind and detailed commentary about your experience at Spa Boquete. One of the many reasons I love living and working in Boquete is that I get to provide spa services to an international clientele of varying ages, nationalities and languages. It figures that just as I'm finishing reading an excellent novel by a gifted Vietnamese-American writer, my first guest from Viêt-Nam shows up: a young student with excellent English, coming to Boquete to study Spanish. Reading his comments, I'm pleased to note that he understood perfectly what I explained about professional therapeutic/relaxation massage and how important client feedback is to a practitioner, whether that person just climbed Volcan Baru, finished a 44-hour trip from Asia, or comes down from their residence in the mountains to visit town and wants a massage after doing their errands.

Thanks so much, Lucy, for writing and posting your very kind review on Spa Boquete's Trip Advisor page. It was a pleasure to meet you and provide a massage before you undertook the climb up and down the Baru Volcano. Having taken that long bus ride back and forth from Panama City to David many, many times in the 14 years I've lived in Boquete, I'm happy to share some basic travel tips for a more comfortable trip (as in, they crank up the airco in those express buses at night, and having a head covering and sweatshirt at the ready is helpful). And it's a treat to welcome a guest who's fully prepared for the challenging climb. I hope that your volcano adventure went well and you're pleased with your preparations and impressive fitness level. Best wishes, Kitzie

Thanks so much, Kristine, for taking the time to write and post your review. It was a great pleasure to help design the ideal spa experience for you, and I'm so glad that you enjoyed it. Your visit meant a lot to me, as Spa Boquete has been closed for almost 3 years as a result of the pandemic, and I've missed doing work I love and am happy to share again.

I imagine that it's the dream of every service provider to reach their 250th review on Trip Advisor and receive a special review. So I'm beyond grateful to EyeNV for submitting her detailed and kind comments on her birthday visit. Having been the delighted beneficiary of a surprise birthday celebration with my tango teachers in Medellin several months ago, when a prospective guest writes that " it's my birthday and I'd like it all [massage, feet, facial, and friend along to celebrate], well, I have a pretty good idea of what's behind that wish, and how much it can mean to a person on their special day. As an NCBTMB board-certified massage practitioner for 20 years now, and in practice in Boquete for 14 years, it's a pleasure to greet and provide spa services to guests who are looking for personalized professional services in a special setting. I love working in Boquete with an international clientele, some of whom are visitors and others are residents. For the record, the "beverage" provided guests is purified water, all tips are indeed donated to worthy causes here in Boquete and wherever my travels take me, and the " lounge" is my own upstairs living area. Kitzie

Thank you, 374denish, for taking the time to write and post a review on Spa Boquete's Trip Advisor page. I'm so glad that you enjoyed your massage and facial. Having worked at a luxury spa in Boston for 5 years before coming to Boquete in 2006, I wanted to offer spa services without the selling of products, as often happens in spas that include facials. So I choose to use products that visitors can easily acquire, either in David or Panama City or via the Web, and am happy to provide that information.

As Welthy noted in her very kind review, we've known each other for at least five years. One of the biggest treats of my ideal life and practice in Boquete is offering massage to visitors and to residents as well, since 2006. As a fellow New Englander, Welthy's visits to my spa are even more special. We encouraged each other through the shutdowns during the 2020-21 pandemic. Her regular visits to my spa have also helped me assess and adapt my services to current circumstances and to the consequences of the ongoing pandemic and of having practiced professional massage for 24 years. Please consult the overview of my spa and services on the Trip Advisor page for this update.

Thank you, Chex7luz, for your review and for returning for a massage after 13 years. I'm especially honored by your visit as you yourself were a massage practitioner. An important part of my traiing at the Muscular Therapy Institute in Cambridge MA, was to encourage clients to practice self-care techniques so that they could continue to improve their condition. This is especially true for deep tissue conditions, for which the use of force isn't the best strategy. I'm so glad that you found the massage helpful. KM