At Angelique’s boutique wellness spa in Guerrero, Mexico, Natasha López discovered something that conventional spa treatments had never delivered. The Refinery29 Somos social producer walked away from a 120-minute session feeling both physically renewed and emotionally lighter, thanks to products from Santu Beauty, a Mexican-owned brand that weaves traditional ingredients into contemporary wellness practices.
The Ancient Salt Treatment Experience
López’s treatment began with concentrated Guerrero salt, locally sourced from the region’s mineral-rich deposits. The dry exfoliation process removed layers of dead skin while the therapist worked methodically across her entire body. “It was one dry hour, where they practically bathe you, scrub you dry, and then rinse you. Then they wash your hair and give you a little facial. I felt very vulnerable, but also held,” she explains.
The sensation surprised her most during the oil application phase. Water droplets formed perfect beads against the treatment oils, creating an almost hypnotic visual effect on her skin. This wasn’t just aesthetic theater – López noticed tension releasing from muscles she hadn’t realized were tight.
Following the salt scrub, therapists applied a massage candle that melted into silky oil during the rubdown. The blend contains Mexican lime for brightness, eucalyptus for soothing properties, and rosemary for grounding effects. Most distinctively, copal resin sourced from native Mexican trees adds both fragrance and what practitioners describe as spiritual cleansing properties.
“When I opened my eyes, I felt very pretty and clean,” López recalls. The combination left her skin visibly radiant, but the deeper impact came from an internal shift she hadn’t expected from a beauty treatment.
Beyond Surface-Level Beauty Philosophy
Santu co-founder Angelique Van Wyk brings a massage therapist and esthetician background to the brand’s approach. Her professional experience revealed a gap in how beauty products address wellness beyond appearance. “With beauty, there’s often a misunderstanding. It’s not only about how you look, but also about how you feel,” Van Wyk explains.
She and co-founder Alicia Nogales launched Santu in 2025 with a specific mission: creating products that promote healing beyond surface skin benefits. Their formulations incorporate traditional Mexican ingredients not just for exotic appeal, but because these materials carry centuries of documented therapeutic use.
The brand name itself reflects this philosophy. Santu, a shortened version of a longer Spanish word, connects directly to concepts of wholeness and healing in Mexican culture. Van Wyk emphasizes that their treatments work on multiple levels simultaneously.
“When we move blockages, they can be physical, but they can also be emotional,” she notes. This approach draws from indigenous Mexican healing traditions that never separated physical care from mental and spiritual wellness. Modern spa treatments often focus on relaxation, but Santu’s methodology aims for deeper therapeutic release.
The copal resin component particularly illustrates this integrated approach. Indigenous Mexican communities have burned copal for spiritual ceremonies for thousands of years, believing it clears negative energy while promoting mental clarity. Santu incorporates this ingredient not as cultural appropriation, but as authentic representation of Mexican healing knowledge by Mexican founders.
Local Sourcing Meets Global Wellness Trends
Santu’s ingredient sourcing reflects growing consumer interest in provenance and authenticity within beauty products. The Guerrero salt comes from specific regional deposits known for their mineral content, while the lime, eucalyptus, and rosemary are cultivated using traditional Mexican agricultural methods.
Van Wyk’s background in hands-on therapy work influences how the brand thinks about product development. Rather than creating formulations in laboratories and testing them later, Santu develops treatments through actual spa application first. López’s experience at Angelique’s represents this real-world testing approach, where products prove their effectiveness through client responses before reaching wider distribution.
