Privacy Policy

Essencia Azul Clinic
Led by Dr. Ana Laura Rodríguez
Blue Zone of Quebrada Honda de Nicoya, Costa Rica
Contact email: info@essenciaazul.com

Website contact form

When you submit the contact form on our main page, we collect:

• Full name: to identify you and personalize the communication.
• Age (optional): to provide context for your medical inquiry.
• Email address: to send you confirmation and a reply.
• Phone (optional): to contact you if you request it.
• Area of medical interest: to direct your inquiry to the right service.

This data is sent by encrypted email (TLS) to our medical team and is not stored in any website database.

Virtual assistant (chatbot)

When you interact with our virtual assistant through Facebook Messenger or Instagram Direct, we may collect:

• Platform user identifier (Facebook/Instagram PSID): needed to reply to your messages.
• Message content you voluntarily send us during the conversation.
• Health information you voluntarily share for the purpose of guidance and medical care.

Browser local storage

We use the browser's localStorage solely to save your language preference (Spanish/English) and your choice about cookies. This data is functional, does not require prior consent under the GDPR, and is not transmitted to any server.

We do not collect payment data, passwords or geolocation information.

We use your information exclusively to:

• Answer your questions and guide you about the clinic's services.
• Schedule, confirm or manage medical appointments.
• Provide personalized care before, during and after your health journey.

We do not use your information for third-party advertising nor do we share it with other companies for commercial purposes.

The processing of your data is based on:

• Your express consent when you start a conversation with our virtual assistant.
• The performance of a doctor-patient relationship when you request care or book an appointment.

Your information may be shared only with:

• Dr. Ana Laura Rodríguez and the Essencia Azul clinical team, for exclusively medical purposes.
• Chatbot technology providers (n8n, OpenAI, Meta), under confidentiality agreements and solely to process the conversations.
• The web server's email provider, for sending contact form submissions.
• Google Maps (Google LLC), embedded on the location page. Google may use its own cookies according to its privacy policy.

Some providers are located in the United States. We have verified that they comply with data protection standards equivalent to those required by Costa Rican law and the European GDPR.

We do not sell or transfer your data to third parties.

We use cookies so the site works securely and to improve your experience. The technical and security cookies (for example, the one that protects the contact form against fraudulent submissions) are strictly necessary. Analytics with Google Analytics 4 works on an opt-in consent basis: it is only activated if you accept the cookie notice; if you reject it, no Google tool is loaded and no analytics cookie is installed.

The full detail of which cookies we use, their purpose, retention and how to manage your consent is in our dedicated policy.

See our Cookie Policy →

Contact form

Data sent through the web form is transmitted by email and kept in the medical team's inbox for a maximum of 12 months, or until you request its deletion. It is not stored in any website database.

Chatbot conversations

We keep the conversation history for as long as necessary to provide you with continuous care, and we delete it at your request or when it is no longer necessary for the purposes described.

Local storage

The language preference stored in your browser (localStorage) persists until you delete it manually or clear your browser data. It has no automatic expiration date.

As the owner of your personal data, you have the right to:

To exercise any of these rights, write to us at: info@essenciaazul.com. We will respond to your request within a maximum of 30 business days.

We apply technical and organizational measures to protect your information against unauthorized access, loss or improper disclosure. All communication with our chatbot travels encrypted via HTTPS.

We may update this policy occasionally. We will notify you of important changes through our social media or directly in the conversation.