Draft Your Own Health Regime at Banyan Tree’s Wellbeing Sanctuary
Eco-friendly hotel brand Banyan Tree has now introduced a unique Wellbeing Sanctuary option for guests, allowing them to achieve their own health, nutrition and fitness goals while enjoying a relaxing luxury holiday at any of their resorts worldwide. In Thailand, two beachfront resorts, Banyan Tree Samui and Banyan Tree Krabi, offer the additional benefit of consultation with an Ayurvedic expert and yoga instructor ahead of their stay. In addition to the resorts’ award-winning spas, much of the holistic itinerary allows for time for meditation and reflection at the guest’s private tranquil villa. In Samui, each of the 88 villas comes with an infinity pool and jet pool, while at Banyan Tree in Krabi each room has a jet pool and is equipped with Wellbeing Sanctuary features such as yoga mats and Tibetan singing bowls.
Rejuvenating Aqua Training in Tokyo
evian SPA TOKYO, the Forbes Five-Star spa at Palace Hotel Tokyo, has launched a journey of wellness designed to offer in-water fitness through gentle resistance and stretching — delivering the benefits of a lower gravity setting — followed by a personalized, rejuvenating body treatment. The privately guided “Aqua Move Experience” begins with a briefing with a trainer, followed by a 10-minute warm-up poolside before entering the water. Each session can be customized to each guest’s desired level of fitness. It can include light cardio paired with gentle stretching to promote mobility among seniors or more intense cardio paired with fat-burning exercises for those seeking a more vigorous aqua workout. At its conclusion, guests have the opportunity to relax with a brief soak in the hot tub before segueing to their choice of a 60- or 90-minute personalized body massage. The 120-minute session is priced at JPY 39,200, while the 150-minute session is priced at JPY 47,200.
Mui Ne Resort Unveils Beach Spa
The Anam Mui Ne, an Indochine-era inspired resort in Vietnam’s popular beach town Mui Ne, has expanded its spa and wellness offerings with the launch of its “Beach Spa” specialising in express treatments. As its name suggests, The Anam Spa’s Beach Spa is absolute beachfront. Adjacent to the resort’s 266sqm saltwater infinity swimming pool and beach lawn, Beach Spa sits at the other end of the beach to the resort’s Lang Viet Restaurant & Bar, bookending the resort’s best view over the waterfront. Equipped with two massage beds, Beach Spa offers 15-minute and 30-minute head treatments, a 30-minute aloe-vera aftersun treatment, 30-minute back treatment, 30-minute head, neck and shoulder treatment, 30-minute foot treatment and a 40-minute organic facial treatment. Open from 10am-6pm daily, Beach Spa’s treatments are priced from VND 300,000 to VND 450,000.
Cam Ranh Resort Welcomes Health and Wellness Manager
Alma Resort Cam Ranh, a 30-hectare beachfront resort on Cam Ranh peninsula, has appointed a full-time resident yogi to bolster its array of wellness offerings. Equipped with 20 years of experience in the health and wellness industry, Umesh Kamar Sharma joins Alma after working at nearby The Anam Cam Ranh for seven years as a yoga and gym instructor. In his new role, Umesh offers a variety of group and private yoga experiences including the likes of sunrise yoga, power yoga, full-moon yoga stretch, yoga nidra meditation and yoga practice tailored to the guest’s needs at numerous locations across the resort such as the beach lawn and yoga room.
Phuket Resort Promotes Movement For the Mind
Luxury Phuket resort Trisara is helping guests move towards a healthier mindset by debuting an innovative slow-living retreat in Thailand. The 5-day WiseMotion Retreat, led by renowned neuroscientist Dr. Hanna Poikonen, will occur between 24th and 28th November 2024 and is designed to enhance brain health and well-being through a unique combination of improvisation, scientific knowledge, and interactive discussions. Dr. Hanna describes herself as “a neuroscientist by education and a dancer by heart”. And movement is an integral element of her WiseMotion retreats, which she has hosted at exotic locations around the globe, the latest of which is Trisara. Participants on the retreat will benefit from exercises and scientific knowledge designed to balance emotional well-being, calm the nervous system, and improve cognitive function. The program includes daily movement meditation sessions, WiseMotion masterclasses, and opportunities for creative movement and inspirational discussion.
New Treatments, New Studio, and New Workouts at Vietnam’s Premier Wellness Destination
An oceanfront resort that has helped shape the wellness industry in Vietnam has continued to reinvent itself in recent months through adding new treatments, a new wellness studio, and new workouts, including a HIIT Power Workout, to its offering. The new therapies at TIA Wellness Resort include Vietnamese cupping, an ancient healing technique that is a mainstay of traditional Vietnamese medicine; a 30-minute Back & Shoulder Tension Release, to provide lasting relief and relaxation; and the Holistic Head & Neck Harmony, a meridian-point therapy focusing on the head and neck, which is also 30 minutes long. The new 50-minute Deep Tissue Leg Recovery has been added to alleviate tension and fatigue in the legs. The new treatments complement the existing line up of 29 different therapies available to wellness-inclusive guests.
Wash Away Negativity With a Sacred Balinese Practice
Tanah Gajah, a Resort by Hadiprana, is tapping into the sacredness of its grounds with a Purification Ceremony experience on-site. The water-based ritual, a tradition on the island that helps people wash away what no longer serves them. The 60-minute ceremony is performed by a Hindu priest who begins by chanting ancient Sanskrit mantras. Prayers take place, offerings are made and incense and water are used to cleanse throughout the ritual. The water purifies in multiple ways – being poured, drunk, and dappled – but guests are not fully immersed (although a change of clothes is required). The ritual is best performed in the morning and bookings are typically made for 7am. The price is IDR 650,000 ++ per person with a minimum booking of two people.
Rituals and Rhythms in Cambodia
Two of Cambodia’s most iconic luxury hotels – Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor in Siem Reap and Raffles Hotel Le Royal in Phnom Penh – have introduced unique new wellness offerings that put a sense of place at their very heart. “Rituals and Rhythms,” part of Raffles Grand Hotel d’Angkor’s new “Curated Journeys” program, begins with a sacred monk’s blessing, followed by authentic Tibetan sound therapy and a rhythmic massage. The spa session concludes with nourishing gastronomic delights. Raffles Hotel Le Royal meanwhile has launched a new “Raffles Spa & Afternoon Tea” package ($55++ per person) that combines two of the heritage hotel’s most popular activities: a customized 60-minute facial at the Raffles Spa, along with a Royal Afternoon Tea set served at the fabled Elephant Bar or Writer’s Bar (Conservatory).
Chiang Mai Hotel’s Signature Spa Treatment Embraces Sustainability
Featuring seven treatment rooms designed in an underwater theme and a Thai herbal sauna and steam, Melia Chiang Mai’s YHI Spa offers a “360° Spa Signature Treatment” with a focus on protecting the environment. The 150-minute journey, priced at THB 3000, comprises 30 minutes of yoga and meditation, a 30-minute herbal blended steam, a 90-minute aromatic massage with Thai herbal compress balls, and a 360° cuisine set menu created via a cooking process to minimize food waste and reduce greenhouse emissions, using fresh ingredients grown in collaboration with nearby sustainable organic gourmet farm Ori9in. Featuring farm-to-plate produce, executive chef Suksant Chutinthratip (Billy) and his team craft dishes using as much of every ingredient as possible. Leftovers are then returned to the farm as compost, coming full circle in a ‘plate to farm’ movement, with leftover cooking oil sent to be recycled into biodiesel.
Cruise Line Offers Spa Treatments Amid Vietnam’s Limestone Karst-Studded Waters
Ambassador Cruise, which has made a name for itself as the leading luxury cruise operator on UNESCO World Heritage listed bays Halong and Lan Ha, offers an array of treatments at its onboard spa. Based on Sothys Paris products, the menu features 60-minute and 90-minute deep tissue massages, holistic massages, acupressure massages, Vietnamese massages, Thai massages, and Tibetan warm stone massages. A 90-minute “Sensory Spa Journey” entails various massage techniques followed by a “Sweet and Sour” scrub. The menu also includes a 60-minute body scrub with sugar and salt, 60-minute intensive care skin treatment, and 30-minute and 60-minute head, neck and shoulders treatment for spa-goers who are keen on scalp massages.
