SPA/WELLNESS HOTELS
WHAT’S TRENDING:
Since the boom of the Spa industry, when everybody suddenly decided to get healthy, and every single hotel quickly renovated its sauna area, added a treatment cabin and a massage bed, and rebranded itself “Hotel & Spa”, things have gone a long way. Past are the times when a visit to the Spa meant a massage, maybe a facial, if feeling adventurous also a scrub, and eventually a mani-pedi. Discerning wellness travelers today have shifted their priorities. It’s not just about pampering any more, or just looking good: people want something that they can bring home with them, and I don’t mean a colorful souvenir. Stressful and frantic professional and personal lives, hyper-connected existences spent fixing a small screen 24 hours a day, email and social media anxieties have created new needs. The modern spa-goers want spaces that offer a respite from the usual rhythms, a holistic approach, a lifestyle change, and healthier alternative to old habits. Along traditional wellness therapies, practices like yoga, tai-chi, meditation, nutrition, have entered the Spa menus. Physical and emotional detox programs are all the rage; digital detox is the word of the day. Medical Spas are very popular (and the last generation has shown that “medical” and luxury can co-exist): they are one shop stops where to address heath issues, rejuvenate, and relax. And maybe undergo that minimal cosmetic procedure that will have your friends say, when you get home from your so called “vacation”: You look so young and refreshed!”
POPULAR WELLNESS HOTELS:
Popular with a trendy crowd that includes royals and popstars, (Sarah Duchess of York and Annie Lennox are fans), the chic resort of Kamalaya in the island of Koh Samui in Thailand is the perfect exotic destination for both a physical and mental re-booth. The comprehensive menu of lifestyle wellness programs, aimed to promote optimal health and vitality, includes a Detox and Rejuvenation plan to shed hidden toxins; a Balance and Revitalize plan that addresses stress and burnout; and Embracing Change, a program dedicated to emotional balance, an often neglected aspect of our busy lives (http://www.kamalaya.com/index.htm).
Perched on a hill overlooking two idyllic beaches in the state of Karnataka, India, Swaswara is an eco- luxury resort focused on detox and regeneration; obtained through a tailor-made diet, yoga, meditation, and the daily healing immersion in the unspoiled natural landscape. There is an in-residence team of naturopaths, Ayurvedic doctors and yoga teachers, that follows every guest individually; the villas with a private garden with occasional visiting monkeys are very cozy; and the light (mostly) vegetarian gourmet cuisine is simply yummy (http: //www.swaswara.com/).
A modernized version of the Macrobiotic diet, and its healing properties, is the main strength of SHA Wellness Clinic, a slick Medical Spa on the Spanish Blanca coast. From Kyle Minogue to Leo di Caprio’s model girlfriend Toni Garrn, celebs flock to the center in search of “perfect physical, mental, and spiritual wellness”. Personalized health and wellbeing programs are formulated by a team of specialists that includes anti-aging, aesthetic and genetic medicine doctors, cosmetic dentistry experts, psychologists, psychiatrists, osteopaths, and nutritionists (http://www.shawellnessclinic.com/).
Not a Hotel & Spa, but a Spa where one can sleep: this definition sums up the essence of The Standard, the most fun health & beauty address of happening Miami Beach; and the favorite retreat of rock stars and fashion people in search of a health kick. The whole grounds of the hotel are an open air treatment facility: there is a mud room immersed in lush vegetation, yoga decks by the sea, and a waterfall for self-massage. The hydrotherapy treatments are heavenly. Courses and workshops include paddle boarding, hypnosis, meditation, acupuncture, and all the types of yoga you can think of. (http://www.standardhotels.com/spa-miami-beach)
Hosted in the elegant Palace Hotel in Merano, in northern Italy, the Espace Henri Chenot is the favorite refuge of celebs in need of a makeover. Footballers, Russian oligarchs, princesses (like Caroline of Monaco) TV presenters, all equally robed, rub shoulders in the center created by French health guru Henry Chenot and his wife Dominique (in charge of the aesthetic treatments): in order to lose weight, smooth some unwanted wrinkles, or just get healthy. Results are guaranteed, but the portions of the gourmet cuisine are really small, so expect hunger pangs. (http://www.palace.it/en/hotel-espace-henri-chenot.htm).
The digestive system and its vital function for perfect health is the focus of the therapies by VIVA Mayr, an Austrian wellness clinic with a cult following. Models and health conscious European aristocrats, bankers and entrepreneurs flock to the clinic in order to regain a balance havocked by a hectic lifestyle. Detox through an austere diet of broth and little else, restores lost vitality and gives the skin that special glow the camera loves so much. (http://www.viva-mayr.com/).
THE SPA AT LA RESIDENCIA, MALLORCA
There are destinations that are like an open secret. There are others whose names are jealously kept in closed circles, like a membership card of a very exclusive club. Deia’, on the northeast cost of the Spanish island of Mallorca, a sleepy rural village perched on the Tramuntana mountains, with a spectacular view of the azure waters of the Mediterranean sea, is one of the latter. Since writer Robert Graves discovered it in the Thirties, a plethora of artist and intellectuals have descended on the village, attracted by its unique energy, and the unspoiled charm and tranquil rhythm of the countryside, where sheep graze in idyllic olive and orange groves. In most recent times, the village has become the playground of a boho-chic crowd (rockstars, actors, models) here to relax in anonymity, and party in a rural-chic atmosphere. Their headquarters? La Residencia (www.belmond.com), a delightful luxury hotel whose understated chic, and love of privacy, mirrors the identity of the destination. Most guests, and the density of celebs is outstanding – Kate Moss, Sienna Miller, Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow, Leo di Caprio are all aficionados – never leave the premise: the suites are sumptuous, there are 2 scenic pools immersed in lush vegetation, and the gourmet restaurants, using local fresh produce (often from their own bio-garden), are outstanding. Activities include trips on a private speedboat, gourmet picnics on top of the mountains, and private painting and sculpture lessons with the in-house artist. The highlight of the stay? The intimate, award winning Spa, completed with a covered pool, offering an array of treatments using local ingredients, and products by Natura Bisse’, Guinot and Aromatherapy Associates. Most guest opt for a signature treatment, such as The Citrus Siesta, a scrub-massage combo using local sea salt, almonds, olive oil, and citrus essence, the leaves you in a state of bliss; or the Almond Delight, a Facial using almonds and jasmine form Mallorca, ideal to soothe the skin after too much sun. For those seeking a more in depth therapy, there is an Aura-Soma room where one is soothed by the power of color; the most adventurous guests try BodyTalk, an alternative therapy by German specialist Anja Burkhardt, that stimulates the body’s own ability to heal itself on all levels, and rebalances body and soul. To then get back to their busy life with the famous “ Residencia effect”.
