FIVE LUXURY HEALTH BREAKS

After two years of working from home, splash out on yourself with some five-star pampering

WORDS TOM OTLEY

SIX SENSES VANA, UTTARAKHAND, INDIA

Six Senses has taken over the Vana resort close to Rishikesh, the birthplace of yoga, and north of Dehradun on the approach to the Himalayas.

Open since 2014, the name of the resort means ‘forest’, and it is surrounded by organic kitchen and herb gardens in a sal-tree reserve within India’s Mussoorie region.

By this autumn the resort will have the Six Senses five-star luxury service installed, while continuing to offer traditional practices, including Ayurveda, yoga and Tibetan medicine. From mantras to meditation to massages, the aim is to ‘nudge’ you along a path to vitality. For those who need a lot of nudging, the Ayurvedic Panchakarma retreats welcome guests for up to a month for complete detoxification.

The organic gardens are being extended so that cuisine can be grown on-site, not flown in, while the bar will serve healthy drinks and tonics.

Also coming soon is a lifestyle concept store for sustainable fashion and spa products, a Cinema Paradiso, courts for various ball games, and more experiences that tap into the retreat’s location to encourage movement, mindfulness and reconnection with nature. sixsenses.com

THE OBEROI, MARRAKECH, MOROCCO

Set in over 11 hectares of landscaped gardens, citrus orchards, and olive groves with views of the snow-capped Atlas Mountains, The Oberoi has 84 rooms, suites, and villas; 76 of which have private pools and private gardens. New this year is a wellness programme called Saha (health in Arabic) focused on four key cornerstones: Soul and Spirit, Active Body, Holistic Treatments and A Better Plate. Personalised wellness plans and packages range from dynamic fitness activities with a dedicated trainer to find inner peace through yoga, meditation, mindfulness activities or getting a good night’s rest with the hotel’s sleep therapy programme. Guests can choose from a three- to seven-night programme which includes a stay in a deluxe villa with a private pool, along with treatments, therapies and activities from the four key cornerstones. oberoihotels.com

DUSIT THANI HUA HIN, THAILAND

Last year Dusit Hotels and Resorts introduced a new group-wide wellness concept, Devarana Wellness, and this year, the Dusit Thani Hua Hin resort, one of its best-known properties, has rebranded its Devarana Spa to Devarana Wellness. As a significant refurbishment of the entire property, including all guest rooms and suites, and the large central pool, it now offers a three-pronged deceleration methodology based on the three key principles of Pause, Focus and Growth. It offers a complimentary programme of mindful and physical activities, such as meditation, forest bathing, Muay Thai martial arts, Kaoshikii dance, full moon yoga on the beach, and Family Day Retreats.

The spa offers more than 30 treatments including body exfoliation, facials, and various healing massages using bespoke oils and handcrafted ingredients. There are also personalised programmes to help guests ‘recover’ physical and mental well-being while inspiring ongoing resilience and optimal performance, especially in consideration of office syndrome and the stresses of day-to-day life. dusit.com

CHENOT PALACE WEGGIS, SWITZERLAND

Chenot Palace Weggis in Lucerne has three wellbeing programmes based on the Chenot Method – Advanced Detox, Recover and Energise, or Prevention and Ageing Well. On check-in you will receive a medical screening and a state-of-the-art diagnostic to determine which of the programmes is right for you, tailored to your exact needs.

Every wellness programme consists of preventative and regenerative treatments and is complemented by the Chenot Diet to ensure optimum results are reached during a mininimum of a seven-night stay. The Chenot spa spans 5,000 sqm and is a full-service integrated medical retreat with a metabolic and sports laboratory, an in-house blood analysis laboratory, a whole body cryochamber at -110˚C, antigravity technologies, an altitude chamber, a 21m indoor swimming pool and four dedicated sleep rooms specially made with technology to create a natural sleeping environment and optimise rest. chenotpalaceweggis.com

BORGO EGNAZIA, PUGLIA, ITALY

Borgo Egnazi is offering the chance to make local Apulian pottery in its ceramic workshop, a practice that can be both meditative and therapeutic. Not only do the repetitive motions of moulding, spinning, and shaping soothe the psyche, but it’s difficult to check your email while up to your elbows in modelling clay. The town of Grottaglie has been producing ceramics since the 17th century. You’ll have the chance to visit local ceramicists in their house-museum to view archaeological finds dating back to Roman times and also learn how to hand paint the traditional Apulian “splash” design. It’s not all handcrafts, though, the Borgo Egnazia’s Vair Spa is also available during your stay. borgoegnazia.it