The Bliss Report

/ here&now / A Thaiinfluenced entry to Peninsula Spa.

The Bliss Report

A little medical and a little mystical, the new breed of destination spas are letting wellness-minded travelers have it ahhh. by fiorell a valdesolo

32

june 2016 / tr av el andleisure asia .com

Courtesy of peninsul a bangkok

spa s

/ here&now /

The Doctor Is In

The incorporation of medical professionals into health-andrelaxation regimens is one of the biggest shifts in this trend. At the new Faena Hotel Miami Beach (faena.com), a visit to the Tierra Santa Healing House might include an evaluation by cardiologist and preventivemedicine expert Dr. Juan Rivera; an appointment with Dr. Matthew Cooper, aka Dr. Enzyme, about how your gut is affecting your complexion; then a shaman-developed meditative sound-bowl massage session (the vibrations induce relaxation).

“It’s our most popular and most esoteric treatment,” says Faena wellness director Vivianne GarciaTunon. And at the BodyHoliday, the program includes 3-D heartmapping and body-fat and lungcapacity analysis. >>

clockwise from top left:

Suiran’s cypress bath; Santani, a minimalist resort in Sri Lanka; beet carpaccio from Aja Malibu’s menu.

Spa Food 3.0

It’s no longer about avoiding carbs and calories—nowadays, seafood- and vegetable-centric cuisine that’s full of good fats is defining the spa menu. These places have come a long way from cottage cheese.

Amatara Resort & Wellness | Phuket

New to Amatara Resort & Wellness is The Retreat, an outlet serving nutritious food and beverages. Poached prawns and quinoa salad with a ginger-ginseng dressing, or stir-fried beef tenderloin with ginger and yuzu sauce are two items on the menu, which comes with a slight Thai twist. amataraphuket.com.

34

Tri | Lake Koggala, Sri Lanka At this six-month-old high-design

hotel, ayurveda-inspired meals at the spa start with fresh-baked bread such as kurakkan roti and roasted-cashew butter. Even the cocktails—try the beet martini—seem healthy. trilanka.com.

Four Seasons Hong Kong | Hong Kong Keeping in mind the idea

that beauty is more than skin deep, the hotel’s executive chef Herve Fucho has designed a healthy menu that’s meant to complement half-day spa treatments in the Be Present program.

Lean protein, whole grains and vitamin-packed vegetables make up the menu. At the Pool Terrace, order crushed avocado toast or a black quinoa and chickpea burger. fourseasons.com/hongkong.

june 2016 / tr av el andleisure asia .com

Meadowood napa valley | St. Helena, California

At the 1,300-square-meter spa, guests sit down to gorgeous dishes after treatments. A standout is the Ora king salmon—one piece is grilled, the other cooked sous vide—served with flaxseed tuiles and garnished edible flowers. meadowood.com.

— GINA HAMADE Y and christopher kucway

c l o c k w i s e f r o m t o p l e f t: c o u r t e s y o f TOOTEN / STARWOO D ; c o u r t e s y o f s a n ta n i ; j e s s i c a s a m p l e

Call it the athleisure effect: As healthy lifestyles and holistic approaches to wellness have become mainstream, spas have followed suit.

The choice is no longer between boot camp and colonics or pedicures by the pool—spas from California to Sri Lanka are combining fitness and nutrition, New Ageiness, and medi-spa procedures (both Western and Eastern). “Guests already know how to eat, how to exercise and about their state of wellness,” says Andrew Barnard, marketing director of the BodyHoliday (thebody​holiday.com), in St. Lucia. “It’s about enhancing their health in the long term.” And for the new generation of spa-goers, which Barnard says is increasingly made up of millennials, fusing travel with wellness—whether it’s a chakra massage or a biometric analysis— carries a definite cool factor.

To read the rest of the article in our current issue,. subscribe to Travel + Leisure Southeast Asia..

SUBSCRIBE NOW

TO OUR DIGITAL EDITION

1 year / 12 issues for US$29.99.

Available at www.zinio.com/TravelandLeisureAsia

powered by