2023 is set to be bigger than ever for wellness as travellers continue to seek out transformative retreats that will help them become their best selves.
According to a recent study by Accenture, despite increasing financial pressures, the health and wellness market is expected to increase to more than $1 trillion in spend globally by 2025, making it one of the industry’s fasting growing sectors. As Skift identifies, today wellness extends beyond physical health and incorporates many different dimensions that should work in harmony including mental, physical, environmental, social, spiritual, and emotional.
From chakra forest therapy and detox yoga classes in Mauritius, new integrative treatments in Thailand and life-enriching wellness festivals in the Maldives, to cutting-edge advanced preventative diagnostic screenings in Spain, we round up the latest wellness news from our clients around the world:
ASIA
Holistic leader, Kamalaya Koh Samui launches Longevity House with new integrative treatments and pre-departure assessment
Multi-award-winning holistic wellness sanctuary, Kamalaya, is inspired by the founders’ devotion to spiritual studies, harnessing an integral approach to wellness, grounded in bringing together ancient Eastern healing with Western medical research, the powers of nature and local tradition.
New for 2023, driven by the guiding objective of ensuring a high-quality and long life for its guests, Kamalaya will launch Longevity House to support, enhance and increase the benefits of its 17 existing, award-winning programmes. Longevity House will offer a range of treatments including IV Vitamin Infusion Therapy which employs personalised blends of nutrients including vitamins, minerals and amino acids tailored to the individual and their unique needs and wellbeing goals, administered through an IV Drip; Ozone Therapy which sees blood drawn and mixed with medical grade oxygen (O3) then reinfused into the body to restore balance, combat infections and degenerative diseases and boost immunity and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy which sees guests enter a high air pressure hyperbaric chamber which deeply penetrates the tissues to deliver more oxygen to the lungs and microcapillaries aiding in the stimulation of stem cells and helping fight bacteria.
Kamalaya has also partnered with London-based vitality clinic Paar, to offer bespoke functional testing assessments prior to departure. Assessments can evaluate skin DNA, food intolerances, mineral balance, toxicity, microbiome, and gut health. Tests for sleep, nutritional and fitness traits are offered while genetic testing for predisposition to diseases, epigenetic and biological age testing are also available along with personalised tests.
To book: The integrative treatments at Longevity House can be added to any of Kamalaya’s 17 programmes at an additional cost. Programmes at Kamalaya start from £1,649 per person for three nights. kamalaya.com
Body, mind and soul – a spiritual pilgrimage in the Kingdom of Bhutan
Steeped in cultural and spiritual traditions, this tiny kingdom places wellbeing at the heart of everyday life. With the pursuit of happiness at the core of the country, as it is known around the globe for its unconventional measure of national development: Gross National Happiness (GNH), wellness gurus can expect to reconnect with Bhutan’s roots in traditional Buddhist ceremonies, wellbeing rituals, and spiritual pilgrimages that transform body, mind, and soul.
The recently revitalised Trans-Bhutan Trail, a 250-mile historic pilgrimage is more than just an epic and ancient route: it’s an immersive experience for those that choose to walk it. Travellers can refresh with hot stone baths mountainside with vista views spanning the valleys or spend a night in a monastery and awake to the sounds of prayer wheels before daily meditation as a handful of spiritual journeys along the way. For those seeking ancient Buddhist healing wisdom, Bhutan offers a holistic approach combining traditional medicines infused with remedial herbs, acupuncture therapy and more.
New for 2023, the Ultimate Travel Company has launched a bespoke wellness infused itinerary with Six Senses across the valleys of Thimphu, Punakha and Paro. This transformative eight-night Khamsa immerses travellers into Bhutan’s traditional way of life with stays in beguiling Six Senses lodges throughout, each with a wide range of rituals for guests to feel at peace. Guests will traverse and take the nation’s mighty fortress ‘dzongs’ and soaring Himalayan peaks with holistic hikes and traditional monastic breakfasts. Those seeking solace and serenity can escape to the spa for indulgent oil treatments and massages after energetic days.
To book: Rates with The Ultimate Travel Company start from £10,980 per person for nine days, on accommodation listed on a full-board basis and one-60-minute spa treatment per person. Inclusive of Druk Air flights between Kathmandu, Delhi or Bangkok and Paro. Sightseeing as stated with private English-speaking guide, driver, and vehicle. Visa and Government Fees included. theultimatetravelcompany.com
INDIAN OCEAN
Soneva launches new immersive wellness festival, SOUL, in partnership with Organic India to offer an intimate and life-enriching retreat in the Maldives
Pioneering hospitality brand Soneva and international wellness enterprise ORGANIC INDIA have partnered to launch the inaugural and immersive wellness festival SOUL , set to grace the shores of Soneva Fushi in the Baa Atoll from the 29th September – 8th October 2023.
Over ten days, the intimate and life-enriching festival retreat invites guests from across the world to explore wellness in all its forms, from personal to planetary, and will bring with it a global line-up of visionaries, thought leaders, and wellness pioneers to further explore the frontiers of health and wellbeing.
Proceeds from the sale of festival tickets will go to the Soneva Foundation and ORGANIC INDIA Foundation to support the development of projects that have a positive environmental, social and economic impact.
To book: Soneva’s exclusive SOUL Festival offer starts from USD 6,900 for two guests for a minimum three-night stay. This includes two festival tickets and full access to the entire program during guests’ stay, with luxurious private villa accommodation alongside daily full board at selected dining destinations and complimentary round–trip wheeled plane domestic transfers. soneva.com
Celebrate age-old healing and spirituality with The Retreat at Nirjhara, Bali
Artfully designed around the spectacular cascading waterfall after which it is named, sustainable hideaway Nirjhara’s 25 suites and villas – on Bali’s southwest coast – blend seamlessly into nature. The Retreat, the property’s spa, celebrates age-old healing practices and rituals, offering guests everything from sound healing and reiki, to massages, body scrubs and reflexology but also a selection of off-property “blessings” influenced by spiritual traditions. In one such blessing, guests are invited to tune out to tune in for a spiritual retreat in Tabanan with a rejuvenating and immersive experience which will transport them to the foothills of Ubud. This journey includes a sound healing and breathing meditation session in the middle of the rice terraces, a cleansing ritual at Sebatu’s holy springs (home to one of Bali’s oldest temples), before a spiritual leader of Sebatu leads guests to discover two majestic waterfalls.
To book: Rates at Nirjhara start from £260 per night on a bed and breakfast basis, based on two sharing. nirjhara.com
Journey through the chakras with SALT of Palmar’s inaugural yoga retreat
Dynamic adults-only Mauritian boutique hotel, SALT of Palmar, will launch its inaugural yoga retreat from 1st – 8th April 2023. The programme will be led by three soul-soothing yoga teachers, Angélique, Erin, and Aurélie, hailing from Reunion Island, Canada, and Mauritius respectively, each bringing a unique mix of invigorating practices for guests to experience taking them on a journey through the chakras. Each day is designed and dedicated to a chakra with a focus on the elements and yogis can welcome the mornings with sunrise beach walks, vinyasa flow, and meditation as well as forest therapy in the verdant Bras d’Eau. Days will be spent enjoying a curated collection of well-being offerings ranging from dance circles and movement, complemented with mindful breathwork and chanting, alongside therapeutic art sessions, journalling and daily raw food workshops.
To book: Rates for the yoga retreat start from EUR 1,000 (approx. £863). saltresorts.com
EUROPE
Pioneering integrative medical clinic SHA Wellness, launches Health Screening Lab with advanced preventative diagnostic circuit
In another step towards hyper-personalisation of the individual guest wellness journey, SHA Wellness’ flagship has created an innovative technological solution to guest diagnostics that will ensure that their transformative experience can begin well-informed and with little delay, each time they visit.
In half an hour, the cutting-edge advanced preventative diagnostic circuit in the new Health Screening Lab includes tools that perform a series of non-invasive tests aimed at obtaining as much information as possible about a guest’s state of health, allowing SHA’s multidisciplinary team of experts to create a highly bespoke programme that can begin straight away.
To book: The advanced preventative diagnostic circuit in the Health Screening Lab is included in programmes above 7 days. Rates for a seven-day Rebalance programme are from €3,300. The Diagnostic Circuit can be added to any other package and is priced at €200 per session. Starting rates for a Deluxe Suite at SHA Wellness Clinic are from €400. shawellnessclinic.com
An otherworldly subterranean cocoon in the depths of a thousand-year-old castle and wild wellness in Umbria at Castello di Reschio
Located in the spectacular setting of a 1,000-year-old Castello, The Bathhouse at Reschio is a mystical, cossetting gem hidden in the depths of the hotel’s vaulted wine cellars. The Bathhouse is an otherworldly retreat encompassing a cavernous salt-water Roman Bath complete with rain turret, hammam, sauna and treatment room, where the healing powers of nature and the changing seasons are celebrated. The pièce de resistance is the Private Room, complete with a roaring fireplace, two ‘conversation baths’, two massage beds for tailor-made treatments, a tepidarium carved into an ancient cave and steam room.
As part of their wellness journey, guests can incorporate foraging workshops with Reschio’s resident forager for an ethnobotanical walk around the estate to learn more about the healing and nutritional properties of local plant life, before turning these ingredients into essential oils to take home with them.
To book: Rates at Hotel Castello di Reschio start from €790 per night, inclusive of breakfast. reschio.com
Alpine surroundings, the serenity of Taoism and Swiss produce is at the heart of Le Grand Bellevue’s wellbeing offering
Drawing upon the fresh air, health-giving botanicals, and ice-capped peaks of the Swiss Alps, at Le Grand Bellevue’s Le Grand Spa, expert practitioners will place nature at the centre of guest wellbeing experiences this season. Offering the chance to reconnect with nature through active and revitalising pursuits, guests of Le Grand Bellevue can try rebalancing mountainside Tai Chi or Qi Gong session overlooking sweeping alpine vistas.Additionally, to reinforce the body’s winter defences, bespoke treatment programmes are available and can be designed to target individual concerns with vitamin-rich spa treatments: immune-boosting experiences such as the Goat’s Milk and Honey Bath, a local twist on the legendary Milk & Honey and Swiss Silhouette treatment, which is designed to boost circulation – perfect to combat the cold temperatures outside.
To book: Rooms at Le Grand Bellevue start from £580 per night and experiences are available upon request. For more information, please visit bellevue-gstaad.ch
Marbella Club launches bespoke group wellness retreats and private hammam experiences
A centre of wellness with a progressive approach to health and wellbeing, the Marbella Club is a restorative Mediterranean haven backed by the Sierra Blanca mountains and steeped in year-round sunshine. With rising interest in group retreats, the Marbella Club launched an offering for private groups that allows guests to create bespoke wellness retreats to tackle a range of health issues from gut and liver health, exhaustion, stress and burnout, to fitness and weight loss and ageing gently – designed with preventative health in mind, the retreats begin with personalised lifestyle and nutrition consultations, followed by bio-energetic testing to equip guests with knowledge and tools to maintain their wellbeing journey beyond their stay. This is followed by daily talks and wellness workshops on the chosen focus, accompanied by a range of holistic healing therapies and fitness sessions. Each retreat is complemented with tailored menus created by the hotel’s wellness chef featuring an array of seasonal, nutritious and refined-sugar free dishes with cooking demonstrations on offer for those wishing to learn how to eat more consciously at home.
New for 2023, the property will introduce a 60-minute private hammam experience where guests can embrace the joys of slow living and a traditional three-step self-care ritual with a sumptuous steam bath and exfoliation using eucalyptus black soap, followed by a nourishing face and body honey mask.
To book: Bespoke group retreats at the Marbella Club start from €1,875 per person to include all meals and tailored wellness activities on the retreat. Accommodation to be added separately, with nightly rates starting from €449 per night, inclusive of breakfast. marbellaclub.com
UK
Winter Health Reset spa day with resident naturopath, Camilla Dos Santos, at Beaverbrook Surrey
The Coach House Spa at Beaverbrook has expanded its calendar of transformational wellness experiences inviting guests and families to explore the deeply healing power of nature through a series of retreats which span themes and modalities.
New for this season, Beaverbrook welcomes day visitors and overnight guests to experience the Winter Health Reset day, hosted by Resident Naturopath, Camilla Dos Santos, guests are invited to prepare for the winter months with a programme designed to boost immunity, decrease inflammation, increase energy levels and refocus the mind and memory.
Offering the highest efficacy of personalised treatments to support each individual’s immune response, Camilla will carry out a bespoke Naturopathic Consultation offering tailored health advice, supplement recommendations and nutritional guidance, before a breathwork session designed to uplift and invigorate, before finishing with a regenerating Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy session.
To book: prices for the Winter Health Reset at Beaverbrook start from £275 and include a 90- minute naturopathic assessment, 1:1 introductory breathwork training, 45-minute Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy, wholesome Deli lunch and full use of The Coach House Spa facilities. beaverbrook.co.uk