Spa Magic Collection II JIM CARR Copyright: 2022 James Carr © All rights reserved. ISBN: 978-01-989425-37-4 --THAI SPA GUEST FOREWORD We now resume our tour of Samui resorts and the great resorts of Phuket. You’ll notice the difference almost immediately when you leave the plane into The hot, humid atmosphere and stays that way until you leave.
The taxis charge a set fare, depending on the area where your resort is located. In Phuket, the big resorts are scattered all over the island. I solved the problem by hiring a taxi for two days to take me to all my appointments. It’s hot there as well but not as humid at Samui thanks to the breezes from the Andaman Sea. But wherever you go in Thailand you’ll be treated with kindness. If you get invited to a Thai home, be sure to leave your shoes at the doorstep.
Banyan Tree Samui The Rainforest Experience It’s early afternoon. Hot and humid. And we’re cooling off in the lobby bar, sitting next to the window and sipping something cool. Outside, the sun is almost blinding on the light blue waters of the Gulf of Thailand as soft breakers flood Banyan Tree’s secluded cove on Koh Samui. But what draws your eye are the Banyan Tree Resort’s villas, built on square concrete stilts and perched on the side of an amphitheatre of tropical forested hills. Later, when I visited one of the villas, I understood just how superb Banyan Tree’s location on Lamai Beach was. The doors in the living room open up to a sweeping view of the cove, the other villas, each with an unobstructed view of the gulf and the resort’s semi-circular pool surrounded by coconut trees and the shimmering private pool in front of the villa reflecting the intense blueness of the afternoon sky. The lobby bar is only a few steps down from the main lobby, with its dark-stained wood finishing that contrasts sharply with the light-coloured floor and a colourful area rug inspired by ocean rocks and sea waves. Pendant lamps and lampshades suggest figures of equipment used by Samui fishermen. It’s only a short buggy ride from the lobby to the spa, its entrance fronted by a long shallow pool and beyond that you can see the bay below, half-hidden by the flowers and bushes. A colonnade runs around the perimeter of the L-shaped building, where tables are set for visitors interested in sampling the spa’s cuisine. The walkway to spa reception divides into two directions – with the Rainforest on the left and spa reception on the right. Inside, two receptionists are waiting for us. One of the walls features a display of products used in the spa. As in all Banyan Tree spas, this is where your journey starts. Here, you’ll be asked all about your health and treatment preferences before meeting with your therapist, who will use the information to suggest what treatment would best suit your needs at that time. The scent in the spa is light and fragrant. It’s extracted from herbs, spices, flowers and plants – their unique fragrances designed to help you restore inner harmony and balance. Your experience is enhanced with pure essential oil blends to calm your senses in the treatment room.
Some of the essential oils and massages used by the spa have been developed by Banyan Tree, working with certified labs and using natural ingredients such as turmeric, coconut and jasmine. These products are also available for sale at various Banyan Tree locations. The spa has 12 indoor treatment pavilions, including four Royal pavilions and six deluxe pavilions. Each Royal pavilion includes a bathtub, outdoor shower, Jacuzzi, a
shower room with steam, and a special room for the spa’s tropical Rainmist experiences. The design of the pavilions harkens back to old Samui residences, softened with timber window screens and drapery and in keeping with Banyan Tree’s philosophy of creating a sense of place in each of its resorts and spas. Here, dark-stained timber and brown-hued walls and floor tiles add to the over-all feeling of serenity. The ceilings are draped in Thai silk, coloured with a hint of gold. The inspiration for the motif and pavilion accents comes from the Koh Samui flower, Lamduan, and the artwork, from the equipment used by southern Thai fishermen. Treatment beds are covered in green with black-and-white runners, the lighting is subdued, and the view is of the spa’s tropical garden. Herbs, vegetables and spices used in the treatments are arranged artfully in a basket nearby – with a few orchid blossoms added for colour and contrast. Orchid blossoms also float in tubs and baths. Before the actual treatment begins, you’ll be asked to choose from a range of incense with different scents with fanciful names like Banyan Romance, Rose, Lemongrass and Lavender. In terms of treatments, the spa’s absolute favourite is its Rainforest Trail, a Banyan Tree innovation and the only one on Samui, which features ten unique hydrothermal experiences that take your wellness and holistic treatments to a new level. The Rainforest Trail’s walkway has flat stones embedded in pebble-studded cement. It curves at crucial points, giving the process a sense of anticipation and an aura of mystery. It leads you through each stage of the Rainwalk that starts with an invigorating warm shower to cleanse your body before continuing to an aromatic chamber that produces heavy perspiration to detoxify your body and boost your immune system circulation. Next, a drenching, soothing rain shower before you experience the sensation in a preheated Rasul capsule, where warm therapeutic mud with detoxifying powers is applied to your body. The fifth stop on the Rainforest Trail is a visit to the bucket drench shower, where massive amounts of water cover you. The sudden change in temperature helps to close your pores and improve your skin tone. This is followed by a Swiss shower, where water jets massage different parts of your body, and then a sauna, where your body will undergo further detoxification to boost your immune system and circulation. From the intense heat of the sauna, you’ll be led to the Rainforest’s Ice Fountain, where ice is rubbed on your body to tighten your skin and enhance your circulatory system. Great for individuals with specific cellulite-prone problems. This is followed by a tingling foot treatment that combines the rejuvenating effects of alternating cool and warm hydrotherapy.
The journey ends at the spa’s vitality pool to relax tense muscles and improve blood circulation. Water jets work like soft acupressure, covering your body to reduce headaches, tension and sleeplessness. There are seven steps in this final stage – hydro massage jets for your upper body; hydro massage jets for your lower body; waterfalls for your neck and shoulders; a Lazy River; a foot spa; waterfalls, this time for your head, neck and shoulders; and a body massage lounger – heated loungers designed to help your body relax after your Rainforest experience. The spa recommends taking the time to relax as you complete the therapeutic process. Another big favourite is the spa’s Tropical Rainmist, another Banyan Tree innovation, an experience that combines a Rainmist steam bath with an invigorating body scrub in the comfort of your treatment bed.
Also popular are Banyan Tree’s Signature Royal Banyan and Harmony Banyan, according to Naphasawan Badklang, spa manager, whose Thai nickname is Film. For first-time visitors, she recommends Banyan Indulgences. These include the Royal Banyan, which incorporates a Royal Banyan Tree Herbal Pouch massage. The pouch is dipped in warm sesame oil, using East-meets-West massage techniques to improve blood circulation and reduce muscle tension. It starts with an herbal footbath,
a Lemongrass and Cucumber scrub, and ends with a Jade Face massage to improve your skin condition, firm up facial muscles and a therapeutic herbal bath. The Harmony Banyan, another three-hour package, also starts with an Herbal footbath and features a Pineapple and Coconut scrub, a Harmony massage, a headand-foot massage, and ends with an Apple Green Tea bath and refreshments. Its signature facial is The Sukhothai Heritage, which uses “the goodness of fresh coconuts” along with Jasmine rice, Turmeric and Tamarind to create a healing scrub and wrap. Thai massage techniques are used to improve flexibility. Other wraps include the Aloe Lavender Healer for dry and sunburnt skin; Kaffir Lime Mask to lift your senses; Honey Avocado Healer, which improves your skin condition and restores softness; and Chrysanthemum Enhance. It works with all skin types. The spa’s scrubs harness the natural benefits of locally sourced ingredients, offering unique benefits suitable for all skin types. The Apple Green Tea is most popular, “great for dry skin”; Guava Fresh scrub for normal skin; Kaffir Lime Refresher for normal to dry skin; Turmeric Honey Cleanser, known for its healing and healing cleansing properties; and Ginger Lemon Cleanser. Its Master Therapist Experience uses holistic treatments for your complete mental, physical and spiritual renewal for an “ultimate pampering experience”, says Film. It’s a specially tailored treatment where your therapist uses a range of massage techniques and tools. The spa’s Time Honoured Traditions draws on the secrets of wellness and beauty of four Thai, Chinese, Indian, and Indonesian traditions. Thai traditions focus on therapeutic stretching in its massages to enhance flexibility and the healing power of Thai herbs. Chinese traditions include a massage technique used for centuries to heal the body and aid circulatory health by connecting the flow of oil in your body. Ayurvedic traditions figure prominently in Indian traditions, whether to restore vitality to your energy channels and strengthen your immune system. They include a Shirodhara treatment, in which a stream of warm oil is poured on your forehead to relieve anxiety. Indonesian traditions use a Deep Tissue Balinese massage to relieve muscle tension as well as centuries-old beauty recipes to awaken our senses. Asian women prefer Banyan Signature packages with the Royal Banyan, while Western women like the Balinese and Thai classic treatments. Banyan Tree’s Sense of Place treatment, The Sukhothai Heritage, uses timehonoured Thai ingredients such as Jasmine rice, turmeric, and tamarind, which is converted into healing scrub and wrap. Thai massage techniques work perfectly to promote deep relaxation while improving flexibility.
Among facials, the Premium Age Defence is packed with skin renewal properties to bring out that youthful glow again. Nourish your skin with a cream mask filled with active serums and a radiance ice cube complex to reveal a visibly fresher-looking complexion and reduced fine lines. Brilliance uses active sera and aromatic complexes to boost cellular renewal and leave your skin firm, smooth and brilliant. It ends with a Radiance Ice Cube Complex that gives your face “a special glow”.
Banyan Tree also offers an array of massages designed to leave you feeling relaxed and rejuvenated, starting with the Balinese – a medium-to-strong deep tissue treatment. Your therapist uses her thumbs and palms to apply pressure on your back, using a unique of warming essential oils to stimulate blood circulation, boost your energy and relieve tension. Other massages include the Thai Essence, Thai Classic, Gentle Touch, Deep Tissue, Back Reviver and Head and Shoulders Reliever. The spa’s scrubs harness the natural benefits of locally sourced ingredients offering unique benefits and suitable for all skin types. The Apple Green Tea is a favourite, great for dry skin. Other scrubs include the Guava fresh scrub for normal skin; Kaffir Lime Refresher for normal to dry skin; Turmeric Honey Cleaner, known for its healing and cleansing properties; and Ginger Lemon Cleanser. Two Banyan Day packages feature signature therapies for total top-to-toe renewal. There also are Yoga classes to help you learn proper stretching and breathing techniques, either as part of a group or privately, which Apple describes as “a perfect combination with spa treatments”. The spa also has a retail outlet, offering a range of spa merchandise, including aromatic essential oils, massage oils, incense, Banyan Tree Signature ceramic oil burners, candleholders, and pampering bath collections. Banyan Tree’s 88 pool villas are among the largest on the island and come in eight different styles and sizes – from 130 sqm to 316 sqm. Accommodation includes: Garden Pool Villas, featuring their own pool, a large living room and landscaped gardens; Grand Pool Villas that also includes an outdoor jet pool and outdoor sala; Ocean View Villas, splendidly decorated and featuring their pool and great sea views; Hillcrest View Villas, located further up the hill with magical views of the cove. The Royal Banyan Pool Villas offer wrap-around views of the area and their sala. At its Spa Pool Villas, you can have treatments in your ensuite spa treatment room, private pool, and Sanctuary Pool Villas, which feature an outdoor deck and private garden, private pool, and uninterrupted views of the Gulf of Thailand. The Presidential Pool Villa comes with two private pools, a specially decorated sala that links two one-bedroom villas as well as a setting for intimate gatherings, with a panoramic overview of the resort, sea and cove. Banyan Tree takes advantage of its hillside location to create five dining experiences, starting with Saffron, the resort’s signature restaurant, offering Thai cuisine. Signature dishes include Pho Pia Sod, Goong Mhunggorn, Yum O salmon, and scallops.
Banyan Tree Samui also offers Destination Dining options that include Samui Episode for dining experiences in a softly illuminated private pavilion on the beach. For all-day dining and great views of the cove, try The Edge, which serves Asian, Western and locally inspired dishes using seasonal ingredients.
Sands, located on the beach, offers a different experience and features char-grilled, wood fire or rotisserie seafood and prime cuts of meat. Sands is open for brunch and dinner. It’s really popular on Sundays with its brunch extravaganza. The Lobby Lounge, just off the main lobby and the first stop on my visit, is a great place for afterDeern tea or cocktails with Thai and Western tapas. The Pool Bar offers complimentary afternoon treats around the pool daily, including ice cream, sorbet and shaved ice. It also serves chilled cocktails, fruit juices, snacks and light meals. There’s also in-villa dining, starting with breakfast with food choices including Thai, Western, Japanese and a special health menu. Lunch and dinner offerings include international and local and signature dishes from Saffron and Sands. Banyan Tree is located off Lamai Beach – the second largest on the island – the second largest on the island – in a private bay all its own. On any day, there’s always a line of white umbrella sun loungers hiding a group of bathers taking advantage of the light green waters of the gulf. Nearby attractions include Hin Ta Him Yai, a risqué-shaped pair of rocks nicknamed grandfather and grandmother in Thai and Lamai Temple, the main gathering point for religious and community activity on the island. The temple has cultural hall housing artifacts from Sumai’s past, such as brass and earthenware vessels, which attract hundreds of tourists every day.
Bo Phut Resort Samui Golf In Sight Of The Ocean Golf against an amazing backdrop of rolling hills, waterfalls, a creek, and always in sight of the ocean at one of the most beautiful golf courses on Koh Samui. It’s only a 10-minute drive from Bo Phut Resort & Spa, part of the Santiburi Group and has a special arrangement with the Santiburi Samui Country Club that allows Bo Phut’s guests access to the club. Bo Phut also provides free transportation to and from the club and discounted green fees. It is the first and only golf course on the island designed to meet international golf club standards. Santiburi’s course is located lengthways along the coast, and its hilly terrain and sloping greens pose special challenges for golfers of all stripes. With its large, towering double-tiered A-shaped roof, the entrance to Bo Phut sets the stage for more surprises that include a long, white coral sandy beach, a larger-thanlife curving pool surrounded by sun loungers shaded by large white umbrellas, gardens and walkways of thickly growing tropical plants, flowers and dense green undergrowth. In the lobby, pillars with granite bases, topped by wooden columns, reach the timbered ceiling on your way to check-in at reception on the right. Sofas with brightly coloured striped and orange pillows are scattered on each side of the outer lobby, where guests often gather to plan their day.
The pillars give the lobby an open feeling, as does the large open entrance at the rear that leads to Bo Phut’s tropical gardens and a cement walkway to the beach and pool. Small statues, like the mother duck and her brood at the side of Sala Thai, one of the resort’s restaurants, are scattered throughout the grounds. On your way to the beach, you pass a large, curving pond with a high-spurting fountain, past Bo Phut’s villas, and then a stone wall embedded with long, narrow,
hollow bamboo shafts that shoot water into a shallow pool, and finally to the main pool, edged by concrete statues of fish. The pool is close to the beach, with a wooden deck on one side and a stone floor on the other. It’s late morning, and the air is still, but that changes as you approach the main pool and the resort’s 250-metre-long beachfront. M8w-l0WwAB4 Touring Bo Phut Samio ttps://youtu.be/hNTmFoUs3bA More Bo Phut Resort, Koh Samui Pix Your first introduction to the spa also comes in the lobby, where you’ll be offered a complimentary 15-minute Jet Lag massage, plus a special discount on treatments. The spa is steps away, on the right as you leave the lobby and located in a special bungalow with sandstone brick walls and frangipani near the entrance. Inside, at spa reception, with its terra-cotta pillars, lounge area and tropical plants, there is an immediate sense that you’ve entered the peace and calm of BoPhut’s spa world. The spa has four treatment rooms, including two couples suites with teak walls and parquet flooring, an outdoor shower and a stone-tiled herbal steam bath. The beds have white covers with brown, burgundy-striped runners. Blossoms are positioned neatly on the beds to provide another dash of colour. A small, white oval notice on a chain of dark beads hung on the doorknob with the words, Privacy Please, alerts others that the room is occupied. The spa’s most popular treatment? The Bo Phut Signature warm oil massage was created exclusively for Bo Phut Spa. It combines Thai and European massage techniques, in which palm strokes and thumb pressure are used to work on your key pressure points to strengthen your inner qi or chi, along with a specially formulated warm oil to enhance your experience. Saraporn Suravittayanon, spa manager, recommends a herbal steam bath to warm up your body, open your pores, and boost blood circulation for first-time visitors. For experienced spa-goers, she suggests a body scrub or cleanser to remove dead skin cells and promote healthy skin growth; and an Aromatherapy massage using Aroma massage oil.
Other massages include the Royal Thai traditional massage, which helps to relieve tired muscles, and the Royal Thai massage with luk pra kob or hot herbal compresses to relax and soothe sore muscles. The Hot Stone massage, where hot stones and essential oils are used to increase your metabolic circulation; a Remedial massage, which combines Thai, Swedish and Deep Tissue massage techniques.
Others include the Balinese massage, which adapts traditional Balinese techniques; and the Aloe Creamy, a calming, full-body massage that combines aloerich vitamins and minerals with gentle strokes – “great for mature, sensitive and sunburnt skin,” says Saraporn, whose Thai nickname is Sarah. The Aromatic facial starts with a deep cleanse and exfoliation to soften your pores with a mineral-rich purifying mask and ends with a hand and arm massage. Facials include the Honey Delight, which uses a blend of honey and cucumber in a mask to encourage skin moisture and restore your skin’s natural balance. Rejuvenating facial, the spa’s most popular, uses protective and anti-aging ingredients to saturate your skin to deep levels. Among body treatments, favourites include the Ginger Caramel body scrub, which harnesses the power of ginger, oat powder and honey to detox and bring your body back into balance. Its vitamin-rich and anti-bacterial properties make it great for dry and sensitive skin. It’s also great for removing dead skin cells while soothing and smoothing your skin. Other popular scrubs: Coconut Butter body, a mild, nutrient-rich scrub designed to exfoliate, nourish and moisturize; The Firming Coffee body scrub, which uses the deep-cleansing powers of coffee to exfoliate, stimulate and refresh your entire body; The Honey and Sesame body scrub that uses a mixture of traditional herbs with honey and sesame seeds to remove dead skin cells, moisturize and encourage new skin cells; and the Relieving After Sun Care, designed to relieve pain and damage after too much sun.
The spa’s Dead Sea Thermal Mud wrap uses the healing and detoxifying properties and minerals to leave your skin softer and refreshed. “A great treatment to ease water retention,” says Sara. Bo Phut also has six pampering packages, ranging from two hours and three hours in duration, all with great evocative names – Serenity, Harmony, Romance,
Sweet Honeymoon, Royal Thai Healer, The Bo Phut Royal Treat; and Perfect Day, which lasts 5.5 hours. It includes a herbal steam and jacuzzi, a choice of scrub, a Milk Body wrap, a choice of body wrap and a facial and spa cuisine and ends with a relaxation session and Thai herbal tea. Steams and wraps include a Moor Mud bath, Samunprai Thai Herbal Compress and an Aromatic bath. The Royal Thai Healer, which lasts 3.5 hours, starts with a herbal steam bath, a Turmeric body scrub, a Honey Milk body wrap, an Aroma Thai massage and a Thai Honey facial. It ends with a herbal tea. The Sweet Honeymoon, another 3.5-hour package, includes a Honey Milk bath, a Honey and Sesame Scrub, Aromatherapy massage and a Honey Delight facial. The 2.5-hour Bo Phut Royal Treat begins with a floral footbath and includes a Romance Salt scrub with luk pra kob, a neck-and-shoulder massage. It ends with herbal tea. Bo Phut offers nine types of accommodation, starting with its Deluxe Garden View and Deluxe Ocean View rooms. Both offer 50 sqm of living space that includes a private terrace or balcony, outdoor furniture, and an outdoor Jacuzzi in the case of the Ocean View rooms.
Its Junior suite, 70 sqm in size, is located on the top floor of a low-rise building. It features separate living and sleeping areas, a large terrace with outdoor furniture, and an outdoor Jacuzzi. Bo Phut’s Garden Villa Standard is a contemporary Mediterranean-style villa, 75 sqm in size, and features separate living and sleeping areas and large bathrooms, large terraces and an outdoor Jacuzzi and furniture. The Garden villa and Ocean View villas, also 75 sqm in size, offer the same amenities as the Garden Villa Standard. A tropical garden surrounds them, while the Ocean View villas provide wide views of the Gulf of Thailand.
The Beachfront villa, 120 sqm in size, also features outdoor showers, a toilet and a Jacuzzi. It’s located in the gardens with views of the beach and ocean. There are two 160 sqm villas – Garden Plunge Pool and Garden Pool – built in the style of a contemporary Thai house, featuring large terraces with private entrances, a writing desk, an en suite bathroom and an outdoor plunge pool. The largest, the 180 sqm Premier Pool villa, features similar amenities and is surrounded by gardens and landscaped to ensure absolute privacy.
Bo Phut has two dining options – L’Ocean and Thai Sala. Both are located by the water. L’Ocean is a Mediterranean restaurant located by the beachfront, offering specials from Mediterranean countries, including fattoush salad, rolled eggplant with goat cheese, Moroccan-style chicken with saffron, and homemade pastas. Favourite dishes
include sea bass fillet and pumpkin tower almond leek, Kobe beef, lasagna and grilled fresh prawns. Sala Thai, housed in an old-style teak building by the resort’s meandering pond, features foods from various regions of Thailand in a candlelit atmosphere. Sala Thai’s sous chef also conducts weekly cooking classes, where he reveals the secrets of his creations. Its Thai set menu night features a Thai dancing show on Thursday nights. Sala Thai favourites include Pla Tod Sumun Prai, Goong Makham and Gaeng Khew Whan Gai. Bo Phut cultivates a family atmosphere. “Many of our guests tell us that when they’re here, it feels like their second home…we go the extra mile to make our guests feel really welcome,” said Sara. “When our resort was opened, many of our guests who visited us at that time keep coming back. We have a special dinner for them with our senior management, for example, and follow up with them and everyone else who stays with us. It’s part of our philosophy and approach and colours everything we do. We stay in touch.”
Four Seasons Samui A Place to Remember You’re never prepared for the stunning view entering the glass-walled reception area at Four Seasons resort on Koh Samui. Certainly not for the sweeping, heart-stopping beauty that suddenly appears as you step literally into a different world: Villas perched halfway down an amphitheatre of sloping hills to the white sandy beach and the warm turquoise waters of the Gulf of Thailand. And the incredible greenness surrounding it all. In the midday sun, the air is hot and humid as we board a buggy and make our way down the winding road to the spa office, nestled among the coconut trees. And beyond the spa, the cement roadway with its endless twists and turns was purposely designed that way to accommodate a large number of coconut trees on the hillside.
Every effort was made to preserve each of the trees when the resort was built. There’s even one tree growing in the middle of one of the villas. The other villas were built around the trees. The sounds of cicada rising and falling in the thick growth of Beetle Nut trees as our cart slows for a sharp turn and takes us right up to the beach area. It’s part of the Cicada mating ritual and common in Thailand in the noon-day heat. Kotchaphan Mekloy, Four Seasons Samui spa director, directs us to a soft chair opposite her in the coolness of the spa reception. She smiles a lot when she describes what her spa is all about. “Many of our guests seek well-being experiences when they stay with us,” said Kotchaphan, whose Thai nickname is Fan. “Some combine spa and fitness, while others are interested in slowing down their pace and relaxing through meditation and other experiences. Our team spent time understanding this and has come up with DayLong Experiences based on our core foundation – a healthy meal, a satisfying workout, a good night’s sleep and some pampering. Treatments use coconut shells and coconut oil, enhanced with warm herbal compresses or fresh ginger paste, butterfly pea flowers and Kaffir lime zest. XnzH0xuYf3I Touring Four Seasons Koh Samui https://youtu.be/b7G2nn1BL_I Experiencing Four Seasons Samui Your spa journey starts with a health questionnaire at reception before you’re escorted up to the spa villa, where you receive a footbath, and your therapist reconfirms any concerns you may have and reviews your treatment requests. She also explains the benefits and the steps involved in the treatment so that there are no surprises. At the end of the treatment, the spa usually provides hot slippers for each guest. “We also put a hot towel on their backs and do a few massage steps while sitting up.” The Spa’s questionnaire covers health conditions like heart, diabetes, cancer, eczema and thyroid problems, what medications you take and any recent injuries and surgeries you may have had. In each case, much depends on your choice of treatment and what your therapist recommends. Its five signature treatments are very different from each other. The most popular is the Secret Garden massage which uses steamed herbal compresses, while the Kala massage uses two small coconut shells (Kala in Thai) to massage the guest. Also popular is the Samui Fusion, which blends Thai stretching with deep techniques. Two male spa therapists created the treatment. The spa’s most popular wrap is the Thai white clay and Pumpkin, where you’re encased in banana leaves that leave your skin deeply nourished.
Among facials, the favourites are its Anti-Ageing treatments that use ultra oxygenating, dehydrating and firming, vitamin-rich berries, wheat germ, super berries serum, rose essence, and spirulina to tighten lift. “We’ve incorporated new facial brands that focus on brightening and hydrating the skin. We always aim to keep the ingredients we use in our facials as natural as possible.” Other facials include Deep Cleansing, which uses three treatments to purify, soften and refine your skin using an exfoliating peel, cleansing lavender, berry serum and a mineralizing mud mask; the Brightening, which uses a powerful blend of skinilluminating botanicals for brighter, tighter skin and instant radiance, using turmeric, rice, Kombucha and red algae serum; the Lymphatic helps to drain trapped fluid and toxins, using circling techniques to reduced swelling, ease sluggishness and headaches. rYfLol5yjUY Driving down to the beach pYiWnqIALc4 More sights and scenes https://youtu.be/ScTOZFrmGFE More Four Seasons Samui Pix The spa’s spiritual journeys focus on the benefits of yoga. Its yoga pavilion is open from sunrise to sunset for guests to practice in private or classes. Complimentary yoga classes are available on Mondays and Fridays. Yoga and meditation classes, as well as Pilates, are also available. Popular wellness therapies include the Chi Ned Tsang, designed to boost your energy and digestive function, use a focused abdominal massage to stimulate your digestion, and cleanse and improve your overall well-being, while Magnesium Wellness uses the “miracle mineral” to restore tired muscles. This is followed by applying mineral-soaked towels, an immunity-boosting coconut massage, and warm water cushions for maximum preventative heat. It ends with a mini facial.
What treatments would she recommend to a new visitor to her spa? It depends, says Fan, on the needs of each person. For someone who likes to be pampered, she suggests the three-hour “Tree of Life” Ritual “that revives beautiful feelings from childhood”. The treatment begins with a full-body cleansing with natural coconut and Thai honey soap. Then steamed Tamarind leaves are used to moisten the body before massaging it with soap, followed by a honey and coconut scrub and a Kala massage. Western women tend to book more facials than Asian women. They both like to be pampered when it comes to massages, says Stephanie. The spa’s Fragrant Cocooning Rituals include the Tree of Life and the Energy of Samui – an Aroma treatment that enlivens the body and mind with a Guava and Kaffir
Lime, a wrap of Thai white clay, pumpkin and banana leaves and ends with an oil or Thai massage. The Earth to Sky Ritual, described as a “bespoke experience”, features a scrub, massage and facial combination, followed by a Secret garden massage and a Coconut Hydrating facial. Siam Lovers, a special treatment for couples, combines home-grown herbs and the hands of four therapists working in harmony. It includes a coconut and jasmine rice wrap and a rose bath, plus your choice of bathing in the spa’s outdoor tubs or your villa. The Secret Beach treatments are performed on a secluded beach under the shade of palm trees. The spa has a number of “Reason To” treatments, starting with Reason To Sleep, which begins with a flow yoga session to unite your breath and movement session, followed by a Lava Shell massage, an hour of meditating, a candle-lit bath and a shoulder, neck, feet and head massage. Reason To Pamper is a cocooning top-to-toe that starts with a scrub, a massage using pressure point and stretching techniques, followed by a steam compress filled with local Thai medicinal herbs and ends with a High Tea. Reason To Play, which starts with guided exercises at the gym or beach, is followed by a Muay Kickboxing session, a healthy lunch and a Magnesium massage to release muscular tension and enhance sleep; and Reason To Nourish, designed to replenish lost reserves of health and energy that start with a rejuvenating body scrub, a healing wrap and scalp massage with warm coconut oil, followed by a private session to learn the art of juicing, using fresh tropical ingredients, plus six power-packed minimeals throughout the day. Most popular facial is the Deep Cleansing – a skin-invigorating trio of treatments that purify, soften and refine, using lavender and body serum and a mineralizing mud mask. Other facials include the Coconut Hydrating, which uses Samui Coconut oil and seaweed to reduce fine lines, fight puffiness and leave you with a healthy glow, and The Brightening, which features a blend of illuminating botanicals for brighter, lighter skin along with turmeric, luminous rice, a Kombucha and red algae serum. The AntiAgeing tightens and uplifts your skin, using ultra-oxygenating maximum hydrating and vitamin-rich berries, and the Gua Sha Instant Lift boosts circulation, detoxifies, reduces puffiness and inflammation, and promotes hydration. Flowing strokes soothe stiffness and lull you into a state of relaxation, followed by a soft-to-medium Herbal Oil massage. Relaxing is the spa’s most popular massage. Its Signature massage is The Secret Garden – a medium to-strong Herbal Oil massage to soothe tight muscles, using compresses of Secret Garden herbs, followed by stretching, acupressure and warm herbs to restore your senses after a tiring day.
Another popular Signature massage is The Bespoke Bodywork, designed to cure symptoms with a focused approach, using acupressure, trigger-point therapy, handson healing and a soft and deep massage, offering deep relaxation, relieving pain and helping frozen shoulder, backache and neck pain. Steam is recommended at the beginning to remove toxins from your body. In the end, the spa’s healers will offer tips and secrets to allow you to start afresh. The Earth Energy Four Hands, a rhythmic crystal massage, is performed by two therapists. The warm crystals remove negative energies while flowing strokes and healing oils balance your body. The Kala Coconut is a one-of-a-kind massage that uses coconut oil and Kala (Thai word for shell) to knead your muscles and reduce tension. Other massages include The Traditional Thai, Back and Shoulder, Warm Coconut Scalp, Earth To Sky, Subset Connection and Siam Lovers, performed by four therapists. It features a Coconut and Jasmine Rice scrub and a Coconut and Rose bath, indoors or a fresco. The spa offers four massages at the resort’s secluded beach spa beneath palm trees – The Beach Thai, Beach Oil, Feet, Back and shoulder, Scalp and Lava Shell. The Secret Garden’s most popular wrap is designed for cooling your overheated, sensitive or sunburnt body. There are five scrubs – Guava Zest, Coconut Oil and Jasmine Rice, Lavender Geranium and Lavender, Thai White Clay, Pumpkin and Coconut oil, Banana Leaves, and Red Clay Rosella, Jojoba, Sweet Almond, Germanium and Grapefruit. Four Seasons Samui has 73 rooms – 60 villas and 13 private residence villas. Each of the villas is built on the side of the hill, offering great views of the Gulf of Thailand and private infinity pools. The resort also has the island’s only private beach access.
Four Seasons Samui’s two main restaurants – Lan Tania and Pla Pla – are located at the top and bottom of the property. At Lan Tania, perched more than 100 metres above the beach, you can sit indoors in air-conditioned comfort or outside under a thatched roof on the adjoining terrace. Indoors or outdoors, you’ll have incredible views of the Gulf of Thailand and surrounding islands. Lan Tania offers Thai and Italian specialties with a breakfast buffet that includes continental, Thai and Asian dishes. A full North American breakfast is available à la carte. On the beach, Pla Pla – the Thai term for “many fish” – serves fresh fish daily and includes a comprehensive seafood selection with meat and vegetarian options and local dishes with varying degrees of spiciness in an atmosphere of white Thai sandstone walls and floors. You can sit on the white sand beach or an open-air terrace. There’s also a dining pavilion on the beach to accommodate 16 guests.
You can also choose fine dining in your villa or your private BBQ with a chef to do the cooking. The Beach Bar is located between Pla Pla and the pool and serves up great views and tropical cocktails. A big favourite is the resort’s pool and beach bar aptly called CoCoRum after the island’s famous coconuts. CocoRum is located on the end of the resort’s new 50- metre long infinity lap pool. It offers the “most comprehensive collection of run on the island” and a curated selection of fine wines and weekly live Latin American music.
Hansar Samui Happiness And Healing With Water LUXSA comes from ancient Sanskrit and translates as “Healing – health through water”. This philosophy, together with old Thai healing methods based on the four body elements of earth, water, air and fire, form the basis of the concept at LUXSA Spa.
“Our philosophy is also based on creating happiness in others and on the Thai concept of the four body elements in our treatments,” said Supawade Phansakotn, Luxsa’s spa manager, whose Thai nick name is Pum. The four body elements – earth, water, air and fire – are the foundation of the whole body in Thai medicine and healing. In Thai medicine, the ongoing interaction of these elements affects your health and causes disease. It’s the main reason why keeping these elements in balance is so important. She notes that it shows up in your body in different ways when not in harmony. The earth element represents solid substances, such as skin, muscle, tendon, bone, fat, organs. When the earth element is out of balance, it shows up in our bodies in the form of tumours, bone disease, skin disease, etc. Water represents liquids in our bodies – blood, eyes, phlegm, lymph, urine, saliva, etc. When this element is out of balance, look for blood disease, eye problems, renal disease, bladder or urinary tract infection or stones, abnormal urine or other liquid discharges. Air represents substances that have a movement like respiration, digestion, excretion, the motion of limbs and joints, sexuality and ageing. It’s considered the most important element in promoting mobility, strength, longevity and vigour. Imbalance would show up in organs associated with the air element – pneumonia, coughing, mucous congestion, TB, bronchitis, fainting, dizziness and even arthritis. Fire represents substances that have heat like body temperature, circulatory system and metabolism. When out of balance, it shows up as diseases in your fire organs – your heart and circulatory system. “Many of our treatments do have a wellness aspect to them … and cater to those who want to regain the internal balance of their bodies naturally,” said Pum. Holistic treatments include aromatherapy with pure Thai essential oils, which the spa creates for its treatments, spices and aromas; massage and relaxation. We are talking at spa reception, located on the ground floor – a large, spacious area furnished with modern furniture and plants. This is where you can discuss treatments and your health conditions before being escorted upstairs to one of the spa’s six treatment rooms – four large couples suites and two Thai massage suites, plus three outdoor salas for open-air treatments. Luxsa offers five Ayurvedic treatments, including Chakra Healing, Ayurvedic Treatment Balancing, Ayurvedic Head and the popular Abhyanga and Shirodhara. The Chakra Healing, a two-hour Luxsa signature treatment, combines ancient healing methods with contemporary massage techniques to help you reach a high level of relaxation and emotional balance. Ayurvedic Treatment Balancing uses a combination of three basic ancient hair conditioner treatments – bergamot, ginger, coconut, blue pea flowers as well as Asian
herbs – and the Ayurvedic head massage to relieve tension from your neck, shoulders, back and scalp, using deep thumb and finger pressure to ease emotional and physical stress. The abhyanga is the most ancient technique used for relieving pain and is still a thriving art in many regions of India to correct “dosha” disorders, especially Vata. This massage also stimulates the skin, muscle, veins, arteries, circulation and nervous system. It also helps heal orthopedic injuries, relieve swollen tissues and promote the regeneration of tissue and organs.
The Shirodhara, another powerful treatment used to relieve pain and nervous tension, works on the mental layer or manomaya kosha, where your mind holds past impressions that imbalance desires and habitual behaviour patterns. The Shirodhara is used to treat a variety of conditions, ranging from migraines to neurological disorders, memory loss, depression, anxiety and vertigo. Even greying hair. LUXA also has a master-in-residence program where visiting practitioners/retreats will help you achieve a healthy lifestyle. These visiting practitioners provide holistic treatments and guidance in their areas of expertise, such as yoga, stretching, Pilates, Tai Chi, meditation and Reiki, yoga, photography and art. The program also offers guests the opportunity to immerse themselves in various “schools of therapy,” healing wisdom and spiritual teachings. Specialties include meditation, Tai Chi, meditation, Eastern healing and spiritual meditation are conducted in a tranquil beach setting. Luxsa’s most popular facial, says Pum, is the Luxsa Facial Treatment, a multisensory experience that leaves your skin soft and radiant. This aromatherapy facial can be tailored to suit your skin’s special needs. The facial starts with cleansing your face, throat, décolleté and bust, then applying the alpha-energizing formula refreshing gel concentrate. Great for dry skin, combination-to-oily skin, sunburn and age-defying. The right facial for your skin is designed to meet your skin’s specific needs, whether for dry skin, oily skin, sensitive skin, or age-defying results. HTTPS://YOUTU.BE/MYNDBEHMLO8 More Hansar Samui Pix Other facials include The Soothing ‘His or Her’ After Sun Herbal, designed to hydrate and nourish your skin after exposure to the tropical sun. A combination of virgin honey, milk, natural yogurt, golden plai, organic cucumber and hydrating botanicals to calm the redness of sensitive or sunburnt skin. The spa also offers two Biodroga facials – Beauty Harmony and Alpha-Energizing. The Beauty in Harmony is designed for sensitive skin, using a sensitive concentrate and collagen formation and a sensitive mask that makes the epidermis more resistant and protects it from negative effects, producing a visibly restored appearance and radiant looking. The Alpha-Energizing starts with an after skin-specific cleansing of your face, throat, décolleté and bust with an Alpha-Energizing formula Refreshing Gel Concentrate. It includes a special massage of your face, throat, and décolleté performed mainly with knuckles and ends with a moisturizing eye and lip mask using the skin-specific Alpha-Energizing formula.
Hormonal changes during pregnancy can affect your skin tone. The spa recommends using natural products and says chemical peels should be avoided during this period. There’s also a Luxurious LUXSA facial for expectant mothers. LUXSA also offers a range of massages, starting with the Healing Hot Stone, which uses water-treated stones are placed on specific sites on your body to promote relaxation and help open up the meridians or your energy pathways. The hot stones prepare your body to perform deep tissue manipulations and make your muscles more susceptible to the therapy. The LUXSA is used to balance your elements. Oil is applied to your skin for healing in the massage, which stimulates your metabolism, relieves mental and physical fatigue and balances your nervous system. The popular Eastern Blend combines additional massage techniques, where the therapist uses her thumbs and palms on your body’s pressure points to relieve sore and tired musicale and improve blood circulation. The Power Trip is a full-body massage to stimulate your blood circulation and soothe tired muscles as your therapist combines three techniques using long firm strokes, long, firm strokes, kneading strokes and small circular strokes. You have your choice of the spa’s four elements of oils. Other massages include Herbal Healing, The Serenity, The Stimulator, The Exquisite and the Siam. There’s also a special message for expectant mothers. Pamper your Partner is also popular with couples, where each learns how to massage their partner in the spa, adds Pum. Its most popular body treatments are scrubs and wraps, starting with The Secret Signature scrub. The scrub uses the healing properties of the coffee plant, which kills free radicals and neutralizes destructive oxidation reactions – the cause of everything – from acne to eczema. It’s also a gentle exfoliation that improves micro-cellular circulation and breaks up fatty deposits that can cause cellulite while protecting against UVA/UVB by screening out sun rays responsible for burning, premature ageing and skin cancer. The Coconut scrub offers deeply hydrating benefits that leave your skin silky and smooth, and the Four Elements wrap, where sea salt removes dull surface skin cells and improves blood circulation.
The spa’s Milky Bath uses Moorish ingredients to draw out impurities from tired urban skin and vitamins from milk and yogurt to prevent pain inside your body and give your skin a healthy radiance. Wraps include the After Sun, Detoxifying and Four Elements. The Healing Tips is an Asian herbal secret remedy that relieves muscular pains and aches. It delivers its therapeutic powers into your bloodstream and every cell of
your body while cleansing your body from the inside and outside. The Element bath uses Thai herbal herbs and fresh oranges, lemons, and citrus oil to invigorate your skin. Other treatments include Thai Herbal Steam, one of the most efficent ways to eliminate your body of toxins through the skin and lungs. Popular massages include The Eastern Star. It combines Traditional Thai massage techniques with oil, in which your therapist uses her palms and thumbs on your body’s pressure points to relieve sore and tired muscles and improve your blood circulation. Other massages include The Luxsa, in which oil is used in a message, designed to stimulate your metabolism, relieve tension fatigue and balance your nervous system, and The Siam uses ancient Thai healing massage techniques to release tension, improve blood circulation and free your body of toxins that build up in tired muscles. Luxsa’s Pamper your Partner massage teaches couples how to massage their partner when they return home. Power Trip, a full-body massage, stimulates blood circulation, soothes tense muscles, combining kneading strokes with small circular strokes to reduce stress, while The Exquisite, a relaxing treatment, uses a specially blended signature massage of sweet almond to help you relax. Luxsa Spa also offers a range of luxurious spa treatments for expectant mothers, ranging from a full-body massage to soothe tired or sore muscles during pregnancy to beauty treatments to enhance your inner glow. “Hormonal changes can affect your skin tone, which a facial can help rejuvenate or revitalize your skin,” says Kantima. The spa also offers a full range of Luxsa packages, ranging from its 2.5-hour Haemony of Siam to its six-hour Comprehensive Well-Being, spread over three days. Day one starts with a steam bath, a foot reflexology massage, a neck and shoulders massage, and a Thai herbal tea. Day Two also begins with a floral footbath, followed by a LUXSA Signature massage, a Luxsa facial, and Day Three, a body scrub, a choice of body scrub and a manicure/pedicure. The Harmony of Siam starts with a foot bath and herbal steam and ends with a Luxsa facial and The Siam massage. Other packages include Recovery, The Facial Bliss, The Beauty Ritual, Earth To Heaven, Vital Energy, Healing Hot Stone, Sun Salutation, After Sun, Coconut Healing, Ultimate Bliss, Herbal Healing Rejuvenation, Blissful Hanser, and the Farewell Healing, a 1.5-hour package that offers a floral foot bath, Coconut Massage and Herbal Facial Treatment for After Sun.
Hansar has 74 rooms overlooking Bophut Bay and offers three types of accommodation – Sea View, 50 sqm in size. Amenities include either King size or two Queen size beds, a free-standing bathtub, a walk-in shower, a daybed, and a sea view. The 75-sqm-Sea View XL is more luxurious and offers a great sea view, a four-poster bed with drapery, a free-standing tub and an oversized balcony, while its Beachfront Villas, the resort’s most luxurious accommodation, also with King size beds. It’s just steps away from the sand and sea.
Hansar’s main restaurant is H Bistro, which features a French Mediterranean menu, special Thai dishes and an exclusive wine list. It uses true Mediterranean spices merged with ingredients ranging from fresh Maine lobster and oysters from Canada, Japan and France. It’s also the resort’s go-to place for breakfast. H Bistro’s Under the Stars version is very popular, which features flame-lit beachfront dinners for two under the stars, complete with barefoot butler service. You can indulge in homemade ice cream, snacks, and fruit blended drinks at the Beach Bar. The Chill Lounge overlooks Bophut Bay, offering an international wine list. A great place to relax and watch the sun go down.
Intercontinental Baan Taling Ngam Samui Tiptoe Through The Treetops
If you’re like most visitors, you’ll find your first walk to the beach at InterContinental’s new Baan Taling Ngam Resort on Koh Samui a phenomenal experience and a great way to reconnect with nature. It starts on the elevated walkway from the lobby that takes you among the treetops and the intense smell and beauty of the forest as you gradually descend. The view from the lobby is exceptional. So is the lobby – large, airy and completely open on all sides to make the most of its view. It has two reception desks. The first is on the right as your enter. The wall behind the desk features wooden decorations, which hide the resort’s back office. You actually check in at another reception desk, where there is an unobstructed view of the grounds and ocean. The resort is considered one of the best places to see the sunset on the island. The wooden sculptures in the lobby are part of the design to give the resort an authentic Thai look. The first, made of dark wood, looks like the branches of a tree caught in the gyrations of a great wind. The second is a grouping of large blackpainted wooden Thai-shaped figures. When it comes to names, InterContinential’s Baan Taling Ngam Resort couldn’t be more apt. In Thai, Baan Taling Ngam means home on a beautiful cliff, and when you see the resort from the air, you understand immediately. There are three main areas on the resort – the lobby and main buildings, the villas and the beachfront. At the beach, sun loungers, shaded by large grey umbrellas, look out on the Gulf of Thailand – a short distance from the water’s edge. Behind them, a beachside bar and a grouping of white cement Thai figures, similar in shape to the black objects in the lobby, and a short distance away, the resort’s main pool. Here and there, lamps in bell-shaped wire cages provide light for evening strolls. Above, the resort’s villas, white and sparkling in the sun, sit like brooding birds perched on the top of the hillside. You can get a clear view of the curving shoreline and white sandy beach from the villas, and at the left, a pier that extends some distance from the shore. VIGink2WyG8 Club InterContinental Baan Taling Ngam Resort Koh Samui https://youtu.be/weewoIP4l6I More InterContiental Samui Pix The resort has seven pools located at strategic spots on the property, including five smaller, coloured pools in the residential areas, a panoramic infinity pool and a large 30-by-10-metre pool at the beach. The colours are created by the colour of the tiles that line each of the pools. The blue pool – 16.5 by 14 metres in size, is called the Dara and is located halfway between the main lobby and spa. The purple pool, the Napa, is a short walk from the
spa. The orange or Cantra pool is surrounded by trees at the edge of the grounds. The red or Santhaya is near the residences, and the yellow pool, named the Tawan, is also located near the spa. Baan Thai Spa is located on two floors between two villas, a short walk from the lobby. Its facilities include a reception lounge, retail and tea bar, a consultation room, a welcome sala, a large couples suite with a soaking tub, and a full private change room. Treatment rooms include a Thai massage room. All have private changing areas, en suite bathrooms, and a holistic and Ayurvedic consultation room. Its treatments were created by HARNN and focus on restoring your body's natural balance to create “a unique experience”. Each treatment has been designed to alleviate stress, remove toxins, and provide nourishment and a pampering experience in an Asian surroundings. Reach treatment is designed to enrich your relaxing experience. Treatments are designed to alleviate stress, remove toxins and provide a nourishing and pampering experience. Together with HARNN’s unique holistic approach, natural active ingredients from botanical extracts and plant essential oils help restore your natural balance, strengthen your immune system and protect yourself from harmful pollutants. The treatments reflect HARNN’s pride in Thai cultural heritage and the Asian holistic approach to well-being, and Asia’s cultural diversity, as seen in its passage treatments. These include Tropical Samui Passage; Chinese Rose Passage; Siamese Passage; Oriental Herbal Passage; and Occidental Passage. The Siamese Passage is essentially a cleansing ritual for your body and feet and starts with a pre-treatment consultation and a Siamese Heritage massage, followed by a Water Lily Purifying facial and a Jasmine hand treatment. The Oriental Herbal Passage uses the power of essential oils and traditional acupressure along your meridian lines to stimulate internal energy flow or Qi and release your mind from physical and emotional stress. In addition to a pre-treatment consultation, the Oriental Herbal Passage includes an Aromatic Footbath and Foot scrub, an Oriental Body Exfoliation, and an Oriental Elements Jade massage.
The Chinese Rose passage, known for its scent, focuses on restoring the true radiance of your mind and body. It starts with an Oriental Rose Aromatic massage and features an Oriental Uplifting facial massage, an Aromatic Foot and Bath scrub. Teak is used extensively throughout the treatment rooms – on the floors and its panelled walls. The treatment beds are covered in white with dark runners. The scent, which seems to cling to everything in the spa, is called Dreamy Deluxe and was created and manufactured in Phuket by Signature Scents. It is organic and contains coconut oil, jojoba oil, sweet almond oil, vitamin E and three essential oils – frankincense, rosewood and lime. All ingredients are fresh and derived from safe, renewable sources and contain no animal ingredients. The background music features soundtracks featuring a medley of relaxing chants and the sounds of nature and music of the Orient. A lavender scent is used throughout the spa. One of the highlights of your spa journey comes at the end – a tea ceremony, in which Oriental healing teas, sourced in Thailand and around Asia, are used to promote good health. Selection of the tea begins with a personal assessment that includes a review of your health history. The spa uses nine carefully selected Tichaa tea combinations mixed for their different healing properties. “It’s more than a drink,” said Dennapa Chaipaim, Baan Thai Spa’s manager. “It’s a gentle reminder of days where powerful, natural and simple rituals continue to be performed, in which the fundamental properties of each herbal tea are extracted most naturally.” The main core of the healing Tichaa teas used in the ritual and ceremony is customized for the spa by Harnn. “We believe in creating spa journeys that bring geApplene benefits … and returning to the true essence of the beauty of the Orient, using treatments and therapies ranging from a half to a full day of pampering,” said Dennnapa, whose Thai nickname is Denny. She recommends a Tension Relief Back massage for first-time visitors, which he describes as “a great stress-buster. Back discomfort affects your mood and the energy flow in your body”.
The massage is designed to loosen tense muscles on your back, neck, shoulders and head and uses hand-blended massage oils, applied with firm strokes and acupressure techniques on your neck and back to create a deeply calming effect. Denny also recommends a Thai Herbal massage or Luk Prakob to provide deeper back relief. In this treatment, the heated herbal compresses help to detoxify and alleviate muscular aches and pains. A special oil blend, called Tropical Mist, is then massaged into your entire body to help your back muscles relax at a deeper level. For experienced spagoers, Denny suggests an Oriental oil massage, one of Baan Thai Spa’s most popular Signature massages, in which your therapist uses her palms, thumbs, fingertips and hand heels to focus on all areas of your body, using a fusion of Eastern and Western massage techniques. The Oriental is great for soothing stress and relieving tension while increasing vitality and flexibility. It provides the benefits of a Thai pressure point massage, while pure massage oil and soothing Swedish massage strokes allow for floating movements. The pressure can be adapted to suit your personal needs and sensitivities. Two signature therapies were created for the spa by Harnn, a natural home spa product brand in Thailand. Harnn adopts a holistic approach that focuses on restoring and maintaining natural balance using botanical extracts inspired by traditional herbal medicine and scientific research. At the spa level, Harnn’s organic plant extracts and essential oils counter the effects of stress and pollution.
The spa’s signature treatments – Eurasian Energizing Therapy and Oriental Rose Beauty Therapy with Co-enzyme Q10 for women – last 135 minutes. The Oriental Rose Beauty is designed to revive your skin, using a Cellular massage on the upper level to leave it firmer, luminous and radiant. Great for combating dry skin and improving the appearance of ageing skin. It uses a specially formulated body massage balm from Harnn, with plant extracts from Rosewater, Co-enzyme Q10, Shea butter and rice bran oil to treat your whole body, back, neck and shoulders, and to boost your immune system and protect your