The spa has a number of massages with interesting names like the Elemis Deeper Than Deep Hot Stone, which uses Balinese stones bathed in Frangipani Monoi oil that is worked deep into your muscles to relieve tension and leave you with intensely hydrated skin. Its signature treatments – Anantara signature massage uses a warm meridian oil massage that focuses on your meridian points that helps to stimulate circulation, relax
your muscles and clear energy blockages. The Pearl of Andaman revitalizes your body from the toes up, “much like the Eastern lotus, a symbol of spiritual unfolding”. The treatment consists of a cleansing foot soak and a Chinese herbal back massage to clear your meridians and ends with an anti-aging facial to boost circulation for improved elasticity and radiance. Two other interesting massages – Chakra Crystal Balancing and the Bamboo Signature. With the Chakra Crystal Balancing, you get a chance to choose the crystal-infused oil blend that resonates with you as your body is surrounded by precious stones – the harmonizing Eye to balance your solar plexus; Chakra’s Citrine to nourish your naval Chakra. And with the Amethyst to open your throat Chakra; the Unconditional Love of Rose Quartz for your heart Chakra; and Moonstone that enhances your creativity when placed on your Third Eye. A purifying massage follows this to provide holistic well-being by releasing stress and tension and harmonizing your energy flow, stimulating blood circulation and your body’s detoxification. Singing bowls are used to begin and end the ritual. The Bamboo Signature harnesses bamboo’s holistic energy, aromatic oil, and a set of warmed bamboo sticks to penetrate further, using stroking and rolling techniques to help release tension, reduce toxins, and heat and fluid retention with long-lasting benefits. Also popular are the Traditional Thai, Elemis Freestyle Deep Tissue and the Thai Herbal massages. For first-time visitors, Joy recommends an Aromatic massage, a soft-to-medium pressure massage with a choice of four massage oils, using a combination of strokes and acupuncture techniques to help you relax. For experienced spa-goers, her choice is the Anantara signature massage. The big favourites are the Pro Collagen Quartz Lift Facial and Visible Brilliance among facials. The 75-minute Pro-Collagen Quartz Lift is an “anti-wrinkle facial with proven results, independently and clinically proven to reduce wrinkles by up to 94% and improve skin firmness by up to 57%, after just one treatment,”says Joy.
This treatment uses specialized lifting massage techniques and professionalstrength, anti-aging formulations that leave your skin firmer and youthful looking. The Visible Brilliance-Brightening is a 75-minute face and eye treatment designed to combat ageing and stressed and slackened skin. She adds that this treatment has also been independently tested “with revolutionary results”, she adds. After one treatment, it firms and plumps your skin while reducing dark circles and increasing moisture levels up to 61% and elasticity by 40%. It incorporates micro-
circulatory massage techniques, powerful formulations and an amino-active mask to restore your skin’s radiance. The spa also has three advanced anti-aging treatments – S.O.S. Purifying facial for oily skin; Oxygen Skin Calm facial for sensitive skin; and its Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing facial. Each lasts 75 minutes. The S.O.S. Purifying facial for oily skin is great for congested skin and is a powerful face and eye treatment that helps balance the function of the skin. It combines a purifying massage and a unique Japanese sulphur mask, infused with Absolute Vita-C booster serum to calm irritation, rebalance oil-rich pores and leave a matte complexion. The Oxygen Skin Calm facial for sensitive skin combines gentle massage techniques with calming ingredients and a restructuring Japanese silk mask infused with Absolute Calm booster serum to rebalance sensitive complexions and relieve redness – a great face and eye treatment. The Tri-Enzyme Resurfacing facial helps to smooth away the years for more radiant skin. It pioneers the precision layering of three target enzyme serums to remove the thickening layer of the epidermis to resurface your skin by up to 75%. It increases smoothness by up to 32% -- also just after one treatment – and targets blemishes and superficial scarring. If you’re thinking about a scrub, the spa has several that use fruit as the main ingredient. This includes an avocado body scrub, which uses avocado and apricot to remove dead skin cells, cleanse your skin and detoxify. The treatment also includes a floral foot ritual and a body moisturizer. Another favourite – the grape seed body scrub – harnesses the powerful antioxidant qualities of grape seed to fight signs of ageing, blending with essential oils to detoxify and moisturize your skin, restructure skin tone and texture for a smooth and silky look. This scrub also includes a floral foot ritual and a body moisturizer. Avocado appears again as one of the spa’s most popular body wraps. It’s enriched with Vitamins B and E and uses a blend of essential oil, white and red clay and avocado butter, created from avocado oil – a great treatment for impure skin and all skin types. The spa also offers four Ayurvedic treatments: A 60-minute Indian Head massage – an energizing massage that combines pressure point techniques with coconut oil to relieve tension in the head and neck, relieve insomnia, chronic headaches, migraines and even sinusitis. In the Shirodhara, warm oil is poured continuously on your forehead, helping to calm your mind, body and spirit and enhance blood circulation to your brain, resulting in improved memory and nourishing your scalp hair.
The Abhyanga massage focuses on key junctions in your body, where blood and lymph vessels, muscle, bone tissue and nerves meet from the feet up. The Murradanda focuses on body awareness and enhancing flexibility around your spine. Here, warm medicated Ayurvedic oil is applied to the back to facilitate
treatments on the cervical and lumbar areas, improving circulation while relaxing still muscles and soothing pain. All four treatments include a floral foot ritual. The Sattabongkoj Ritual, named after a double rose lotus with large rose-pink flowers that stand high above the water, has the same mystic aura. It offers two: Three, and five-day spa journeys. These feature massages, facials and body treatments designed to help you kick start a healthy lifestyle with vitality and beauty – inside and out.
The three-day Wellness Retreat consists of a 2.5-hour series of treatments that include a welcome bath ritual, a floral footbath, a choice between a traditional Thai massage or Oriental foot massage, plus an Anantara Signature facial over the three days.
The five-day Well Being Package also starts with a welcome bath ritual and a floral footbath. It includes a Thai herbal steam, a traditional Thai massage or Oriental foot massage, Ultimate Spa Detox, a choice of a Shirodhara or Indian Head Massage, and an Anantara signature facial. The total package takes 5.5 hours spread over five days. Anantara’s yoga sessions are inspired by the lotus position of Padmasanam – Budding Lotus: Yoga for beginners, including postures, deep breathing and meditation; Sooryanamaskar or salutation to the sun, a great way to greet the day and stay fit and agile; Pranayama focuses on breathing techniques to help you increase the supply of oxygen in your body; Swan, “a Yogic wellness approach to eternal youth”, based on your physical condition, while the Swankarma shares simple techniques to nurture vigour. The Vaiyakthikham caters to each person’s diverse needs. Anantara Phuket has three restaurants – La Sala, which offers a buffet with gourmet à la carte options, and Italian dishes with a strong Sicilian accent for lunch and dinner. Ask for its special dish – Royal Thai Set, which includes Siam Plate, Tom Yum Koong, stir-fried mixed vegetables, fried rice with chicken, deep-fried fish with garlic and pepper, green curry, and sticky mango rice and fresh fruit. Sea. Fire. Salt. – the resort’s beachside restaurant — features fish and meat dishes. Its special dish is grilled sea bass on salt brick, while the Tree House, named for the spiral staircase winding around an old Banyan tree and descending to the bar, serves Thai fusion tapas and hot and cold drinks.
The Tasting Room offers personalized menus, including special cheese and charcuterie, paired with wines chosen by the resort’s wine guru from The Tasting Room’s private wine cellar. Interesting things to see and do nearby: Water-based activities abound, whether it’s a midnight canoe trip to a quiet lagoon glistening with the phosphorescence of fireflies, a sunset cruise aboard a private fishing boat, a diving expedition to the Similan Islands and its world-famous coral reefs, or a picnic breakfast at a rubber plantation and learning how to tap rubber trees. Phuket has three marinas that make it a great starting point for island hopping and the Phuket King’s Cup Regatta, held every year since 1985. Also worth seeing is Old Town Phuket, not just for its shopping, but its SinoPortuguese architecture still evident today, especially in its Shop houses. Shop houses were popular with business families in the early years of Phuket, who used the ground floor for doing business and the rest of the building for living space.
Banyan Tree Phuket A Haven For Renewal As you walk past the main pool and across the freshly cut green lawns at Banyan Tree Phuket, you’d never guess the site was once pitted with acid-filled craters and considered too ravaged ever to sustain development. But the people behind Banyan Tree saw something different. They looked past the worn-out land and saw a green haven with inland lakes, flowering, sweet-smelling
plants, and wide green expanses, a place that could be turned into a refuge where weary guests could come and renew themselves. Banyan Tree opened its first resort on this site in 1994 and showed everyone that magic can happen when you have the will and the vision to be a force for positive change. It’s now a place of inland lakes that support aquatic life and a colony of wild ducks. Its plants and fruit trees attract migratory birds like white egrets and Siberian ducks. Nothing was left to chance. Even the buildings were designed with the same care to ensure they were in harmony with their new surroundings. They are low rise and owe much of their design to Thai architecture. It’s also reflected in the look of the resort’s main lobby, which is also designed in Thai style and uses natural products. The floors are made from earth-coloured teak, and its walls feature sculptures of dancing Thai maidens and meditating Buddhist monks. “It’s a reminder of what we stand for,” says Kingkarn Olarngarnjanin, assistant vice-president/executive director of Banyan Tree Spa and Gallery. “In nature, the Banyan Tree provides a great shade and is used by animals to escape the heat. It means a place of mental, spiritual and peaceful renewal in our spas, a sanctuary for the senses. It’s also the basis of our philosophy. “We’ve been on the top of the list since we were launched, and we’re still on top. We never stay still. We try to improve on what we’ve achieved, to become even better than ever. Every year. We do everything we can always to be the best.” sis2nnbX4wk The villas of Banyan Tree Phuket pWVIasL8MvE Banyan Tree Life Phuket OPF9vhP_sXg Spa Sanctuary at Banyan Tree Phuket https://youtu.be/Q9GI8L2JA3s More Banyan Tree Phuket Pix That means investing a lot of time in the spa’s therapists to make sure they’re always up to Banyan Tree standards and constantly making improvements to Banyan Tree’s resorts and hotels. Two other resorts share the site with Banyan Tree Phuket – Banyan Tree Phuket Sanctuary and Double Pool Villas by Banyan Tree. Two statues with barred teeth representing mystical figures guard the entrance to the spa, which overlooks the resort’s main swimming pool – a 40-metre lap pool surrounded by thick greenery and flowering trees.
The spa has 25 spa treatment rooms: Four royal pavilions, eight garden spa pavilions, four deluxe pavilions and four spa Tyoken villas, where guests can stay overnight and take advantage of the Rainmist Room. Each royal pavilion has a bathtub, outdoor shower, Jacuzzi and a shower room with steam. They are also equipped with a Rainmist room. The spa also has a retail outlet, which offers a selection of spa merchandise like aromatic essential oils and massage oils, incense and Banyan Tree signature ceramic oil burners. It has between 30 and 40 therapists, depending on the season, and uses essential oils and some products developed together with certified labs in its treatments. These are used alongside natural ingredients like turmeric, coconut and jasmine. The exotic smell used throughout the spa is a mixture extracted from herbs, spices, flowers and plants as essential oils to help restore inner harmony and balance. You’ll also be asked to choose the incense used during your treatment. The range includes Banyan Romance, rose, lemongrass and lavender.
Your spa journey starts at spa reception, where you’ll be asked to discuss your over-all health and well-being. You’ll be escorted to a changing area, where you’ll exchange your shoes for slippers and be given a footbath and arm massage. This helps guide your therapist in making the best treatment recommendations for you, ranging from facials to body treatments. These are based on your desired massage pressure and body needs. Banyan Tree treatment pavilions are very special. They’re recreations of Royal Thai salas. The walls feature stone sculptures of dancing Thai maidens and meditating Buddhas, and a lily pond surrounds each pavilion with fresh water fish. Massage beds
are draped in green and gold brocade. The spa area also includes outdoor showers, a yoga pavilion and a swimming pool. The treatment beds are covered in green with black and gold runners. Essential oils sit in jade green vessels on a table nearby. The doors to the treatment rooms are decorated with drawings of gold-coloured lotus flowers against a black background. The same design is echoed in the wrappings around the columns in the spa area. Therapists have an interesting way of signalling when a treatment room is in use – a medallion hung from a chain of beads with the message: Privacy Please. Banyan Tree Phuket is also home to the Banyan Tree Academy, where all its therapists in Thailand go for training. It’s probably why Banyan Tree is known for its massages, especially its Master Therapist experience.
Banyan Tree’s Master Therapists are an elite group of therapists selected based on their experience, training and intuitive sense of touch. Each two-hour experience focuses on the guest, with tailored massage strokes from Banyan Tree spa massage techniques. The clear favourite is the spa’s Rainmist experience, another Banyan Tree innovation and the treatment recommended for first-time visitors to the spa. It starts with a steam bath to prepare your body for a body scrub, followed by a cascading rain shower and ends with body treatment. Also popular is the three-hour Refreshing Sprinkle, designed to remove dead skin cells. It starts with a herbal footbath and includes a massage, a bath soak, Rainmist steam, a cleansing mitt scrub, an avocado conditioner, a face mask, a Soya milk splash and a rain shower with hair wash. In addition to the Master Therapist Experience, Banyan Tree offers a full range of massages – the 90 or 120-minute Balinese, which uses alternating thumb and palm pressure and firm strokes. The Asian Blend is a medium-to-strong massage adapted from traditional Thai techniques; and Balancing, designed to smooth out your body’s kinks. Banyan Tree’s new Tailor for Your Senses package allows you to mix and match to create an ideal spa package unique to you. You can select from a 60-minute body massage, a 30-minute body scrub, a 30-minute body conditioner, a 60-minute facial and a 30-minute calming bath. You also get to choose how long you want to spend, whether 90 or 120 or even 150 minutes.
The Island Dew, developed for sensitive skin, uses a blend of rose, plai, chamomile, and Vitamin E; Lomi Lomi, a deeply revitalizing massage from Hawaii;
Sukhothai, great for stress relief stretching and joint movements. Swedish uses three basic strokes – kneading, long firm and small circular movements. The Balinese massage is a medium-to-firm massage in which your therapist applies deep thumb and palm pressure with slow, firm, rhythmic strokes that uplift your senses and ease muscle tension. Tender Touch features a rice pouch dipped in warm oil and palm strokes – great for mature guests and expectant mothers; and Thai Classic, which blends subtle stretching and rhythmic strokes with oil. For first-time visitors, it’s the spa’s Signature Royal Banyan, which combines East and West massage techniques and rhythmic strokes to ease away tensions. Banyan Tree’s two-hour Classic Rejuvenation offers three 90-minute treatments: The popular Renewed Vigour, a soothing treatment that combines a Turmeric body scrub to exfoliate dead skin and a Swedish massage to soothe tension, reduce stress and stimulate blood circulation; and the Restored Vitality, which uses a Keiffer Lime Refresher and a Balinese massage to improve energy flow and relieve tension.
Other rejuvenation treatments include Pure Bliss, which uses a coconut and sesame scrub and a Lomi Lomi massage; and Perfect Balance, featuring an Apple and Green Tea polisher, suitable for all skin types, where natural acids from the apple act as a gentle cleanser, while the green tea powder nourishes your skin with its antioxidants; and a balancing massage to cleanse your skin and prevent skin disorders.
There’s also the Carrot Purifier, the Keiffer Lime Refresher, the Romance Salt Body, Triple Fruit Body and the Turmeric Honey Cleanser. Body Conditioners include the Aloe Lavender Healer, Herbal Enhancer, Keiffer Lime Mask and the popular Pumpkin Conditioner – an enzyme-based pumpkin treatment, using a paste of milk, olive oil, rose water, instant oat meal and corn flour that is applied to your body leaving it soft and supple. All facial treatments start with a back massage and end with a head, neck and shoulder massage and range from the popular Banyan Cleansing and Revitalizing facials to its Balancing and Banyan Brilliance and the Premium Age Defence, a lifting and firming facial that combats visible signs of ageing. It features an Anti-Ageing massage and a mineral eye mask to reduce fine lines and soothe tired, puffy eyes. This is followed by a cream mask enriched with skin-plumping properties and actives to nourish your face. Chevit, the Thai word meaning “life” and Banyan Tree’s sense of place treatment, takes a step back in time with Thai wellness remedies and the healing touch of therapists to relieve tension and stress. It includes a Thai Classic massage, a Papaya Pineapple Refresher with a steam bath, a cleaning mitt exfoliator and an Aloe Lavender Moisturizer.
Its hugely popular three-hour Royal Banyan and Harmony Indulgences use holistic signature treatments to promote physical, mental and spiritual renewal. The Royal Banyan starts with a herbal footbath and includes a lemongrass and cucumber scrub, a Banyan herbal pouch massage, a Jade face massage and a herbal bath. There are three other Banyan Indulgences – Soothe, Clarity and Romance.
There’s also the Harmony Banyan and the Thai Herbal Detox. The Harmony Baynan features a massage performed by two therapists who work in unison on each side of your body to create a sense of well-being, leaving you in deep relaxation, while the Thai Herbal Detox features a Salt Pot body massage. Then, a Thai salt pot, made of clay and filled with Thai herbs, is heated and wrapped in a pouch for the massage, relieving tired muscles of tension and stress. Banyan Tree also has two Banyan Day Experiences – pampering day and indulgent treatments. Each features Signature therapies for complete top-to-tow renewal. The spa also offers three 150-minute Ayurvedic Signature treatments: Restful Balance combines a chakra head massage and an Ayurvedic massage with a Shirodhara treatment to improve blood circulation and relieve eye strain and tension headaches. The special oil used in these treatments has a calming effect.
The Peace of Mind includes an Ayurvedic massage, herbal powder scrub, Rainmist steam bath, Avocado Splash, a Shirodhara, rain shower and hair wash. Great for relieving anxiety and dispelling insomnia. The Energizer also features an Ayurvedic massage and includes a Marma face massage, steam bath and Podi Kishi – to rebalance your internal body system.
The spa’s yoga program features a Beginner’s Ritual that focuses on meditative breathing to balance energy flow and release physical and mental tension and ends with an Island Dew massage. Shirodhara Haven starts with an Indian Head massage and includes a Shirodhara treatment and yoga Nidra. Soul Salutation begins with a salutation to the sun, using a series of postures, co-ordinated with breathing techniques, a back massage and a Marma point massage. The resort has 108 villas, starting with its 270 sqm Spa Pool villas with their private swimming pool, gardens and Thai sala; Sanctuary villas with 350 sqm of living space that includes a separate living area, a courtyard garden with a pool, a kitchen and a Thai sala that converts to a spa treatment pavilion. Two-bedroom pool villas, 350 sqm in size, feature a sunken outdoor bath, private pool, dining patio, Thai sala and a kitchen, while the 370 sqm Deluxe two-bedroom pool villas also include a study/games room that can be converted into a third bedroom. It also has its outdoor pool and shower, a dining patio and a kitchen.
The 550 sqm Spa Pool villas come with king-sized beds draped in Thai silk, a canopy ceiling of soft fabrics, an outdoor sunken pool, outdoor shower, dining patio, and a sunken spa bath- experience scented candles, aromatic oils and background music as well as in-villa daily breakfast. The Double Pool Villas, 1,300 to 2,500 sqm in size, feature a full-length, glass window bedroom pavilion, surrounded by a wading
pool, as well as a crystal jet pool, outdoor shower and steam room, Thai sala, kitchen and a home theatre, plus a personal 24-hour host and in-villa daily breakfast or buffet breakfast at the Water Court. Dining is a memorable experience that can take you beyond your normal expectations. It includes three dining adventures to pique your interest. There’s only one hitch. They’re only available to three couples per night – one per destination. The first is a romantic dinner cruise aboard The Sanya Rak, which translates to Promise of Love, Banyan Tree’s long tail boat. The dinner includes traditional music and a sunset cruise through the resort’s lagoons. The Dinner of the Spirit takes its inspiration from the traditional Thai merit of offering rice to Buddhist monks. Dinner is served beneath a Banyan tree overlooking the lagoon to the accompaniment of a Kim – traditional Thai music. The dinner features six differently prepared rice dishes. In the third dining experience, Dinner of the Senses, you’ll be taken by a longtail boat to your table, situated in the middle of the lagoon.
It doesn’t end there. Back at the resort, a wide variety of dishes and cooking styles beckon – Saffron, an award-winning restaurant known for its Thai cuisine, including stir-fried black crab with pepper and chilli, crisp fried catfish with mango salad and yellow curry ice cream. The Water Court, set at the edge of the lagoon, offers an international buffet breakfast and Mediterranean cuisine in the evening – lobster and grilled prime beef.
Tre, a contemporary French Vietnamese-style restaurant, is set among the resort’s deluxe two-bedroom pool villas. Its signature dishes include smoked salmon fillet with lotus seeds, fried rice and Wagyu beef pho infused with truffles. Also facing the lagoon, Sala Terrace serves lobster, tiger prawn, French oysters, and Beluga caviar with twists of hot, sweet, tangy and tart flavours of Thai fusion cooking. Seafood is also available at the Tamarind. The menu includes seafood delicacies and Asian wellness cuisine, combined with exotic herbs, roots and spices. And for casual breakfast or lunch and café fare, there’s Banyan Café, which overlooks the Laguna Phuket Golf Club. There’s the swim-up Pool Bar, which serves fruit cocktails and snacks on the lighter side. A great place for star gazing. Interesting things to see and do nearby: The Laguna Phuket Golf Club is an 18-hole course a short distance from the resort. It’s a challenging course of lagoons, coconut groves and undulating fairways with mountains on one side and the Andaman Sea on the other. The club also has a teaching centre, which includes a covered area for sun and rain protection, a driving range, practice bunkers and chipping areas. All the club’s ley staff are qualified PGA professionals.
Banyan Tree is located on Bang Tao Beach, known for its long stretch of white sand – popular with sun bathers and activities like windsurfing and canoeing. Classes in scuba diving, meditation and Tai Chi are also available. If you’d like to see more of the island, there’s elephant trekking and rafting; a jungle safari in Khao Sok, and speedboat tours to Phi Phi Island and Phang Nga, where you can experience the hidden world of the Hongs – a network of crystalline limestone caves. The Hongs are collapsed cave systems in the interior of each island that can be accessed by special inflatable canoes through sea caves at low tide. Each has its character, and many people are fascinated by them and spend days visiting island after island. One of the most popular cruises is Koh Ta-On also known as the James Bond Island, with its limestone cliffs that jut out of the sea, and made famous by the Bond movie The Man with the Golden Gun. Night life on the island is also nearby and includes a sunset cruise. But be forewarned, it can get quite crowded during the high season.
Cape Sienna Phuket Romance and Sunsets If you talk to anyone who’s stayed at Cape Sienna in Phuket, the first thing they mention is the view of the Andaman Sea. Cape Sienna is perched on a sloping hillside on the west side of the island, and each of its suites and villas, with their large, floor-to-ceiling windows, provides sweeping, eye-pampering views of the sea. Especially the sunsets. Cape Sienna makes the most of its view in every area of the resort, starting from the moment you enter the lobby, from its two main restaurants, the treatment rooms in the spa or from your suite or villa. There are many resorts in Phuket, all with incredible views of the Andaman Sea, but the view here has something magical about it. You can see the resort’s swimming pool and the Poolside Bar and restaurant from the lobby with its boardwalk floor, white umbrellas, and sun loungers next to it. “We cater to couples,” Gunsiri Wattana, Cape Sienna’s spa manager, told me. “We position ourselves as a romantic, chic, modern hideaway – with an adult-only concept.” Cape Sienna is built on the side of a hillside with a rocky shoreline. It has no sandy beachfront to speak of – but there is one less than a five-minute walk. There’s also a shuttle service for guests who want to go to Patong Beach. “Most of our guests prefer to spend their stay around the pool,” she added. The pool is 30 metres long, narrow and surrounded by sun loungers and next to the Poolside restaurant, which offers outdoor and indoor seating. The lobby is also long and narrow, with wide windows designed to make the most of the view. Tan-coloured leather chairs you can sink into are positioned along the length of the lobby and provide a relaxing view of the sea from a great vantage point. “At Cape Sienna,” says Gunsiri, whose Thai nickname is Siri, “we’re all about balance and helping guests get their bodies and minds back in balance. Our bodies need a break from the stresses of work and everyday problems. However, most of us overlook the importance of proper rest and relaxation. Without it, our bodies don’t have time to repair, recuperate and grow.”
The spa has developed a number of special treatments to deal with this, using ancient physical and spiritual healing concepts, natural local ingredients and a “special touch” to leave you feeling completely relaxed and rejuvenated. The spa’s massages and treatments stimulate blood circulation and balance your body’s systems and channels. These massages are designed to restore harmony. The aroma of essential oils and herbs releases your tensions, calms your emotions and
clears your mind. “They leave you feeling like a new person,” said Jutharat, whose nickname is June. As the spa is called, Balance Spa has six treatment rooms, each with wide, tall windows covered by Venetian blinds, some with great views of the Western headland and others with calming views of the sea. From the floor-to-ceiling windows in the treatment rooms, the light blue waters of the sea seem to go on forever. Balance Spa is located on the second floor – on top of the Poolside restaurant. The beds are covered in coffee brown silk in the couples' suite, with dark brown runners. Yellow flower blossoms add a subtle touch of colour in front of the window, and at the head of the treatment beds, a white Jacuzzi beckons, with white and red blossoms floating on the water. All treatment rooms include a rain shower, Jacuzzi bath and shower. Thai classical music plays in the background. The scent in the spa and spa treatment rooms is a mixture of ylang ylang. Balance Spa is all about balance. Its treatments blend ancient physical and spiritual healing concepts, using natural local ingredients in the hands of experienced therapists. Siri likes the Sienna Indulgence for first-time visitors, one of the spa’s most popular massages, which uses a fairly new form of touch therapy with healing results. This therapy is great at relaxing muscles and balancing your body’s energy flow along your meridian lines. Then, a combination of Thai, Reflexology, deep fascial and connective essential oil massage to restore your body’s harmony. https://youtu.be/TZx4YsccAvw More Cape Sienna Phuket Pix In addition to the Sienna Indulgence, there’s the popular Balance massage, which uses an aromatic oil to restore natural balance, and acupressure techniques and gentle strokes to help the aromatic oils enter into the deep layers of your skin. Aromatherapy is a wonderful way to unwind, alleviate stress and tension, invigorate your body, soothe your emotions, and clear your mind. The spa’s other favourite massage is a whole-body treatment that uses a therapist's sensitive touch to massage your head and knead your body. This massage combines the principles of Ayurveda with the Hawaiian Lomi Lomi to leave your body feeling relaxed with new strength and energy and your skin balanced and radiant. Two other intriguing massages include The 1770s and the Herbal Compress. As its name suggests, The 1770s massage was designed in the 18th Century to relax muscles by applying pressure to deeper muscles. This stretches your ligaments and tendons to keep them supple and pliable while stimulating your skin and nervous system.
The Herbal Compress is celebrated for its ability to release muscle pain and boost blood circulation while relaxing your mind and body. The Thai herbs used in the compress help relax your muscles and provide anti-bacterial benefits. The Atur-Lomi combines the Ayurvedic and Hawaiian Lomi Lomi massages. The compress mix includes turmeric, which cleanses your skin and helps you absorb the healing powers of the herbs.
Balance Spa offers two spa packages as well as two packages for couples. The Royal Silk connects the Healing Nature, designed to create moods and emotions. It begins with a Herbal steam, followed by a foot bath, a body scrub, a Therapy bath, a Thai massage with an Herbal Compress and a Natural Facial. The two-hour Sun Kissed package is designed to relieve sun-damaged skin with a soothing wrap of Aloe Vera, cucumber and green tea, followed by an After Sun Facial.
The Couples spa packages, designed for honeymooners, start with Love Birds, a 3.5-hour long package that includes a foot bath, an Herbal steam bath, an aromatherapy massage and an Aromatic bath, while the three-hour Ultimate in Paradise offers separate menus for women and men. Popular body treatments – Deer’s Eyes and Indian Head – are very specific and very different types of massages. The Deer’s Eyes is a face and eye massage. Massaging your eye and adjacent tissues can be quite helpful, adds Siri. The Indian Head massage is an ancient therapy used by Indian women “to feel a form of healing while encouraging a gentle scalp massage”. It stimulates the nerves and encourages improved blood circulation in this area. Warm Ayurvedic hair oils work at a deeper level that benefits your hair and improves your circular healing system. The big favourite is the Cape Sienna Body Salt Glow among scrubs, which works for all skin types. It restores your skin’s radiant glow and uses an exfoliating sea salt enriched with lemon, chamomile, and rosemary, to polish dead skin cells and leave your skin clean, smooth, revitalized, and silky soft. Also popular is The Creamy uses coconut oil to tone, moisturize and smooth your skin; and Tamarind Honey, which combines tamarind and honey to leave your skin smooth and glowing. Favourite wrap is its Dead Sea, so named because it applies Dead Sea mud, rich in vitamins, minerals and enzymes, all over your body. “It makes a great body mask,” says Siri. The mud also promotes circulation by increasing the supply of oxygen and removing toxins from your skin. Other body wraps include the Detoxifying, designed to boost your metabolism and your skin’s health, using seaweed and aloe to help you, which uses a mixture of Thai herbs through sweat. The Thai Herbal wrap uses a mixture of Thai Herbs and spices to draw out impurities from your skin and balance for skin’s colour. Two other intriguing wraps are the spa’s Seaweed and Tropical Escape. Seaweed is rich in vitamins and amino acids and is applied to your body in foil wraps. It boosts metabolism and enhances your skin health. The Tropical Escape uses fresh beet root and lemon, enriched with cream, natural calcium and Vitamin A with a scent of honey, to leave your skin nourished and rejuvenated.
Among facial treatments, the most popular are the Natural and the Desensitizing. The Natural is also Balance Spa’s signature facial, and as you can gather from its name, it uses the natural healing properties of fresh products to regulate your moisture balance. It combats dryness, fatigue and stress and also reduces fine lines.
The Desensitizing facial is specifically designed for sensitive skin. Here, healing ampoules, using active ingredients, promote healing and prevent infection while reducing redness. Other facial treatments: Secret Control, designed for combination skin and considered an effective solution to remove the accumulation of sebum or oily secretions; Deep Cleansing – great for oily skin, using an innovative peel to eliminate deeply encrusted blackheads and opening clogged pores; The Natural, a purely natural facial that uses the healing properties of fresh fruit to help regulate moisture balance, fine lines and stress; and the Balance’s Dehydrated facial is designed to heal your face with a creamy mask, using ingredients high in Vitamins A and E, which act as an antioxidant. A mini Cleansing facial also leaves your skin clearer and brightened. Balance also offers three baths – Lotus Flower, Botanical Herbal and Aromatic Milk. Cape Sienna has 146 rooms perched on a gently sloping hill on the west side of the island – 98 Studios, 44 deluxe rooms, two suites and two penthouses. Its rooms range from 40 sqm for its Seaview studios to 58 sqm for its Seaview Jacuzzi Deluxe rooms; 80 sqm for its top-floor Seaview Jacuzzi suites, which feature private dining space with a common lounge and a terrace and a Jacuzzi; and its 112 sqm penthouses, with great views, a 35 sqm terrace with a private plunge pool, Jacuzzi and outdoor lounge corner. Cape Sienna’s two main restaurants and lounges also make the most of its view. The Poolside Bar & Restaurant offers breakfast, lunch or dinner plus light snacks and refreshments in a casual atmosphere throughout the day and a wide range of cuisines – from oriental to international. The design of The Plum and views from its seamless glass windows are spectacular. It features authentic Mediterranean dining. The Vanilla Sky Bar & Lounge, located on the third floor, is a natural gathering place for couples in the evening. The Chambre Separe, also on the same level, is a private room for guests who want to celebrate special occasions. For lighter fare, Sienna Rocks, situated below the Poolside restaurant, offers sandwiches, salads, snacks, and cocktails throughout the day and features an infinity pool, sun loungers, and waves breaking on the rocks below.
Centara Grand Beach Phuket A Paradise for Water lovers Water activities are a big draw at Centara Grand Beach Resort in Phuket. Aside from four swimming pools, there’s a jumping-off cliff into a pool, two water slides, a lazy river to float down, a warm sandy beach and uninterrupted views of the deep blue Andaman Sea. And for teens, or those brave enough to try it, a chance to walk on water.
It’s not as magical as it sounds. Teens love it. You’re encased in a water-tight clear plastic balloon and put into the water at the poolside. The problem is keeping your balance and feeling tipsy as you take your first step. There’s a trick to it. Teens pick up on it immediately – walk fast. There’s no guarantee you won’t lose balance and fall. Standing up again could be a bit of a challenge if you do. If you watch teens, they skip down one length of the pool and back again without too much effort. How does it work? As you walk, the balloon rolls forward with you. It’s as simple as that. In case you’re wondering, this activity is not available beachside. Centara Grand Beach Phuket is located on Karon Beach and reached by taking the road on the left on the crest of the hill off the main highway. Then, a short drive down to the lobby, hidden by the thick greenery and trees lining the sides of the main highway. Like most Centara properties, the lobby is large and spacious, with a high ceiling and brightly lit, day and night, with comfortable living room-style sofas. Outside, not far from the lobby, an amazing super-sized atrium-style shallow pool is lined with extra-large black and white square tiles set at an angle. The back and sides of the pool are flanked by a colonnade, providing shade against the hot afterDeern sun. Looking out from the colonnade at the rest of the property is like seeing something from ancient times in Athens or Rome. The ceiling at spa reception is also high. But the first thing you notice is the rockpebbled floor. It’s a great decoration, and many of our guests like to use it for a foot massage while waiting for their treatment. gfYUelvA7VU Rungnapa Boonjun, Spa Manager, Centara Grand Beach Phuket clI7KiLLFqI Touring Centara Grand Beach Phuket https://youtu.be/TcJrtajO2mM Play time at Centara Grand Beach Phuket The pebbled floor appears again in the spa’s relaxation area, a large room with an ultra-modern look – brown leather sofas with yellow leather pillows and a wood floor laid out in a zigzag pattern. Your journey starts at reception, where you’ll be interviewed about your health concerns and treatment preferences. You’ll also be presented with a selection of aromatherapy oils and asked to choose one for your treatment. Treatments usually begin with a footbath to release negative energies and then a singing bowl session to help you relax. For guests interested in learning more about their experience, the spa also offers complimentary lessons and an explanation about the use of herbs.
As in most Cenvaree spas, the emphasis is on balancing the three pillars – your body, energy and soul. Its treatments are designed with this in mind. Cenvaree Phuket has ten treatment suites, including a Vichy Shower room. In some of the rooms, the walls are faced with stone, offsetting the brown colour of the treatment beds and their dark blue runners and purple blossoms. Outside, as you walk down the dark-stained wood floor corridor, you notice Do Not Disturb notices hanging from the handles of the doors of occupied suites. The spa uses four distinct scents – Citrus Fresh (lemongrass), Mood Enhancing (cinnamon, vanilla), Breathe Naturally (eucalyptus) and Serenity (sandalwood). Treatment preferences vary. While oil massages are high on everyone’s list, the spa’s facials and scrubs are also very popular. So is the spa’s wellness program, which focuses on natural Thai herbs and plant extracts to purify your body. A bit more about that later. The spa’s most popular treatment, Signature Salt Pot Muscle Melter, is also a huge favourite at other Cenvaree spas. When used in a custom blend of essential oils of petitgrain, eucalyptus and lavender, it relieves tired muscles. The treatment is based on traditions passed down through generations, in which a hot salt pot containing coarse salt with herbs is tapped along your muscles to alleviate pain. Other massages include the popular Hot Stone, Swedish, Thai Harmony Four hands, Nuad Pra Kob or Herbal Compress, Nuad Thai or Royal Thai massage, Nuad Tao or traditional foot massage, Aromatherapy, Balinese, Deep Muscular and Runner’s massages. https://youtu.be/kthLBh4J4Qo More Centara Grand Beach Phuket Pix “They’re good for everyone,” says Rungnapa Boonjun, spa manager. She recommends an Aromatherapy massage for first-time visitors and experienced spa goers, which uses essential oils to enhance your overall sense of well-being. There are three blends to choose from: Signature, mood uplifting; and Anti-Cellulite, to energize your body and mind. Among facials, Signature Organic is a big favourite. It’s described as “a luscious, relaxing facial, customized for all skin types”. It uses herbal antioxidants and natural ingredients like lemongrass, tamarind, oatmeal, cucumber and botanical oils that deeply cleanse, exfoliate and hydrate your skin. Then, a lymphatic facial massage improves blood circulation and achieves great skin. It ends with a Signature facial sesame pouch. Another big favourite is the Anti-Ageing Intense Recovery facial – great for sundamaged and nutrient-deprived skin. To offset this, powerful natural antioxidants derived from organic herbs and plant oils are used in a special treatment that includes
cleansing, exfoliation and steaming, plus an intense recovery mask to revitalize your skin. It ends with applying a cream to soften the appearance of fine lines. Other facials include Deep Cleanse, designed to unclog pores and improve skin tone, and After Sun Recovery. When it comes to exfoliation, Spa Cenvaree offers several age-defying scrubs enriched with antioxidants of seasonal fruits and plants, designed to repair stressed skin and protect it from sun damage. All scrubs begin with a body brushing to stimulate your lymphatic system. Exfoliation is inspired by the Hot Pouch. The heat loosens tight muscles to leave your skin radiant and smooth. The most popular is the 7 Miracle Grains Body Therapy of Thai Healing, filled with freshly steamed grains. The treatment uses seven different types of grains – wheat germ, barley, cornmeal, oatmeal, millet, red rice and soybeans.
Other body polishers include the Floral Scent – a Botanical Bliss scrub – which uses a mixture of fresh flower petals, rice blend and oatmeal to restore lost skin vitality; the Refreshing Scent – De-Ageing Passion Fruit and Lemongrass Salt scrub. It is also one of the resort’s most popular treatments and known for its fragrance and stress-relieving properties and leaving your skin smooth. The spa offers two contouring and slimming programs – the 105-minute Algotherm Body Shaping and Anti-Cellulite, which uses brown seaweed extracts, caffeine and ivy to detoxify fatty deposits and encourage the elimination of waste fluids – the main cause of cellulite. The treatment includes a steam, a marine salt scrub and a marine mask infused with Bora Bora sea water and sea minerals. A single session is often enough to produce visible improvements in skin tone. The second treatment – a 45-minute Algotherm Bust Firming – uses seaweed, spirulina and brown algae to firm and tone your skin, and includes a firming massage, marine exfoliation and a firming mask and gel to tone your skin.
Body treatments include the Botanical Bliss, another 105-minute treatment that uses the essence of botanical plants and ground rice as a gentle scrub; the Siamese Detoxifier, a traditional body care treatment customized to exfoliate, smooth and refine your skin texture.
The Instant Smooth, a body polisher that uses sesame and honey to restore smoothness, and Island Sun Secrets, a soothing wrap of red rice and ground herbs cooked in milk, promote healing of sun-exposed skin. The spa also offers wellness therapies to counter the effects of seasonal changes. The two other wellness therapies are Water Wellness, which uses water to stimulate your body and activate your detoxification system, and Aquatic Infusions, a special spa experience that uses body brushing to break up fatty deposits, gentle body scrub and rain shower. It has two, two-hour treatments – Summer’s Best and Winter Recharge. Summer’s Best focuses on skin hydration and skin firming, while Winter Recharge helps release toxins and reduce cellulite.
There’s the 3.5-hour Honeymoon Retreat for couples, which features a Mocho Chino Mud Wrap, a Succulent Strawberry scrub, Vanilla Shea Butter massage, and a Thai Herbal facial. Its wellness programs also include four 60-minute Ayurvedic treatments – Marma Abhyanga massage, Kato Basti, Shirobhyanga and Shirodhara – and two, two-hour programs –The Ayurvedic Rejuvenation and the Ayurvedic Balancing. Both offer dosha consolation and two Ayurvedic treatments. Its five Thai Tranquility Rituals range from 2.5 to three hours in duration, starting with its popular Thai Body Balance – a journey that combines a collection of signature
recipes to help you experience the soul of the Thai as well as ancient Thai traditions. This treatment uses organic grains, bark extracts, aromatic roots and herbal powder prepared for each ritual. Village rituals inspired the Ultimate Well-Being for deep cleansing after a long day in the field. It blends coconut flakes, sesame seeds, oatmeal and coffee powder, heated by basalt stones and then presses the mixture into key locations on your body to loosen tense muscles and reduce inflammation. It ends with an Organic facial. Body Balance is a collection of signature recipes to help guests experience the soul of a Thai spa journey and traditions. The Wanalee or Royal Treat is deeply detoxifying at all levels. It starts with a wrap of galangal roots, turmeric and black pepper to stimulate your lymphatic system and remove toxins. This is followed by a scalp massage, a shower and an Aromatherapy massage or a Thai massage, and ends with an Oxidant facial, using Calendula, licorice and Evening Primrose to restore skin freshness. Serenity begins with a scalp massage with an Avocado Coconut Cream mask, a de-ageing Passion Fruit and Lemongrass Salt scrub and a Vanilla Shea Butter massage. Centara Grand Beach is located at the far end of Karon Beach (locations in Phuket and Koh Samui take their names from the beaches where they’re located), and Karon Beach is one of the most beautiful on the island. Its design reflects the character of the famous Sino-Portuguese architecture found in Old Phuket Town, which features lengthy colonnades and stucco mouldings, echoing a time of wealth and luxury. The 262-room resort includes 126 Deluxe Ocean-Facing rooms, 36 Premium, 18 Premium Spa Deluxe Ocean-Facing rooms, 45 Deluxe Pool Suites and 18 Luxury Suites, plus six One-Bedroom Pool villas and four Two-Bed Pool villas. All feature a private balcony and views of the Andaman Sea. When it comes to dining experiences, Mare, the Italian word for sea, fits the name of the resort’s Italian restaurant. It overlooks the beach and has a relaxed atmosphere during the day when it serves up pizza and pasta. In the evening, the menu changes to classical Italian cuisine like antipasto, sampler platters and stone-baked pizza, plus an extensive wine cellar with a wide variety of wines to go with whatever you choose. The Cove, an all-day restaurant located on the beachfront, offers an extensive buffet breakfast featuring Thai, Japanese, Chinese and North American selections. Lunch is à la carte, and for dinner, its open Asian kitchens showcase geApplene cuisine favourites from Thailand’s regions. There are also five theme buffets during the week – Welcome to Thailand, Silk Road, Mediterranean Night, Steakhouse Night and Seafood Safari. Theme nights also feature live entertainment, starting at 8 p.m. During the day, you can get New York-style deli sandwiches and Western and Thai snacks at The Beachcomber Beach Club Bar.
There’s live entertainment at the Luna Bar, located above, with a large outdoor terrace, lounge-style seating, and indoor seating. The Luna Bar also offers light meals, including Mediterranean apertivo and Asian tapas and cocktails. Happy Hour is between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. Interesting things to see and do nearby: Sea adventures abound in Phuket. There are trips to nearby islands, sea kayaking to Phang Nga Hong by starlight – great during the day and breath-taking at night – or a nine-hour cruise to Phang Nga Bay aboard a Chinese junk.
The area also offers some of the best snorkelling in the world, trips to nearby and local tourist attractions, white water rafting and elephant trekking, and golfing at any of the eight of the island’s courses. Some are built over old tin mines and provide some very different golfing challenges, even for experienced players, amid an incredibly scenic backdrop. For something different, try your hand at tapping rubber trees. Thailand is a major supplier of rubber in Asia, and Phuket is at the centre of it all. It hasn’t changed much since rubber trees were brought to Phuket. Tapping usually starts around 1 or 2 a.m., when it’s cool, and the sap can flow freely and finishes by sunrise. Keemala Resort Phuket Home of the Bird’s Nest Villas