Bodeker was the editor of the GWI’s recent mental wellness white paper
After finishing work on the Global Wellness Institute’s mental wellness white paper, Dr Gerry Bodeker had nature on his mind. Research outlined in Mental Wellness: Pathways, Evidence and Horizons (see SB19/1 p60) shows that immersion in nature has powerful effects on both mental and physical wellbeing, and Bodeker saw an opportunity to bring that kind of immersion to more people.
“There are many evidence-based pathways to mental wellness which can be self-managed, are generally low cost, and have been shown by repeated studies to result in significant enhancement of mental wellbeing and, in some cases, even in the growth of grey and white matter in the brain,” says Bodeker.
So when Bodeker was asked to design wellness programmes for the Mulu Marriott Resort & Spa in Borneo – which is set in a UNESCO World Heritage site amid ancient tropical rainforest – he knew it was a place where nature could help to heal. “At a [nearby] freshwater pool, Clearwater Pool, fed by streams from 60-million-year-old limestone caves, the atmosphere was palpably vibrant and transformative, and it became obvious that a forest immersion programme, with Clearwater at its heart, was the way to bring wellness theming to the resort,” says Bodeker.
Mulu’s owner, Robert Geneid, proposed a partnership, as he was keen to take the idea to another property in Japan, and from this, Ayus Wellness – a company to deliver the experiences – was born. “In Ayus Wellness, we’ve crafted programmes that are science-based and effective in enhancing mood and mind, which, in turn, leads to balance and clarity,” says Bodeker. “Foremost among these is the practice of nature immersion or forest bathing – shinrin-yoku as it is known in Japan. With 52,000 hectares of ancient rainforest as our environment, nature is our primary therapist.”
Key to the offering is a bespoke integrative yoga programme designed around connecting with the rainforest, which helps guests build a connection to nature. Yoga and meditative breathing sessions are held in the heart of the forest at the Clearwater Pool and cave, half an hour boat ride from Mulu Marriott up the Melinau River and past the villages of the indigenous communities. Swimming in the bracing, mineralised waters is also a highlight.
“Ayus takes its name from Sanskrit, meaning the sense of life,” says Bodeker. “By aligning easily and immersively with nature in a pristine forest setting, with this dimension of life, a deep experience of wellbeing emerges.”
The inaugural retreat was held from 14-19 June, and led by master yoga practitioner Shilpa Gathalia, who also guided guests through silent forest walks, cave journeys and medicinal plant explorations. Wellness cuisine drew from Borneo food traditions, local Sarawakian ingredients and flavours, and even some wild-crafted foods from the grounds of the resort itself, and guests savoured a full Borneo-themed vegetarian menu including a power shot made from gotu kola, or Asiatic pennywort, which is used to promote mood and memory. “At the Going-Home circle on the last evening, some remarkable experiences were shared, including deep peace, enhanced and restful sleep, a sense of feeling revived and renewed, and of deep connections with nature, and the power of the journeys that the group had experienced,” says Bodeker.
Ayus Wellness is offering programmes at Mulu Marriott throughout the year, with a focus on three areas: clarity & peace of mind, anti-ageing & radiance, and strength & energy. “New research has shown that wellness modalities such as meditation and yoga increase the length of telomeres – our epigenetic material whose length correlates with the length of lifespan,” says Bodeker. “The Ayus Wellness Experience incorporates and builds on these by adding proven rejuvenation foods, beverages and topical applications from Borneo and wider Asian traditions to enhance the experience of youthfulness and the renewal and radiance of our guests’ skin.”
With the tagline ‘Wilderness-Wonder-Wellness’ encapsulating the programme, Bodeker says he hopes to bring the wilderness into wellness, and wellness into the wilderness. He explains: “Our experience in Ayus Wellness is that deep wilderness immersion brings with it a sense of wonder, of transcending everyday boundaries and re-setting our relationship with nature and ourselves. Wonder, in Socrates’ words, brings wisdom.”
The Ayus Wellness Experience package is priced at an all-inclusive US$480 (€428, £387) per night, for six nights.
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
Spa Programmes: On the menu
Energy medicine at Six Senses; aroma retreat on Croatia’s Island of Vitality and menopause programming all feature in our spa menu round-up
Top team: Rosewood
Jane Kitchen talks to the wellness team behind Rosewood, and its forward-thinking spa concepts, as CEO Sonia Cheng leads a vigorous global rollout
Everyone’s talking about: CBD
Are CBD treatments and products an unregulated fad, or a serious business proposition? Spa Business investigates
Promotional feature: The Madison Collection
Innovation of form and function in robes and towels is a vital part of attracting the next generation of wellness consumers. Charmaine T Lang from The Madison Collection explains how her company consistently maintains its successful point of difference
Interview: Markus Engel
The CEO of Asia’s Urban Resort Concepts talks to Spa Business about positive disruption in the hospitality and spa sector
Promotional feature: The Wellness
A beautiful pool can be the standout feature that draws new customers. It can also cut your running costs if it’s designed to be sustainable. Mohammed Ibrahim, CEO of The Wellness, explains
Interview: Davide Bollati
Liz Terry speaks to the founder of Comfort Zone about the group’s new botanical garden and ongoing commitment to environmentalism
Research: Generation gap
A new consumer study by ISPA uncovers spa-goer preferences and habits across different age groups
Promotional feature: Phytomer
Formulating the ultimate universal product to heal and defend the skin has taken three years of R&D for Phytomer, the French luxury marine skincare brand. The company’s scientific director tells Spa Business about the launch of the groundbreaking Prebioforce serum
Event Report: APSWC Round Table
Industry leaders contribute to APSWC’s third white paper at annual gathering. Catharine Nicol reports from Malaysia
Family spa: Play time
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Eco spa: Going green
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Bodeker was the editor of the GWI’s recent mental wellness white paper
After finishing work on the Global Wellness Institute’s mental wellness white paper, Dr Gerry Bodeker had nature on his mind. Research outlined in Mental Wellness: Pathways, Evidence and Horizons (see SB19/1 p60) shows that immersion in nature has powerful effects on both mental and physical wellbeing, and Bodeker saw an opportunity to bring that kind of immersion to more people.
“There are many evidence-based pathways to mental wellness which can be self-managed, are generally low cost, and have been shown by repeated studies to result in significant enhancement of mental wellbeing and, in some cases, even in the growth of grey and white matter in the brain,” says Bodeker.
So when Bodeker was asked to design wellness programmes for the Mulu Marriott Resort & Spa in Borneo – which is set in a UNESCO World Heritage site amid ancient tropical rainforest – he knew it was a place where nature could help to heal. “At a [nearby] freshwater pool, Clearwater Pool, fed by streams from 60-million-year-old limestone caves, the atmosphere was palpably vibrant and transformative, and it became obvious that a forest immersion programme, with Clearwater at its heart, was the way to bring wellness theming to the resort,” says Bodeker.
Mulu’s owner, Robert Geneid, proposed a partnership, as he was keen to take the idea to another property in Japan, and from this, Ayus Wellness – a company to deliver the experiences – was born. “In Ayus Wellness, we’ve crafted programmes that are science-based and effective in enhancing mood and mind, which, in turn, leads to balance and clarity,” says Bodeker. “Foremost among these is the practice of nature immersion or forest bathing – shinrin-yoku as it is known in Japan. With 52,000 hectares of ancient rainforest as our environment, nature is our primary therapist.”
Key to the offering is a bespoke integrative yoga programme designed around connecting with the rainforest, which helps guests build a connection to nature. Yoga and meditative breathing sessions are held in the heart of the forest at the Clearwater Pool and cave, half an hour boat ride from Mulu Marriott up the Melinau River and past the villages of the indigenous communities. Swimming in the bracing, mineralised waters is also a highlight.
“Ayus takes its name from Sanskrit, meaning the sense of life,” says Bodeker. “By aligning easily and immersively with nature in a pristine forest setting, with this dimension of life, a deep experience of wellbeing emerges.”
The inaugural retreat was held from 14-19 June, and led by master yoga practitioner Shilpa Gathalia, who also guided guests through silent forest walks, cave journeys and medicinal plant explorations. Wellness cuisine drew from Borneo food traditions, local Sarawakian ingredients and flavours, and even some wild-crafted foods from the grounds of the resort itself, and guests savoured a full Borneo-themed vegetarian menu including a power shot made from gotu kola, or Asiatic pennywort, which is used to promote mood and memory. “At the Going-Home circle on the last evening, some remarkable experiences were shared, including deep peace, enhanced and restful sleep, a sense of feeling revived and renewed, and of deep connections with nature, and the power of the journeys that the group had experienced,” says Bodeker.
Ayus Wellness is offering programmes at Mulu Marriott throughout the year, with a focus on three areas: clarity & peace of mind, anti-ageing & radiance, and strength & energy. “New research has shown that wellness modalities such as meditation and yoga increase the length of telomeres – our epigenetic material whose length correlates with the length of lifespan,” says Bodeker. “The Ayus Wellness Experience incorporates and builds on these by adding proven rejuvenation foods, beverages and topical applications from Borneo and wider Asian traditions to enhance the experience of youthfulness and the renewal and radiance of our guests’ skin.”
With the tagline ‘Wilderness-Wonder-Wellness’ encapsulating the programme, Bodeker says he hopes to bring the wilderness into wellness, and wellness into the wilderness. He explains: “Our experience in Ayus Wellness is that deep wilderness immersion brings with it a sense of wonder, of transcending everyday boundaries and re-setting our relationship with nature and ourselves. Wonder, in Socrates’ words, brings wisdom.”
The Ayus Wellness Experience package is priced at an all-inclusive US$480 (€428, £387) per night, for six nights.
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
Spa Programmes: On the menu
Energy medicine at Six Senses; aroma retreat on Croatia’s Island of Vitality and menopause programming all feature in our spa menu round-up
Top team: Rosewood
Jane Kitchen talks to the wellness team behind Rosewood, and its forward-thinking spa concepts, as CEO Sonia Cheng leads a vigorous global rollout
Everyone’s talking about: CBD
Are CBD treatments and products an unregulated fad, or a serious business proposition? Spa Business investigates
Promotional feature: The Madison Collection
Innovation of form and function in robes and towels is a vital part of attracting the next generation of wellness consumers. Charmaine T Lang from The Madison Collection explains how her company consistently maintains its successful point of difference
Interview: Markus Engel
The CEO of Asia’s Urban Resort Concepts talks to Spa Business about positive disruption in the hospitality and spa sector
Promotional feature: The Wellness
A beautiful pool can be the standout feature that draws new customers. It can also cut your running costs if it’s designed to be sustainable. Mohammed Ibrahim, CEO of The Wellness, explains
Interview: Davide Bollati
Liz Terry speaks to the founder of Comfort Zone about the group’s new botanical garden and ongoing commitment to environmentalism
Research: Generation gap
A new consumer study by ISPA uncovers spa-goer preferences and habits across different age groups
Promotional feature: Phytomer
Formulating the ultimate universal product to heal and defend the skin has taken three years of R&D for Phytomer, the French luxury marine skincare brand. The company’s scientific director tells Spa Business about the launch of the groundbreaking Prebioforce serum
Event Report: APSWC Round Table
Industry leaders contribute to APSWC’s third white paper at annual gathering. Catharine Nicol reports from Malaysia
Family spa: Play time
Spa Business takes a look at innovative spa programmes for children and families
Eco spa: Going green
Joanna Roche and Bonnie Baker share their ambitions for the Green Spa Network
TLee Spas and Wellness has revealed the design concept for a high-tech spa with body
mapping scanners to improve public health, for AI company Midjourney.
Ameyalli, the 78-acre wellbeing resort and residential community in Midway in Utah, US, has
broken ground on phase two of the hot spring development – the Ameyalli Resort and Spa –
which is due to open in 2028.
Gran Hotel Taoro in northern Tenerife, Spain, has completed the final phase of its three-year
renovation with the debut of its Sandára Wellness Centre.
Hand and Stone Massage and Facial Spa, the spa business with more than 650 locations across
the US and Canada, has appointed franchise expert Carrie Walsh as CEO as the company plans
to expand.
Synergy – The Retreat Show, the global trade show for retreats, has launched a global research
initiative that will provide insights into the retreat sector from both consumer and industry
perspectives.
The Wellness Tourism Association (WTA) has published a non-regulatory global industry
framework designed to ensure the retreat market offers responsible experiences.
A new survey of UK and international spa practitioners shows that stress, burnout and
wellbeing concerns have caused one in three respondents to consider leaving the industry.
The UK's four Chief Medical Officers have published a refreshed edition of Physical activity
guidelines: UK Chief Medical Officers' report, updating the evidence that underpins the nation's
physical activity recommendations and placing greater emphasis on strength, balance, reducing
sedentary behaviour and, for the first time, supporting people taking weight loss medications.
In the fast-paced world of fitness and wellness, where high-intensity workouts push us to
our limits and the sweat pours, the importance of efficient recovery cannot be overstated. [more...]
The MSpa Oslo series is a perennial bestseller in global markets. With innovative
engineering and premium performance, this completely portable spa line-up is expertly
designed to meet the needs of customers worldwide. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
Clinique La Prairie Clinique La Prairie is a name that has been synonymous with health and longevity for over 90 years, [more...]
