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Wade into wellness with stream climbing in Okinawa
Credit: photo: Halekulani Okinawa
Celebrating South African healing rituals in Johannesburg
Spa guests at Johannesburg’s Saxon Hotel are getting to grips with South African wellness traditions thanks to the Soul by Saxon Signature Journey.
Commencing with a mindfulness element, the ritual comprises three steps: a body exfoliation with a moringa scrub, a red African mud mask, and finally a full-body deep pressure massage using marula oil and African tools such as the rungu stick, calabash and rain stick – all of which serve to encourage cell renewal, boost circulation and promote lymphatic drainage.
The treatment is based on products by Soul, a South African company that uses local and natural ingredients from carefully-selected farmers across the country.
Where: The Saxon Hotel, Villas & Spa, Johannesburg, South Africa
Duration: 105 minutes
Cost: R 2,460 (€147, US$153, £125)
The massage is aided by local instruments such as the rungu stick / photo: The Saxon Hotel, Villas & Spa
Mandarin Oriental champions girl power
Kira Hower
Mandarin Oriental Boston has upgraded its wellness menu with empowerment coaching for women over 40 looking to enhance their midlife years.
The offerings are conducted in partnership with women’s empowerment coach, Kira Hower, who has more than 20 years’ experience. Hower customises each session based on the guests’ goals, helping women to strengthen their voices by tackling topics such as powerful communication, relationship wellness, perfectionism and influencing with impact.
The programme also covers midlife transitions and visioning, creating vibrant relationships, celebrating ageing and declaring your deepest desires. Hower says: “This coaching can help to bring clarity, courage and connection to women of all ages.”
Where: The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Boston, US
Duration: 75 minutes per session
Cost: US$1,050 (€1,030, £869) for three sessions over six weeks or six sessions over three months, US$2,100 (€2,060, £1,738)
The spa now offers empowerment coaching for midlife women / photos: Mandarin Oriental
Experience La Dolce Vita with olive-based facials in Tuscany
photo: shutterstock/angelaflu
Tuscan olives are the star ingredient in Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco’s brand-new facial, designed to showcase the nourishing power of the region’s olive crop.
A gentle exfoliation with olive-kernel powder kicks off the ritual and then therapists apply extra virgin olive oil to refresh the skin and remove impurities. The lifting massage that follows is said to reduce muscle tension and promote relaxation throughout the rest of the body.
Claimed to be rich in vitamins E and A, olive oil cream is then applied to bring nourishment and luminosity. The treatment’s finale sees guests sample local extra virgin olive oil with a selection of savoury snacks.
Where: Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco, Montalcino, Italy
Duration: 30 minutes
Cost: €190 (US$196, £161)
Guests can benefit from the natural nourishment of the Tuscan olive crop / photo: Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco
Wade into wellness with stream climbing in Okinawa
The popular Japanese adventure activity of stream climbing (sawanobori) has inspired new programming on the Japanese island of Okinawa, a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Claimed to promote mental and physical wellbeing, the new Wade Through the Waters of Yanbaru programme is designed to offer an energising experience that consists of wading and swimming through plunge pools and streams in ancient forests, rewarding guests with unique views of the rugged terrain.
Each experience begins with a kayak trip across the largest dam in Okinawa, plus a guided tour of a forest where guests can observe the region’s endangered species and indigenous plants.
Where: Halekulani Okinawa, Japan
Duration: Three hours
Cost: US$181 per person (€177, £150)
Guests experience plunge pools set amid ancient forests / photo: Halekulani Okinawa
Into nature with Lime Wood’s new wild retreat
The retreat includes mobility sessions / photo: Jake Eastham
Lime Wood Hotel’s award-winning Herb House spa has launched Re-Wild Yourself retreats. Designed to ground guests in nature, the three journeys have been designed to recharge mind, body and soul and restore balance, health and creativity.
The active Forest Fix Retreat, for example, is designed for adventurous guests looking to immerse themselves in the great outdoors while taking time to reflect on their health. Led by head of fitness Justin Pimm, the experience includes forest runs, mobility and strength sessions and a kettlebell and Forest Combat Session in the woods, as well as a relaxing 60-minute full body massage and recovery time in the spa.
Where: Lime Wood Hotel, Hampshire, UK
Duration: One day
Cost: £325 (€384, US$393)
Re-wilding is all about getting back in
touch with nature / photo: Jake Eastham
Spa with sparkle: emeralds power treatments in Colombia
Carina Garcia Girone / photo: Sofitel Legend Santa Clar
Therapists in Colombia are working with emeralds in a body treatment designed to cleanse energy centres. Spa director Carina Garcia Girone claims emerald is “a stone of wisdom which calms emotions”.
During the spa’s Legendary Emerald Ritual – featuring a body scrub, an aromatic pindas bath, a facial and a Swedish back, leg and foot massage – therapists incorporate emeralds, quartz and skincare products infused with the vibrant green stone. Guests also drink a half cup of emerald-infused elixir to help them fully embrace its benefits.
Where: Sofitel Legend Santa Clara, Bolívar, Colombia
Duration: 150 minutes
Cost: COP634,000 (€146, US$150, £124)
Emerald is seen as ‘a stone of wisdom which calms emotions’ / photo: shutterstock/Victor Moussa
IDEA® Health & Fitness Association and CoverMe Fitness are proud to announce a strategic
partnership to address some of the biggest challenges facing fitness professionals and the
industry at large, which will launch at IDEA® World Convention in the US this week. [more...]
In the world of wellness, the age-old tradition of sauna bathing is synonymous with
relaxation, detoxification and rejuvenation. But, a crucial and sometimes overlooked part
of
the journey is the all-important cooldown. [more...]
Wade into wellness with stream climbing in Okinawa
Credit: photo: Halekulani Okinawa
Celebrating South African healing rituals in Johannesburg
Spa guests at Johannesburg’s Saxon Hotel are getting to grips with South African wellness traditions thanks to the Soul by Saxon Signature Journey.
Commencing with a mindfulness element, the ritual comprises three steps: a body exfoliation with a moringa scrub, a red African mud mask, and finally a full-body deep pressure massage using marula oil and African tools such as the rungu stick, calabash and rain stick – all of which serve to encourage cell renewal, boost circulation and promote lymphatic drainage.
The treatment is based on products by Soul, a South African company that uses local and natural ingredients from carefully-selected farmers across the country.
Where: The Saxon Hotel, Villas & Spa, Johannesburg, South Africa
Duration: 105 minutes
Cost: R 2,460 (€147, US$153, £125)
The massage is aided by local instruments such as the rungu stick / photo: The Saxon Hotel, Villas & Spa
Mandarin Oriental champions girl power
Kira Hower
Mandarin Oriental Boston has upgraded its wellness menu with empowerment coaching for women over 40 looking to enhance their midlife years.
The offerings are conducted in partnership with women’s empowerment coach, Kira Hower, who has more than 20 years’ experience. Hower customises each session based on the guests’ goals, helping women to strengthen their voices by tackling topics such as powerful communication, relationship wellness, perfectionism and influencing with impact.
The programme also covers midlife transitions and visioning, creating vibrant relationships, celebrating ageing and declaring your deepest desires. Hower says: “This coaching can help to bring clarity, courage and connection to women of all ages.”
Where: The Spa at Mandarin Oriental, Boston, US
Duration: 75 minutes per session
Cost: US$1,050 (€1,030, £869) for three sessions over six weeks or six sessions over three months, US$2,100 (€2,060, £1,738)
The spa now offers empowerment coaching for midlife women / photos: Mandarin Oriental
Experience La Dolce Vita with olive-based facials in Tuscany
photo: shutterstock/angelaflu
Tuscan olives are the star ingredient in Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco’s brand-new facial, designed to showcase the nourishing power of the region’s olive crop.
A gentle exfoliation with olive-kernel powder kicks off the ritual and then therapists apply extra virgin olive oil to refresh the skin and remove impurities. The lifting massage that follows is said to reduce muscle tension and promote relaxation throughout the rest of the body.
Claimed to be rich in vitamins E and A, olive oil cream is then applied to bring nourishment and luminosity. The treatment’s finale sees guests sample local extra virgin olive oil with a selection of savoury snacks.
Where: Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco, Montalcino, Italy
Duration: 30 minutes
Cost: €190 (US$196, £161)
Guests can benefit from the natural nourishment of the Tuscan olive crop / photo: Rosewood Castiglion del Bosco
Wade into wellness with stream climbing in Okinawa
The popular Japanese adventure activity of stream climbing (sawanobori) has inspired new programming on the Japanese island of Okinawa, a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Claimed to promote mental and physical wellbeing, the new Wade Through the Waters of Yanbaru programme is designed to offer an energising experience that consists of wading and swimming through plunge pools and streams in ancient forests, rewarding guests with unique views of the rugged terrain.
Each experience begins with a kayak trip across the largest dam in Okinawa, plus a guided tour of a forest where guests can observe the region’s endangered species and indigenous plants.
Where: Halekulani Okinawa, Japan
Duration: Three hours
Cost: US$181 per person (€177, £150)
Guests experience plunge pools set amid ancient forests / photo: Halekulani Okinawa
Into nature with Lime Wood’s new wild retreat
The retreat includes mobility sessions / photo: Jake Eastham
Lime Wood Hotel’s award-winning Herb House spa has launched Re-Wild Yourself retreats. Designed to ground guests in nature, the three journeys have been designed to recharge mind, body and soul and restore balance, health and creativity.
The active Forest Fix Retreat, for example, is designed for adventurous guests looking to immerse themselves in the great outdoors while taking time to reflect on their health. Led by head of fitness Justin Pimm, the experience includes forest runs, mobility and strength sessions and a kettlebell and Forest Combat Session in the woods, as well as a relaxing 60-minute full body massage and recovery time in the spa.
Where: Lime Wood Hotel, Hampshire, UK
Duration: One day
Cost: £325 (€384, US$393)
Re-wilding is all about getting back in
touch with nature / photo: Jake Eastham
Spa with sparkle: emeralds power treatments in Colombia
Carina Garcia Girone / photo: Sofitel Legend Santa Clar
Therapists in Colombia are working with emeralds in a body treatment designed to cleanse energy centres. Spa director Carina Garcia Girone claims emerald is “a stone of wisdom which calms emotions”.
During the spa’s Legendary Emerald Ritual – featuring a body scrub, an aromatic pindas bath, a facial and a Swedish back, leg and foot massage – therapists incorporate emeralds, quartz and skincare products infused with the vibrant green stone. Guests also drink a half cup of emerald-infused elixir to help them fully embrace its benefits.
Where: Sofitel Legend Santa Clara, Bolívar, Colombia
Duration: 150 minutes
Cost: COP634,000 (€146, US$150, £124)
Emerald is seen as ‘a stone of wisdom which calms emotions’ / photo: shutterstock/Victor Moussa
Retreat brand TheLifeCo Well-being will make its Caribbean debut in Gros-Islet, Saint Lucia, in
2025, as part of the Caribbean Jewel Seven Wonders project (CJSW).
Global online architecture platform Architizer has highlighted some of the world’s most
innovative spa and wellness architecture concepts as part of its 12th Annual Architizer
A+Awards.
Bavarian destination spa and hotel Schloss Elmau is looking to celebrate the joy of dance by
becoming the first wellness destination in the world to offer retreats focused on the Gaga
intuitive movement practice.
Fitness-focused hospitality brand and management company Equinox Hotels has announced
plans to open a modern new resort on the coast of the Gulf of Aqaba in northwest Saudi Arabia.
The venture is part of the ambitious US$500 billion (€462.7 billion, £396 billion) Neom* giga-
project.
Plans have been unveiled for La Maviglia, a new luxury resort and expansive medi-spa set to
open in Italy's Puglia region, renowned for its Primitivo wine, in 2027.
Auberge Resorts Collection will launch its first UK property and destination spa in Mayfair,
London, in 2025, following a deal with UK-based global private investment group Reuben
Brothers.
A large new mineral springs destination has launched in Texas, inspired by some of the world’s
most famous hot springs – such as Jordan’s Dead Sea, Iceland’s Blue Lagoon and Mexico’s
Grutas Tolantongo.
A thought-provoking, US national probability study, The WELLSurvey™, has revealed that the
majority of Americans now include several health and wellness practices in their everyday lives.
They also view the concepts of 'wellness' and 'wellbeing' differently.
US integrative wellness brand The Well has named Ariella Willoughby as its new VP of
operations, aiming to drive significant growth and operational success across its current and
future locations worldwide.
Middleton Enterprises, a UK-based family investment office, has committed £1.6 million
(US$2.1 million, €1.9 million) in funding to the Light Centre – a network of medical, therapeutic
and wellbeing centres with four locations in London.
Rianna Riego, a seasoned professional in the wellness and spa industry, has been appointed
director of global business development at Seed to Skin Tuscany, a premier Italian botanical
skincare and spa brand.
IDEA® Health & Fitness Association and CoverMe Fitness are proud to announce a strategic
partnership to address some of the biggest challenges facing fitness professionals and the
industry at large, which will launch at IDEA® World Convention in the US this week. [more...]
In the world of wellness, the age-old tradition of sauna bathing is synonymous with
relaxation, detoxification and rejuvenation. But, a crucial and sometimes overlooked part
of
the journey is the all-important cooldown. [more...]
