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Wade into wellness with stream climbing in Okinawa
/ 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
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2022 issue 3
Editor's letter: Salus per natura
Although great buildings lie at the heart of the spa and wellness experience, operators are turning to nature to deliver healing journeys, says Liz Terry
Spa People: Thierry Malleret
We talk to the economist behind Monthly Barometer about key trends emerging in the wellness sector, such as a greater connection with nature
Spa People: Verena Lasvigne
The founder of VLF Spa Consulting shares her learnings from a career running spas on three continents
Spa People: Kim Weller
The wellbeing director of Banyan Tree tells us about the rollout of the company's new brand, Veya – for mind/body wellness
New opening: Loisium Spa
A look at the new luxurious spa situated at the heart of France's celebrated Champagne region
Interview: Neil Jacobs
The CEO of Six Senses talks about creating an eco-system around the brand to deliver hotels, clubs, residential, offices and resorts
Project preview: Next generation wellness
We take our first look at Tulah, the new clinical wellness retreat brand about to make its debut in Kerala, India, and speak to its CEO
ISPA Research: Rate of recovery
Russell Donaldson digs deeper into ISPA's 2022 US Spa Industry Study and considers the industry's resurgence since the end of pandemic lockdowns
Sponsored: Gharieni: Delivering results
Innovation is the hallmark of Gharieni experiences, meeting the rapidly
evolving needs of wellness seekers within the spa and wellness environment
New opening: Lanserhof Sylt
Lisa Starr reports on the industry's eagerly awaited wellness experience – nestled within sand dunes on the German island of Sylt
Healing: Emotional rescue
As people increasingly seek support for their emotional wellbeing, Jane Kitchen talks to the operators who are digging deeper to deliver genuine transformation
Promotion: TechnoAlpin: Powerful contrast
Spa clients can enjoy super-cool relaxation and pain-relief at Sächsische Staatsbäder in Bad Brambach thanks to a TechnoAlpin SnowRoom
Concept: Soneva Soul
The CEO and co-founder of Soneva, Sonu Shivdasani, talks about the philosophy behind the company's new wellness concept, Soneva Soul
Le Atelier by C.O.D.E. doesn't offer a standard bespoke service, it provides a highly
customised approach to designing massage beds and loungers in high-end wellness
environments. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
Fenix Group srl
Founded in Italy by Gianluca Cavalletti, Fenix Group introduced Endospheres with the aim of redefini [more...]
Wade into wellness with stream climbing in Okinawa
/ 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
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2022 issue 3
Editor's letter: Salus per natura
Although great buildings lie at the heart of the spa and wellness experience, operators are turning to nature to deliver healing journeys, says Liz Terry
Spa People: Thierry Malleret
We talk to the economist behind Monthly Barometer about key trends emerging in the wellness sector, such as a greater connection with nature
Spa People: Verena Lasvigne
The founder of VLF Spa Consulting shares her learnings from a career running spas on three continents
Spa People: Kim Weller
The wellbeing director of Banyan Tree tells us about the rollout of the company's new brand, Veya – for mind/body wellness
New opening: Loisium Spa
A look at the new luxurious spa situated at the heart of France's celebrated Champagne region
Interview: Neil Jacobs
The CEO of Six Senses talks about creating an eco-system around the brand to deliver hotels, clubs, residential, offices and resorts
Project preview: Next generation wellness
We take our first look at Tulah, the new clinical wellness retreat brand about to make its debut in Kerala, India, and speak to its CEO
ISPA Research: Rate of recovery
Russell Donaldson digs deeper into ISPA's 2022 US Spa Industry Study and considers the industry's resurgence since the end of pandemic lockdowns
Sponsored: Gharieni: Delivering results
Innovation is the hallmark of Gharieni experiences, meeting the rapidly
evolving needs of wellness seekers within the spa and wellness environment
New opening: Lanserhof Sylt
Lisa Starr reports on the industry's eagerly awaited wellness experience – nestled within sand dunes on the German island of Sylt
Healing: Emotional rescue
As people increasingly seek support for their emotional wellbeing, Jane Kitchen talks to the operators who are digging deeper to deliver genuine transformation
Promotion: TechnoAlpin: Powerful contrast
Spa clients can enjoy super-cool relaxation and pain-relief at Sächsische Staatsbäder in Bad Brambach thanks to a TechnoAlpin SnowRoom
Concept: Soneva Soul
The CEO and co-founder of Soneva, Sonu Shivdasani, talks about the philosophy behind the company's new wellness concept, Soneva Soul
The Standards Authority for Touch in Cancer Care (SATCC) charity has announced its first five-
day Living with Cancer and Beyond retreat, which will be held at Carden Park Hotel and Spa in
Cheshire, UK, between 1 and 5 September.
Patmos Aktis, a Luxury Collection Resort and Spa, has opened in Greece, with a renovated and
rebranded wellness offering called Ansana Wellness and Spa.
The Mauna Kea Beach Hotel, an Autograph Collection property in Hawaii, US, has opened its
22,000 sq ft indoor-outdoor Spa at Mauna Kea as the final step in the property’s overall
renovation, which has cost more than US$180 million (€166 million, £140 mill
The UK spa review and discovery platform for consumers, the Good Spa Guide, has announced
it will host the Good Spa Guide Awards 2026 during an event on 16 November at Sopwell House
Hotel in St Albans, UK.
Eighty-four per cent of consumers now say wellness is a top priority in their lives, with this
percentage increasing year on year, according to a preview presentation of McKinsey’s Future of
Wellness 2026 research report.
Mass protests have been taking place since Monday 1 June in Albania over the development of
a luxury resort by Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump and her husband Jared Kushner.
Global Wellness Day (GWD) marked its 15th anniversary on Saturday 13 June 2026, with the
theme: #JoyMagenta – a celebration of the healing qualities of simple gestures and activities
that spark joy.
Global luxury hospitality brand, Six Senses, has partnered with longevity healthcare provider,
HUM2N, to launch a clinic at Six Senses London, at The Whiteley.
As part of its first hotel partnership, Mayrlife – the medical health resort company known for its
site in Altaussee, Austria – has launched a day clinic at the Rosewood Vienna.
Premium London health club, KX Chelsea, will imminently unveil its most significant
redevelopment since its launch in 2002 to create an integrated wellness model combining
training, recovery and relaxation.
Le Atelier by C.O.D.E. doesn't offer a standard bespoke service, it provides a highly
customised approach to designing massage beds and loungers in high-end wellness
environments. [more...]
+ More featured suppliers
COMPANY PROFILES
Fenix Group srl Founded in Italy by Gianluca Cavalletti, Fenix Group introduced Endospheres with the aim of redefini [more...]
