Brain reset at Burj Al Arab
The Talise Spa at the Burj Al Arab Jumeirah has introduced bite-sized mindfulness treatments to enhance sleep quality, heighten mental focus, reduce the effects of insomnia and reset the nervous system.
Delivered in a soundproof MindSpa unit and powered by mindfulness app Synctuition, the journey sees guests recline on a zero-gravity lounger while listening to brain entrainment and 3D sound technology to help them disconnect. Guests are also exposed to two different sound frequencies in each ear – known as binaural sounds – to impose total relaxation, where the brain is able to recharge and feel a mental boost as it enters a deep meditative state.
Location: Burj Al Arab Jumeirah, Dubai, UAE
Duration: 25 minutes
Cost: AED450 (US$123, €111, £97)
The bite-sized mindfulness treatments are designed to reset the nervous system / photo: MindSpa at Burj Al
MindSpa sessions include 3D sound technology / photo: MindSpa at Burj Al
Beckley backs psychedelic retreats
UK-based Beckley Foundation, which researches the therapeutic benefits of mind-altering substances, has launched a retreat company.
With dates just revealed for the Netherlands, Beckley Retreat experiences combine contemplative practices such as meditation, mindful movement, therapeutic group integration and breathwork with ceremonies using psilocybin truffles.
Ahead of the retreat, attendees join a four-week virtual preparation programme through group workshops, one-to-one facilitator calls, journaling and exercises, plus an introduction to key wellbeing practices.
After they’ve left the retreat, participants are further supported via weekly group calls and meditation and breathwork modules to practice at home.
Location: De Hoorneboeg Retreat Centre, Hilversum, Holland
Duration: Five nights
Cost: US$6,000 (€5,459, £4,811)
Mindful practices are combined with ceremonies using psilocybin truffles / photo: shutterstock/
Underwater Tibetan sound baths in the Caribbean
Island retreat Le Barthélemy Hotel & Spa is introducing aquatic Tibetan sound bowl therapy in a nod to the water that surrounds the property and its power to impact mood.
Using 5,000-year-old instruments, practitioner Marine Delfino plays the bowls on the surface of the water while the participant is submerged in the pool up to shoulder height. She says this allows the sound to transmit deep vibrational frequencies to the internal organs and energy systems four times faster than through air.
Each of the bowls creates a different frequency and is carefully chosen based on guests’ needs.
“Feeling the vibrations through the water unlocks a new dimension of relaxation that guests have probably never experienced before,” Delfino says.
Location: Le Barthélemy Hotel & Spa, Saint-Barthélemy, Caribbean
Duration: 80 minutes
Cost: €230 (US$254, £204)
Feeling vibrations through water unlocks a new way to relax / photo: Le Barthélemy
Zulal offers gut programming for Ramadan
With a view to supporting local guests, Zulal Wellness Resort by Chiva-Som in Qatar created a selection of retreats to help Muslims fast during the holy month of Ramadan.
Ramadan is a special time for reflection, self-improvement and spirituality for Muslims and involves fasting from dusk until dawn. Zulal’s programmes were underpinned by specially-devised meal plans to prepare and support guests’ digestive and metabolic systems throughout the ‘prior, during and post-season’ phases.
Each programme included accommodation and daily tailored meals, a personal health and wellness consultation, customised treatments based on individual goals and Ramadan practice and full access to daily activities and the wellness centre.
Location: Zulal Wellness Resort by Chiva-Som, Qatar, UAE
Duration: Three, five, seven, 10 or 14 nights
Cost: Starts at QAR19,800 (US$5,440, €4,923, £4,343) for three nights
The holy month is a special time for reflection / photo: Zulal Wellness Resort by Chiva-Som
Alba taps into olfactory marketing
New Aussie hot springs destination Alba has collaborated with skincare specialist Vanessa Gray Lyndon to create an olfactory experience for guests.
It has designed a signature scent incorporating juniper berry, petitgrain, cardamom, spearmint, Peru balsam and lemon-scented tea tree.
The calming and grounding fragrance is used in some of the spa’s most popular treatments and then also underpins its own-branded retail line The Botanicals, which Gray also developed.
The products include a shampoo, conditioner, hand and body wash, body lotion, body oil, essential oil and a candle.
The intention is to tap into the relationship between scent, emotion and memory to enhance guests’ wellbeing responses once they’re back home.
Location: Alba Thermal Springs and Spa, Victoria, Australia
Cost: Products start at AUS$30 (US$20, €18, £16)
The signature scent is used in treatments and products / photo: Chris McConville
Soul searching meets astrology in Bali
Debbie Frank / photo: Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay.
Astrologer to the stars Debbie Frank – whose previous clients include Princess Diana – will be on hand at Four Seasons Resort Bali Jimbaran Bay this July-August to help guests find a new sense of direction using astrology, spiritual insights and meditation.
The Healing Village Spa on site is known for an approach which combines “ancient wisdom and cutting-edge science” and a highlight of Frank’s daily sessions will see guests finding their true north and uncovering cities, countries and continents that mean the most to them through exploring energetic connections between their birth chart and an atlas.
This service is available as an add-on to Frank’s two other experiences – both 75-minute astrology readings focused on either relationships or developing your soul plan.
Location: Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay, Bali, Indonesia
Duration: 45 minutes
Cost: IDR2.9m (US$197, €180, £156)
The Healing Village Spa is known for its thoughtful spa menu / photo: Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay.
Internal organ and womb massages in the Maldives
During November and December 2023, holistic healer Coco Maruno will be in residency at the Over-Water Spa at Conrad Maldives Rangali Island offering a Sacred Internal Organs Hara Massage.
The practice is claimed to release tension and adhesions, help detoxify the organs, open the diaphragm to facilitate deeper breathing and promote digestive and hormonal balance. Maruno recommends the ritual to treat lower back pain, irregularity, painful periods, prolapsed uterus and infertility.
In addition, Maruno will be conducting Sacred Womb Hara Massages drawing on Japanese acupressure. This massage is said to unblock nerve channels, blood and lymph nodes where stagnation can affect the uterus and ovaries.
Maruno says the practice helps women “reawaken and reconnect to their womb space, relieving stress and promoting relaxation and energy flow”
Location: Conrad Maldives Rangali Island, Maldives
Duration: 30 minutes
Cost: US$285 (€258, £227)
Massages focus on the abdominal region / photo:shutterstock/Poznyakov
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