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Dr Narinthorn is anticipating a high demand for immunity-related treatments
A vast integrative medical and wellness retreat has just opened in Bangkok and it’s billed to set a new standard of integrated retreat for Asia and the industry as a whole – at a time when medical wellness is coming into its own following coronavirus.
The project is a result of a three-way partnership between Thai-based MK Real Estate Development, VitalLife Scientific Wellness Center and Minor Hotels, which will manage the 60 villas onsite.
The destination, called RAKxa, is set in Bangkok’s Green Lung, a protected jungle-clad island on the Chao Phraya River. Its differentiating factor will be the world-class VitalLife medical centre, a subsidiary of Thailand’s Bumrungrad International Hospital, which is renowned for its anti-ageing expertise.
VitalLife will be run by a team of internationally-trained doctors and provide pre-diagnostic medical analysis and preventative services to support healthy lifestyles and anti-ageing. It will also house the two-level 3,636sq m RAKxa Jai wellness centre offering a host of holistic therapies, including traditional Thai medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, ayurveda and energy healing.
Dr Narinthorn Surasinthon, COO VitalLife, spoke to Spa Business to provide a deeper insight into the cutting-edge facility and predict what the future holds for medi-wellness.
Scientific and personalised “RAKxa will integrate scientific wellness and traditional medicine to create personalised programmes for each and every guest,” says Narinthorn.
All programmes, he explains, begin with medical testing to help physicians decipher a blueprint of each guest’s current state of health before prescribing a carefully curated diet, exercise, wellness treatments, supplements and lifestyle modification plan. “This will be underpinned by VitalLife’s core concepts; a scientific-based approach, personalisation and a long-term partnership to care for our patients even after they depart, through the knowledge we’ve instilled in them during their stay.”
RAKxa will offer 10 packages, ranging from three to 14 days and staring at US$2,000 (€1,691, £1,534) a night. These are focused on genetics, hormone balancing, detoxification, cognitive function, gut health and lifestyle modification – including diet, exercise, stress management and sleep health. “All of these areas are the root cause of ageing and chronic disease, so we focus on them to optimise these functions and improve guests’ long-term wellbeing,” Narinthorn adds.
Due to COVID-19, the destination is anticipating a high demand for immunity-related treatments, so it’s also announced a dedicated Immunity Booster programme, which will prescribe personalised lifestyle strategies alongside support therapies to help guests lead a healthier lifestyle. “The main health concerns we expect to see will all be linked to the programme areas above,” Narinthorn says, “things many people experience regularly and think nothing of, like headaches, insomnia or bloating. We’re going to help our guests relieve these unnecessary symptoms and ultimately have better quality of life.”
Merging medi-wellness and spa Narinthorn anticipates that once RAKxa launches and external travel picks up, foreign tourists will make up 60 per cent of guests, followed by domestic guests. He believes wellness tourism has been on the up for the last 10 years and that recent events have shone a spotlight on the importance of health and preventative healthcare. “In addition, the world’s ageing population is making people more aware of their quality of life and health again.”
As a consequence, Narinthorn predicts the industry will see more secondary wellness tourism, in the form of travel packages blended with health and wellness offerings. Medi-wellness will be a part of this trend because a growing number of hotels are trying to expand their spa offering to incorporate a medical wellness element. Anantara, for example, is rolling out aesthetic hubs and IV drip bars across Asia, while Aman introduced medical services to its flagship resort in Phuket last year.
“In my opinion, we need to integrate medi-wellness and spa closer together to create a new experience for the guest,” he says. “The spa industry needs to begin by making medi-wellness more approachable for consumers and help it be seen as something that’s relaxing and beneficial to health, like spa treatments.”
For years, the medical industry has shunned spas, even though many of its modalities are backed by science. Does Narinthorn think the medical profession is becoming more open-minded about them? “In hospitals, all procedures and patient care have to follow stringent official guidelines based on medical research. But in wellness, we have the benefit of being able to flexibly blend the best of medicine and spa together. I believe if the spa industry conducts even more studies and research to produce more scientific evidence regarding spa treatments’ benefits, it will help create a convergence of the medical and spa industries in the future.”
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2020 issue 4
Editor's letter: Nurturing mental health
It’s time for spas re-evaluate their mental wellness approach to help governments and society to tackle the escalating mental health crisis says Katie Barnes
Spa people: Dr Narinthorn Surasinthon
RAKxa Jai, a cutting-edge medi-wellness spa, has opened in partnership with Bumrungrad International Hospital and Minor Hotels in Bangkok. Spa Business talks to its COO
Spa people: Isabelle Duchesneau
The executive director of Québec's Le Monastère Augustines explains why its priority of serving caretakers is more relevant today than ever
Spa people: Michael Banissy
The world's largest study on touch uncovers the role it plays in our health and wellbeing. Spa Business talks to the lead researcher
Interview: Krip Rojanastien
Chiva-Som’s CEO talks to Spa Business magazine about guiding the destination spa through COVID-19 and its first contract management project in Qatar
Ask an expert: Corridors of power
What will it take to make politicians realise the value of spas? Spa Business magazine asks those in government and others who’ve made inroads
Promotion: Artofcryo: Cold Calling
Artofcryo.com aims to offer the best whole-body cryotherapy chambers as well as a complete, reliable and effective solution for operators and results for guests
Promotion: ISPA: Lead, inform, inspire
Lead, Inform, Inspire. It’s been quite a year for ISPA, with its firm commitment to supporting members through the pandemic, as president, Lynne McNees explains
Interview: Mark Hennebry
Ensana’s chair tells Spa Business magazine about its landmark development, Buxton Crescent, one of the only genuine spa hotels in the UK
Promotion: Lemi: Creating the dream team
This year leading Italian supplier Lemi launched three new spa solutions, and ventured into the creation of signature treatments for the first time. General manager Matteo Brusaferri explains why he sees this as the way forward to help spas maximise their investment
Interview: Luisa Anderson
A Longevity Garden and inner healing room are just two of the extra special features at the new Healing Village Spa at Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay, Bali, says its regional spa director
Promotion: Biologique Recherche
Skincare specialist, Biologique Recherche, is using its knowledge of chronobiology to create new approaches to skincare which yield powerful results
Event review: Global Wellness Summit 2020
This year’s Global Wellness Summit saw two US surgeon generals, leading spa stakeholders and wellness professionals look towards the role they have to play following the global pandemic. Spa Business magazine gives its highlights
Research: Matter of minds
A new study is the first to define and put a value on the global mental wellness industry – estimating it to be worth US$121bn. But what does this mean for spas?
Sponsored briefing: Starpool: Cargo-tecture
During lockdown, Riccardo Turri, CEO of Starpool, was inspired to create a whole new category of product, based on recycled containers. The result is the new i.con spa brand, which fuses luxury, wellness, recycling and design
Software: All booked up
Spa software suppliers take a look at 'big data' to reveal the booking trends they’ve seen since spas have reopened
Promotion: Voya: supporting spa partners
Jessica Anhold, Voya’s head of global sales and marketing, talks community in a time of crisis and how the company is supporting its spa partners
In a world where imbalance often accumulates quietly, Wildsmith unveils its newest
wellbeing innovation: Silent Loads, an approach designed to meet the needs of modern spa
guests with precision and depth. [more...]
Dr Narinthorn is anticipating a high demand for immunity-related treatments
A vast integrative medical and wellness retreat has just opened in Bangkok and it’s billed to set a new standard of integrated retreat for Asia and the industry as a whole – at a time when medical wellness is coming into its own following coronavirus.
The project is a result of a three-way partnership between Thai-based MK Real Estate Development, VitalLife Scientific Wellness Center and Minor Hotels, which will manage the 60 villas onsite.
The destination, called RAKxa, is set in Bangkok’s Green Lung, a protected jungle-clad island on the Chao Phraya River. Its differentiating factor will be the world-class VitalLife medical centre, a subsidiary of Thailand’s Bumrungrad International Hospital, which is renowned for its anti-ageing expertise.
VitalLife will be run by a team of internationally-trained doctors and provide pre-diagnostic medical analysis and preventative services to support healthy lifestyles and anti-ageing. It will also house the two-level 3,636sq m RAKxa Jai wellness centre offering a host of holistic therapies, including traditional Thai medicine, traditional Chinese medicine, ayurveda and energy healing.
Dr Narinthorn Surasinthon, COO VitalLife, spoke to Spa Business to provide a deeper insight into the cutting-edge facility and predict what the future holds for medi-wellness.
Scientific and personalised “RAKxa will integrate scientific wellness and traditional medicine to create personalised programmes for each and every guest,” says Narinthorn.
All programmes, he explains, begin with medical testing to help physicians decipher a blueprint of each guest’s current state of health before prescribing a carefully curated diet, exercise, wellness treatments, supplements and lifestyle modification plan. “This will be underpinned by VitalLife’s core concepts; a scientific-based approach, personalisation and a long-term partnership to care for our patients even after they depart, through the knowledge we’ve instilled in them during their stay.”
RAKxa will offer 10 packages, ranging from three to 14 days and staring at US$2,000 (€1,691, £1,534) a night. These are focused on genetics, hormone balancing, detoxification, cognitive function, gut health and lifestyle modification – including diet, exercise, stress management and sleep health. “All of these areas are the root cause of ageing and chronic disease, so we focus on them to optimise these functions and improve guests’ long-term wellbeing,” Narinthorn adds.
Due to COVID-19, the destination is anticipating a high demand for immunity-related treatments, so it’s also announced a dedicated Immunity Booster programme, which will prescribe personalised lifestyle strategies alongside support therapies to help guests lead a healthier lifestyle. “The main health concerns we expect to see will all be linked to the programme areas above,” Narinthorn says, “things many people experience regularly and think nothing of, like headaches, insomnia or bloating. We’re going to help our guests relieve these unnecessary symptoms and ultimately have better quality of life.”
Merging medi-wellness and spa Narinthorn anticipates that once RAKxa launches and external travel picks up, foreign tourists will make up 60 per cent of guests, followed by domestic guests. He believes wellness tourism has been on the up for the last 10 years and that recent events have shone a spotlight on the importance of health and preventative healthcare. “In addition, the world’s ageing population is making people more aware of their quality of life and health again.”
As a consequence, Narinthorn predicts the industry will see more secondary wellness tourism, in the form of travel packages blended with health and wellness offerings. Medi-wellness will be a part of this trend because a growing number of hotels are trying to expand their spa offering to incorporate a medical wellness element. Anantara, for example, is rolling out aesthetic hubs and IV drip bars across Asia, while Aman introduced medical services to its flagship resort in Phuket last year.
“In my opinion, we need to integrate medi-wellness and spa closer together to create a new experience for the guest,” he says. “The spa industry needs to begin by making medi-wellness more approachable for consumers and help it be seen as something that’s relaxing and beneficial to health, like spa treatments.”
For years, the medical industry has shunned spas, even though many of its modalities are backed by science. Does Narinthorn think the medical profession is becoming more open-minded about them? “In hospitals, all procedures and patient care have to follow stringent official guidelines based on medical research. But in wellness, we have the benefit of being able to flexibly blend the best of medicine and spa together. I believe if the spa industry conducts even more studies and research to produce more scientific evidence regarding spa treatments’ benefits, it will help create a convergence of the medical and spa industries in the future.”
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2020 issue 4
Editor's letter: Nurturing mental health
It’s time for spas re-evaluate their mental wellness approach to help governments and society to tackle the escalating mental health crisis says Katie Barnes
Spa people: Dr Narinthorn Surasinthon
RAKxa Jai, a cutting-edge medi-wellness spa, has opened in partnership with Bumrungrad International Hospital and Minor Hotels in Bangkok. Spa Business talks to its COO
Spa people: Isabelle Duchesneau
The executive director of Québec's Le Monastère Augustines explains why its priority of serving caretakers is more relevant today than ever
Spa people: Michael Banissy
The world's largest study on touch uncovers the role it plays in our health and wellbeing. Spa Business talks to the lead researcher
Interview: Krip Rojanastien
Chiva-Som’s CEO talks to Spa Business magazine about guiding the destination spa through COVID-19 and its first contract management project in Qatar
Ask an expert: Corridors of power
What will it take to make politicians realise the value of spas? Spa Business magazine asks those in government and others who’ve made inroads
Promotion: Artofcryo: Cold Calling
Artofcryo.com aims to offer the best whole-body cryotherapy chambers as well as a complete, reliable and effective solution for operators and results for guests
Promotion: ISPA: Lead, inform, inspire
Lead, Inform, Inspire. It’s been quite a year for ISPA, with its firm commitment to supporting members through the pandemic, as president, Lynne McNees explains
Interview: Mark Hennebry
Ensana’s chair tells Spa Business magazine about its landmark development, Buxton Crescent, one of the only genuine spa hotels in the UK
Promotion: Lemi: Creating the dream team
This year leading Italian supplier Lemi launched three new spa solutions, and ventured into the creation of signature treatments for the first time. General manager Matteo Brusaferri explains why he sees this as the way forward to help spas maximise their investment
Interview: Luisa Anderson
A Longevity Garden and inner healing room are just two of the extra special features at the new Healing Village Spa at Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay, Bali, says its regional spa director
Promotion: Biologique Recherche
Skincare specialist, Biologique Recherche, is using its knowledge of chronobiology to create new approaches to skincare which yield powerful results
Event review: Global Wellness Summit 2020
This year’s Global Wellness Summit saw two US surgeon generals, leading spa stakeholders and wellness professionals look towards the role they have to play following the global pandemic. Spa Business magazine gives its highlights
Research: Matter of minds
A new study is the first to define and put a value on the global mental wellness industry – estimating it to be worth US$121bn. But what does this mean for spas?
Sponsored briefing: Starpool: Cargo-tecture
During lockdown, Riccardo Turri, CEO of Starpool, was inspired to create a whole new category of product, based on recycled containers. The result is the new i.con spa brand, which fuses luxury, wellness, recycling and design
Software: All booked up
Spa software suppliers take a look at 'big data' to reveal the booking trends they’ve seen since spas have reopened
Promotion: Voya: supporting spa partners
Jessica Anhold, Voya’s head of global sales and marketing, talks community in a time of crisis and how the company is supporting its spa partners
A recent survey by the UK Spa Association (UKSA) into the industry’s approach to cancer care
has revealed that almost half of participating respondents (46 per cent) are unaware that
cancer is a disability and guests with a cancer diagnosis must be given
Mexican operator, Solmar Hotels and Resorts, is hosting a series of events in celebration of
Global Wellness Day, including a Temazcal ceremony at its Playa Grande Resort and Spa in Los
Cabos.
Mandarin Oriental has announced a standalone residence brand, Mansions, which will debut at
Emirates Palace, Mandarin Oriental Mansions, Abu Dhabi, in 2029.
Four Seasons Resort The Nam Hai in Hoi An, Vietnam, has put together a Global Wellness Day
(GWD) agenda with activations rooted in nature and shaped by four pillars of Joy – in
alignment with the day’s theme #JoyMagenta.
The Global Wellness Summit (GWS) will celebrate its 20th anniversary at the 2026 event in
Phuket, Thailand, later this year with the theme: The Science, Art and Soul of Wellness.
Auko, an all-inclusive development, is opening in Phong Nha in Vietnam in Q3 2026, with a
series of 30 tented eco-lodges and wellness hospitality operations by Lumina Wellbeing.
Therme Manchester’s 28-acre development, which will include interconnected glass pavilions
that measure 65,000sq m, will be the largest bathing and wellbeing attraction in the world once
complete, according to prof David Russell, CEO of Therme UK.
Naples Beach Club, a Four Seasons Resort, has opened a 2,800sq m spa called The Sanctuary,
with the design and concept inspired by the Native American people that populated Florida’s
Southwest coast – the Calusa.
Swire Hotels’ luxury hospitality brand Upper House has revealed it will roll out its two-day
House of Healing retreats at its three hotels in Hong Kong, Chengdu and Shanghai.
In a world where imbalance often accumulates quietly, Wildsmith unveils its newest
wellbeing innovation: Silent Loads, an approach designed to meet the needs of modern spa
guests with precision and depth. [more...]
