The Healing Village Spa is known for its thoughtful spa menu / photos: Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay. Photographer Himawan Sutanto
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
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2023 issue 2
Editor's letter: Feeling optimistic
Revenue is at an all-time high and democratic wellness is bubbling under. It’s an exciting time for spas, says Katie Barnes
Spa People: Taichi Kuma
The son of celebrated architect Kengo Kuma designs a striking shell-like sauna in Japan
Spa People: Ana Ramirez
On her plans to roll out Ancestral Handmade, her regenerative wellness hotel concept, across South America – starting in Colombia
Spa People: Daniel Golby
On ESPA Life's debut in Doha and the markets he has his eyes set on for future expansion
News report: Milestone moment
US spa industry revenue exceeds the US$20bn mark according to ISPA's latest Big Five statistics
Sponsored: MyBlend: A new vision of beauty
Clarins has elevated its myBlend brand with new tech and formulations, as well as forging powerful alliances with global spa partners
Sponsored: Gharieni: Mind expansion
With the quest for better mental health growing ever stronger in the wake of the global pandemic, we ask Gharieni CEO Sammy Gharieni how the company’s wellness technologies are helping spas to meet this consumer demand
Top team: Hilton
Sleep, fitness and new spa concepts are top of the list as Hilton looks to deliver wellness across its 7,000 properties
Thermal spa: The heat is on
With 50 hot springs projects underway, the US is looking to establish itself as a thermal spa destination. Jane Kitchen takes a closer look
The Healing Village Spa is known for its thoughtful spa menu / photos: Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay. Photographer Himawan Sutanto
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
Read more from this issue of Attractions Management magazine
View contents of Attractions Management 2023 issue 2
Editor's letter: Feeling optimistic
Revenue is at an all-time high and democratic wellness is bubbling under. It’s an exciting time for spas, says Katie Barnes
Spa People: Taichi Kuma
The son of celebrated architect Kengo Kuma designs a striking shell-like sauna in Japan
Spa People: Ana Ramirez
On her plans to roll out Ancestral Handmade, her regenerative wellness hotel concept, across South America – starting in Colombia
Spa People: Daniel Golby
On ESPA Life's debut in Doha and the markets he has his eyes set on for future expansion
News report: Milestone moment
US spa industry revenue exceeds the US$20bn mark according to ISPA's latest Big Five statistics
Sponsored: MyBlend: A new vision of beauty
Clarins has elevated its myBlend brand with new tech and formulations, as well as forging powerful alliances with global spa partners
Sponsored: Gharieni: Mind expansion
With the quest for better mental health growing ever stronger in the wake of the global pandemic, we ask Gharieni CEO Sammy Gharieni how the company’s wellness technologies are helping spas to meet this consumer demand
Top team: Hilton
Sleep, fitness and new spa concepts are top of the list as Hilton looks to deliver wellness across its 7,000 properties
Thermal spa: The heat is on
With 50 hot springs projects underway, the US is looking to establish itself as a thermal spa destination. Jane Kitchen takes a closer look
London Museum will open four new food and drink destinations when it launches its new home
at Smithfield on 28 November, making hospitality a central part of the visitor experience at one
of the capital's biggest cultural openings of the year.
OMA has completed a major transformation of New York's New Museum, creating a larger
cultural campus that combines expanded exhibition spaces with learning, performance,
hospitality and public programming.
A US$50 million (£44.2 million, €51.2 million) transformation of Chicago's historic McCormick
Mansion has created a new destination that combines live magic, immersive theatre, dining and
private membership under one roof.
The Montana Historical Society has officially celebrated the opening of its new Montana
Heritage
Center, a US$107 million (£79 million, €92 million) destination that combines immersive
storytelling with cutting-edge audiovisual technology to bring the sta
San Antonio Zoo has reported a US$283 million economic impact for 2025, following a decade-
long transformation programme that has seen almost US$200 million invested into the Texas
attraction.
Plans for the AU$180 million redevelopment of Reef HQ Aquarium in Townsville, Australia, are
progressing, with the project set to transform the attraction into a global centre for reef
education and conservation.
Abu Dhabi-based investment firm Mubadala Capital has made a binding, fully financed
€1 billion
offer to acquire Pierre and Vacances SA, the European holiday resort operator behind the
continental European Center Parcs business.
Disney has reaffirmed its commitment to investing US$30 billion in its US parks and cruise
business by 2033, using new America250 celebrations to underline the role its attractions play
in supporting jobs, tourism and economic growth.
Expo 2030 Riyadh is being planned as a permanent visitor destination, with organisers
confirming the six-million-square-metre site will become a Global Village after the event closes.
The owner of one of Australia's best-known waterparks has acquired a major competitor,
creating a new attractions business spanning two of the country's largest visitor destinations.
