How do you wellbeing? Are you the pragmatist who wants to know everything is properly alright in your body? This guide by SPHERE's print editor Jemima Sissons includes a super-luxurious health MOT from Echelon Health, including MRIs, blood, bone and cancer analysis, offering genuine peace of mind. If escape calls, strike out to the Four Seasons in the Maldives for a week of serenity, "aums" included. Closer to home indulge your desire to get back-to-nature at The Newt in Somerset.
The World's Most Lavish Wellness Stays
Words by
Jemima Sissons
2nd May 2023
Invest in yourself by booking a visit to one of the world's most lavish health and wellbeing destinations, from the new AyurMa spa at The Four Seasons hotel in the Maldives, to the new Como Shambhala Retreat in the Dolomites.
The Yoga Haven, Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru
At the stunning AyurMa Spa at the Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru wellness experts create bespoke therapeutic treatments for guests, addressing everything from joint pain to sleep disorders.
A sandy path snakes past hidden villas and cascades of scaevola plants, with the sound of “Om” filling the air. The new AyurMa spa at this Baa Atoll resort in the Maldives plays the calming chant from concealed speakers and its restful garden, with poles of fluttering prayer flags and scented ayurvedic herbs, offers an instantly restful escape. The wellness centre offers everything from naturopathy to acupuncture and, with harmony in mind, is centred on four pillars: Ayurveda, Wellness, Planetary Wellbeing, and forward-thinking Yoga Therapy.
Book villas from £1,879 per night.
Yoga therapy at the Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru, Maldives
The Private Estate Retreat, Ani Thailand
Inside a suite at the Ani Thailand resort
At 7am, as a blood-orange sun slowly creeps above the pale-blue sea, lithe Muay Thai teachers are choreographing an early morning group into shapes, coaxing legs into kicks. This is just one of the many activities at the private Àni estate, a collection of 10 suites on a 300-metre beach-front plot, located on the eastern side of Koh Yao Noi island an hour from Phuket. The buyout-only property offers
a complete, bespoke nature-led retreat, with glorious bike rides through rice paddies, two on-site masseuses, yoga, paddle boarding and hikes through the verdant jungle. The resort is all-inclusive
and features trips to hidden bays, bespoke meals, including tailor-made juices and nutrition, and unlimited childcare.
Book from £11,295 per week.
The private Ani estate on Koh Yao Noi Island, Thailand
The Haute Herbologist, The Newt in Somerset
The Newt's authentic Hammam spa
With its cyder press, apple-cheeked staff pulling wicker luggage barrows, and farm shop packed with homemade jams, pickles and garden bounty, the Newt in Somerset is as wholesome as it gets. Now the hotel’s new herbologist, Helen Kelly, brings her expertise to the spa. The range of nourishing treatments includes the herbal poultice massage, where heated muslin-wrapped seasonal herbs and warm massage oil are applied to weary bones. A soothing post-massage snack of apple and sage sorbet provides welcome refreshment afterwards. Make time to enjoy the swim-in, swim-out pool and steam room, or head to the newly opened yoga studio that offers everything from yin to hatha flow classes.
Book rooms from £520.
The Newt hotel in Somerset
The High-Altitude Immunity Boost, Alpina Dolomites
Inside a suite at the Alpina Dolomites hotel
The new Como Shambhala Retreat spa at the picture-perfect Alpina Dolomites hotel boasts a range of treatments designed to boost the immune system, alongside tailored pilates and wellness programmes, two pools and a sauna area. The hotel is situated on Europe’s largest high-altitude plateau overlooking the dramatic peaks, and guests can spend their days snow-shoeing, skiing the 1,200 kilometres of slopes, or hiking in the warmer months. The building, crafted from wood, stone and glass, is designed with a focus on sustainability.
Book rooms from £360.
The Como Shambhala Retreat Spa, Alpina Dolomites
The Designer Spa, Cheval Blanc Paris
Inside the Dior Spa, Cheval Blanc Paris
There are designer facials and then there's the Dior Spa at the Cheval Blanc Paris - known for sculpting the most soigne cheekbones in the French Capital. Located next to the Art Nouveau Samaritaine department store, the leading hotel has one of the most enviable spas in the city, designed by Peter Marino to reflect an elegant apartment. Treatments such as the Dior Prestige Rose Facial are performed in six suites, each with their own cool white onyx bathroom and low lighting. The stylish sanctuaries include the Bonheur Suite, with massage beds for the perfect escape for two, or the specially designed New Look Suite for the six-hand Couture Dream massage.
Book rooms from £2,000.
Pastry chef Maxime Frederic
The Superluxe MOT, Echelon Health
Echelon Health, Harley Street
You may have the house in St Bart’s, the customised Range Rover and a Selfridge’s stylist on speed dial, yet the greatest commodity these days for many is their health. This is where Echelon Health steps in. Offering one of the most advanced health screenings money can buy, this Harley Street MOT is followed by a cosseting dinner and night at the Mandarin Oriental for those opting for the Platinum Assessment. Encompassing every imaginable screening, from mammograms to colonoscopies, heart scans to MRIs, and full bone and blood analysis, the health check is undertaken in one day. With the prep involved for a colonoscopy, patients will be grateful for an evening wagyu burger at the Mandarin’s restaurant The Aubrey. The day of tests — all of which are done as comfortably as possible — is followed up with a face-to-face or Zoom consultation with one of Echelon’s world-class doctors, with referrals to specialists if needed.
Book packages from £1,950
Inside the Echelon Health clinic
