Hive Mind: Spa Treatments
The Local Foreigner team maintains a lively group text - swapping tips, experiences, stories, and photos from every corner of the globe and at all hours. Hive Mind is a peek inside the group think.
Breathe in; breathe out - it’s a new year, and what better way to start 2021 than with a [mental] spa break? From sound therapy in South Africa to taking a polar plunge in Northern Iceland, we’ve gone the distance for wellness. Below, our team shares some of their favorite treatments the world over.
Hot Stone Bath
Gangtey Lodge | Gangtey, Bhutan
“Hot stone baths are an ancient Bhutanese tradition, and with many travelers undertaking epic treks through incredible valleys, it’s not hard to see why ending your day this way is a must-do. The bath at the 12-suite Gangtey Lodge is made of local pine wood and heated with large river boulders, and the heat, minerals, and herbs from the surrounding forests are said to soothe joint pains, stomach disorders, arthritis, and hypertension, so count me in!
The treatment starts with an exfoliating foot scrub and detoxifying massage, so you’re already in a good headspace when you dip into the bath itself, which is positioned in front of a fireplace and overlooking the valley. If a glass of bubbles here doesn’t put you in a state of total relaxation, I’ll eat my belo (which is a Bhutanese hat).”
-Camilla Catlin, Global Patina
Landaa Massage
Four Seasons landaa giraavaru | Baa Atoll, The Maldives
“The whole spa at the Four Seasons Landaa Giraavaru is amazing and focused on sustainable wellness - the idea that self care allows you to care for the world around you as well. The treatment menu is vast and creative, with options for everything from private anti-gravity yoga, to mud therapy, to acupuncture.
I loved the Landaa massage, which relieves aches and restores serenity. You enjoy it in an overwater bungalow where you hear waves crashing all around you, and it’s very peaceful. It’s not hard to feel contented when you’re in a place as gorgeous as the Baa Atoll, but this definitely gilds the lily!”
-Missy Weil
Signature Sound Therapy
The Saxon | Johannesburg, South Africa
“Johannesburg is the financial capital of South Africa, and its towering skyscrapers can feel worlds away from the surfer vibes of laid-back, artsy Cape Town or the dusty discovery of the bush. But The Saxon offers an oasis in the middle of the sprawl, and its gorgeous spa is a perfect place to unwind during a trip through the Rainbow Nation.
The treatment rooms are striking glass cubes set in lush gardens, and while they offer a full slate of facials and massages, I go in for the Signature Sound Treatment, which combines the vibrations of gongs, cymbals, Tibetan singing bowls, and bells to balance and restore the body’s natural energy centers. In a country that offers nearly infinite cultural and natural wonders, it’s the perfect reset.”
-Barkley Hickox
Anything with Julien
Amanyara | Turks + Caicos
“I just had this massage with Julien at Amanyara that was truly transporting and very physical - more shiatsu style, with lots of cranialsacral elements. Typically Julien works at all the top hotels in Paris, but Amanyara's owners poached him for the season (this is his second year there).
Anyway, its not a specific treatment, rather more of the guy to book. There is no doubt in my mind that the next time I am in Paris, I will look him up. He's that good....(and yes, I took his number and a selfie with him!)
-Meg Nolan, Friend of a Friend Luxury Travel Consulting
Balinese Massage
Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay | Bali, Indonesia
“I've had a lot of amazing and weird massages in my day. Two that stand out: a Balinese massage at the Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay, with immersion in a deep tub of warm water strewn with flower blossoms, as I recall; some slathering on and sloughing off of creams and layers: rhythmic and gentle massage; and chimes that awakened me from my trance at the end. This was my peak massage experience--I couldn't find anything that quite lined up with it on the hotel's current spa menu.
My four-hands massage (the hands were attached to male bodies) at the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai, a hotel I adore, is the stranger memory. The massage encompassed the application of nourishing ayurvedic oils, including a "Third-Eye," or Shirodhara treatment, aimed at soothing my nervous system, but which induced quite the opposite response. I remember being immensely relieved that it was over when I climbed into the shower in that same all-too-intimate room."
-Nancy Novogrod, Culturati Travel Design
Viking Sauna
Deplar Farm | Ólafsfjörður, Iceland
“Deplar Farm is truly in the middle of nowhere, and that’s the point - this is a land of extremes! In the summer, you can soak up vitamin D at all hours under the midnight sun, and in the winter, it’s a prime spot for catching the Northern Lights. So while you’re there, you have to try their Viking Sauna, which is built into the hillside of the Fljót Valley, on Troll Peninsula, and looks like something out of Lord of the Rings. You alternate between the steam room and icy outdoor plunges, and it’s all accompanied by drumming and breathing exercises.
But if you’re not up for something that intense, don’t worry - there’s also an indoor-outdoor geothermal pool is always heated to 100 degrees Fahrenheit (and offers a swim-up bar!)”
-Emily Pariseau
Dolce Vitality
Le SIrenuse | Positano, Italy
“This isn’t so much a spa treatment as a full body reset - even though Le Sirenuse and the Amalfi Coast in general don’t usually spring to mind when you’re looking for a detox, twice a year, in March and November, the iconic hotel becomes a private wellness bootcamp. You know it’s serious because owner Antonio Sersale replaces all the bottles in La Sponda’s famous wine wall with mineral water.
Between sunrise yoga, serious hikes up the surrounding mountains (including the famous Path of the Gods, deserted in the off-season), circuit training, and a vegan, gluten-free menu, your body is definitely ready for the daily afternoon massages and the sea salt foot baths that appear in your room after dinner each evening, every time with sprigs of a different local herb.”
-Jordy Lievers-Eaton