Healing and nurturing our minds, body and spirits has emerged as a significant trend in the world of well being. Brought into the modern word through spas and centres, wellness is rooted in intellectual, religious and medical movements, which can be traced back to the ancient civilizations of Greece, Rome and Asia. Today, the importance put on ameliorating physical, mental and social health is embraced by spas around the world, employing different methods to do so.
In Alicante, sitting on a beautiful mountainside and overlooking the Mediterranean Sea, SHA Wellness Clinic focuses on improving health and well being though natural therapies, which bring traditional eastern wellness beliefs and advanced western techniques together. Head to SHA – located in Valencia’s Sierra Helada Natural Park – for a picture-perfect peaceful escape where you’ll be blessed by the area’s illustriously mild microclimate, lending itself toa holistic health retreat.
Aiming to re-establish a harmonious balance between the body, mind and spirit, SHA specialises in nutrition, healthy aging and non-invasive aesthetic medicine. The SHA Method will garner your body’s energy to combat physical and mental conditions using elements of modern macrobiotics nutrition and natural therapies to restore a healthy lifestyle. Depending on the focus of your stay, a selection of appropriate treatments will be used, including acupuncture, shiatsu, yoga, physiotherapy, reflexology and reiki. From Healthy-Aging to a Sleep-Recovery Unit, the clinic is run by a team of specialists who stand by the its devotion to natural treatments, ancient practices and modern techniques.
SHA’s six main buildings and over 80 cabins balance modern minimalism with luxury features, gleaming with purity and tranquillity through the clinic’s predominantly white colour scheme. Surrounded by serene gardens, you’ll have the opportunity to sit back, grab a juice and enjoy some of the most beautiful views in the Mediterranean from within ground’s infinity pools, waterfalls and terraces. Inside, SHA’s studios, relaxation areas and luxury suites remain in line with the centre’s peaceful exterior with clean, white open space, peppered with plants.
The in-house luxury suites will round off your holistic wellness experience. Bringing the minimalist décor into the bedrooms, the suites are elegant yet comfortable, offering a haven to put your feet up and relax with state-of-the-art facilities and spectacular vistas.
As part of the wellness movement, detoxes tend to be regularly used as an option to counter act the effects of our forever-busy, toxin-filled lives. Specialising in a variety of treatments, The Farm at San Benito in the Philippines offers a world-class detox program. Resting on 119 acres of lush, green jungle in the foothills of Mount Malarayat, head to the award-winning resort’s idyllic surroundings and bid farewell to your accumulated toxins.
The specialist detox retreat at The Farm focuses on eliminating toxins that burden your body on a daily basis. Combining nutritional and therapeutic treatments, the Detox Cleanse aims to purify and restore balance in the body: Colon hydrotherapy and organ cleansing eliminate toxins, while a diet of vegetable juice and supplements ensure that the body is replenished of nutrients. Also included in the retreat program are a massage, spa treatments and daily yoga, meditation or fitness activities. Each program is preceded by a consultation and assessment with specialists, which ensure that the detox is tailored to your needs and aims.
Falling in line the resort’s wellness ethos and the detox programme, The Farm’s gourmet restaurant ALIVE! offers the healthiest cuisine possible, working with raw ingredients from the organic gardens. The restaurant’s vegan dishes aim give the body a chance to rebuild and renew itself, slowing the aging process and giving you energy and vitality.
While you stay at The Farm, choose from a variety of villas and suites, all of which draw inspiration from the abundant natural surroundings and offer personal sanctuaries with private spacious gardens. Even the toiletries are natural and made from The Farm’s organic coconut plantation to complement the luxury modern amenities and natural environment.
Further along the calm road to wellness, yoga retreats are a wonderful way to focus on relaxing and strengthening the body and mind. Ananda Spa allows guests to practise the ancient Satyananda Yoga in an award-winning luxury haven in the magnificent foothills of the Himalayas.
Immerse yourself for 7 or 14 days in Ananda’s Yogic Cleanse programme, which combines a variety of yogic postures, breathing techniques, meditation and Ayurvedic diet to promote body and mind vitalization and harmony. The spa’s yoga teachers individually design each program according to your personal objectives and goals. The postures aim to cleanse internal physical toxins and relax your mind, giving meditation a clear platform to step into. Releasing accumulated psychic toxins, you will practise a variety of types of meditation, perfect to relieve issues like insomnia, depression and anxiety, and allowing you to reach an inner relaxation.
Furthering the wellness effects of Ananda’s yoga and meditation, the Ayurvedic diet holds organic, seasonal and local produce at its heart. Putting in place healthy culinary principles into guests’ day-to-day lives, the retreat’s chef aims to rejuvenate, revitalise and re-educate diners about the small changes to make for a healthier lifestyle and better wellbeing.
The suites and villas at Ananda echo the retreat’s surrounding beauty and nature in their décor. Designed for you to feel at peace inside and out, the villas include a private sauna and infinity pool and personal butler. Alternatively, take your pick from the suites’ private gardens, dining areas and Jacuzzi, which all give onto the magnificent view of the Himalayas.
If a traditionally holistic spa retreat is up your wellness street, Sport Wellness Mountain Spa in Andorra’s Pyrenees mountains is a superb option. As part of one of the Leading Hotels of the World the luxury spa showcases thematically differentiated areas throughout its 5 floors: health and beauty, hydrotherapy relaxation, cleansing and toning with wet and dry heat, and finally, the spa and water circuit area.
At 1,850 meters the centre looks onto the incomparably beautiful mountain, lake and forest-filled scenery of the Pyrenees. While outside may be an intrepid adventure, inside the Sport Hotel is a calm nature-inspired oasis far from the hustle and bustle of every day life.
Sports Wellness Mountain Spa’s aim is to reflect the benefits that its surrounding natural environment exudes. The minerals and crystalline waters from Andorra’s mountain and forests inspire the beauty and health treatments that you can choose from. Whether you want some you-time, indulgent moments with your other half, or a full day experience, Sports Wellness’ bespoke service is carried out by an expert team who create personal wellness packages to include a variety of face and body treatments, massages and hydrotherapy that will ensure you leave feeling fully reposed.
With 5000m2 of spa facilities the wellness spa has nineteen mountain-view cabins where you can not only indulge in your treatment of choice, but also enjoy the tranquil landscapes.
As part of the Sport Hotels Resort, the spa resides in one of the finest resort in the area, which includes three 4 and 5-star hotels. With the mountains at your doorstep, there is a plethora of activities to take part in from skiing to rambling through the break-taking landscape and visiting the lakes and forests. However, the beauty of the resort lies in its luxury accommodation, range of fine-dining restaurants and – of course – the Wellness Mountain Spa, which gives an indulgent spin on an active break.
SHA Wellness Clinic, Alicante, Spain www.shawellnessclinic.com
The Farm at San Benito, Lipa, Philippines www.thefarmatsanbenito.com
Ananda, Himalayas, India www.anandaspa.com
Sports Wellness Mountain Spa, Andorra www.sportwellness.ad