chami jotisalikorn, author of thailand’s luxury spas and thai spa book, reveals what’s hot in the world of wellness NEW AND NOTED Outdoor spa salas and open-air bathrooms keep you at one with the sights and sounds of the jungle at the luxurious new Bill Bensley-designed Four Seasons Koh Samui ( tel +66 (0)77 243-000, www.fourseasons.com ) where three- and seven-day spa retreats offer specially structured detox massage and yoga programmes to help restore your body to wholeness and health. The Maldives’ Huvafen Fushi’s underwater spa has recently undergone a major renovation. Per Aquum ( tel +960 664-4222, www.peraquum.com ) now has an angled mirror under each massage bed, which lets you see, while facedown, the underwater world reflected from the room’s glass walls. If you are seeking a little peace and quiet, you’ll find it at the new Cape Spa at Cape Panwa Hotel Phuket ( tel +66 (0)76 391123, www.capepanwa.com) , a private hideaway tucked in the island’s southern tip far from the maddening crowds. At the other end, go for the glamour and pamper yourself at the Royal Phuket Marina’s latest off ering, The Pearl Beauty and Spa ( tel +66 (0)76 360888, www.thepearlbeautyspa.com ). On the horizon are two spas to get excited about. Mission Hills Golf Club’s third spa, Wellsprings ( www.missionhillsgroup.com ) is a hot bath-themed facility due to open in Shenzhen this November. Also look out for the leafy retreat at The Princess, Koh Chang ( www.dusit.com ) when the resort opens in August. DHARMA AND GRACE Want to learn the way of the Dharma? Internationally renowned temple Wat Suan Mokkh ( tel +66 (0)77 431596, www.suanmokkh.org ) in Surat Th ani near Koh Samui island off ers monthly 10-day retreats in English and Thai, which start on the last day of every month. Teachers vary from month to month, and the rigorous daily routine includes meditation classes, yoga, dharma lectures, reading, meals and chores. The fee per person is 1,500 baht for meals - and the rest is free, including peace of mind. PLANE PLEASURES If you’re feeling a little post-flight tenderness, you’ll love the Kneipp Pool (see Spa Speak , below ) at the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong’s newly-revamped Mandarin Spa . Th is offbeat spa therapy is touted as the ultimate relief. The first of its kind in this city, the pool includes an Asian twist - pebbles which simulate reflexogy massage, to kickstart blood circulation after a limb-numbing flight. Tel +852 2522-0111, www.mandarinoriental.com SPA SPEAK There’s no better relief for aching muscles than a soothing spa bath. But how do you di?erentiate between watery retreats when there are so many? Hydrotherapy - the use of water in a pool or tub for treating diseases and ailments. Thalassotherapy - a bath of sea water, marine mud or algae. Watsu - a shiatsu massage performed underwater by a therapist. Hammam - Turkish steam bath in a tiled room. Flotation tank - a lightless, soundproof tank in which you float in salty water. Claustrophobes need not apply. Kneipp Pool - a walk through pools of hot and then cold water, to improve circulation. Onsen - Japanese volcanic hot springs known for their healing, relaxing properties. Ofuru - Japanese wooden bathtub or grotto filled with warm water, the inspiration for the hot tub. TASTY TREATS Top spas pride themselves on the purest all-natural ingredients, many of which you’ll find in your fridge or on your dinner plate. Some of them are so good that you might find yourself getting hungry! For something sweet, there is the cocktail-inspired Vanilla Colada Body Scrub or yummy dessert-like Thermo Caramel Mud Wrap at Devarana Spas ( www.devaranaspa.com ) across Thailand. Then there are savoury ingredients like the Fresh Cheese Mud in the Nurturing Touch package which uses melted brie to moisturise ultra-dry skin at the DVN Wellbeing Centre Bangkok ( tel +66 (0)2 261 4818, www.divana-dvn.com ) . Even quirkier is the Aventurine Green Claypot Prata Therapy at Singapore’s Rustic Nirvana ( tel +65 6227-9193, www.rusticnirvana.com ) that claims to improve circulation using prata (a flat, savoury Indian bread), while Indonesian jamu herbs work to reduce aches and pains - try not to nibble on your treatment. The Six Senses Earth Spa at Evason Hideaway Hua Hin ( tel +66 (0)32 618200, www.sixsenses.com ) takes the concept one step further. It uses only ingredients straight from the hotel garden, including rice, coconut, avocado, papaya, lime pandanus leaf and lemongrass in its treatments. So why this skin food trend? “Because 60 per cent of what is put on the skin goes through the skin and into the body, we at the Earth Spa feel that it is important to use only natural, fully organic ingredients in our treatments,” says the spa’s manager, Rickard Blomberg. He recommends their Honey, Lime and Cucumber Facial for a refreshing result.

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