Here are some news-bites from the wellness sphere, including what’s new, what’s worth buying a plane ticket for and what’s on offer for tiny travelers.

What’s New…

• GoldenEye will unveil a new FieldSpa later this year, opening two new spa huts along with a new hammam treatment space and yoga deck.  The hotel will also introduce a selection of elixirs, juices and healthy bites incorporating fresh ingredients from the hotel’s farm, Pantrepant, as well as a new treatment menu. This expansion will provide direct access to the new spa cove, a crescent of sand nestled along the property’s signature lagoon.
• Napa Valley’s first Four Seasons Resort & Residences will begin accepting reservations as of January 6, 2020. The Calistoga-based resort will offer an eight-room spa with steam pods in which hammocks will be suspended above geo-thermal pools for guests to absorb the heated vapor.
• The first wellness retreat of its kind on Long Island, Shou Sugi Ban House, opened in the Hamptons hamlet of Water Mill in May 2019. The 13-room retreat incorporates many forms of wellness treatments ranging from sound healing to reiki to yoga to hikes on the beach. The multi-day retreats arecompletely tailored to each individual, including activities like healing treatments, workshops, nutrition, meditation and movement, and a spa menu.
• Guinot’s new Longue Vie Décolleté Serum is a smoothing and firming youth serum targeting the décolleté area of the skin. While the face usually gets top billing, French women know the neck and chest need special treatment too, as they are especially susceptible to wrinkles and sun damage. This new serum helps restore the firmness of the décolleté by strengthening the skin’s support tissues, resulting in smoother, softer and younger looking skin.
• La Maison du Chocolat is offering a guilt-free product line named “Bien Être,” a collection that is rooted in the idea that top-quality chocolate is, in fact, a healthy snack. The six new chocolate varieties are sweetened with natural sugars like honey, pureed fruits and fruit nectar. The rich ganache, which is typically made with cream and butter, is a healthier recipe that combines hazelnut oil for creaminess with natural chicory fiber for substance.

Spas Worth Flying For…

• The three-story, hand-crafted Royal Mansour Spa, resembling an elaborate white birdcage, is reason enough to visit the palatial property. Now, guests can enjoy new Bespoke Hammam Treatments, where every step of the traditional technique will be personalized to the specific skincare needs of each guest using ingredients sourced from Morocco’s bountiful environment.  Purifying clay, for example, has been collected from the Atlas Mountains while roses from the Kalaat Megouana valley are used in a new regenerating body wrap, and local saffron is infused into the ‘gourmet glow’ wrap.
• The open-air treatment rooms at the Spa at Nayara Springs are cantilevered over the rainforest so spa-goers can hear tree frogs chirping and a babbling stream below. The Volanic Mud Massage is inspired by Costa Rica’s ancient beliefs that the application of volcanic-rich mud regenerates and nourishes the skin and provides energy and inner peace. After the treatment, guests can lounge in a private plunge pool overlooking the rainforest.
• Viceroy Riviera Maya’s resident shaman oversees the Jardin Pak’al, the garden where he grows herbs used to treat guests at the Wayak Spa, while one-on-one consultations with guests are conducted in the K’óben (Mayan herb kitchen) to determine individual preferences and needs. The signature treatment, Hunan-Kab, incorporates honey harvested on property. The Mayans believe that Melipona Bee Honey (Bee Cheii) is medicinal. The honey is applied using herb compresses soaked in a special tea before guests enjoy a massage in nature next to a waterfall.
• The 107,000-square-foot spa at Waldorf Astoria Maaldives Ithaafushi comprises 10 treatment villas accessible by a dedicated spa buggy that picks up guests from their villas. The spa menu of 30-plus treatments are based on earth, water, fire and metal. The signature experience is a 90-minute Starlight Ocean Massage that is only available from 9-10:30 p.m.
• Located on the shores of Lake Geneva, La Reserve Geneve is home to the city’s largest spa. At 20,000 square-feet, it’s the only Nescens destination spa in the world. Guests meet with a team of therapists, coaches and medical specialists with expertise in the realms of preventive and antiaging medicine, as well as aesthetic medicine. Developed in conjunction with the scientific committee of the Nescens brand, the Better-Aging Signature Body Massagetreatment targets all muscle and energy routes, concentrating on the most sensitive areas.
• Located above the rocky shoreline of the popular neighborhood of Pointe Milou, The Christopher’s Sisley Spa features five treatment rooms all looking out to the ocean below. The spa most recently launched a new lomilomi massage, mimicking the sounds and movements of the waves, that combines light stretching, kneading and acupressure to awaken and balance the body’s energy flow.

Tiny Treatments…

• The “Bee Pampered” children’s treatment at Belmond Maroma Resort & Spa’s Kinan Spa includes a honey facial and a foot massage tailored to tiny feet. The honey is sourced from Kinan Spa’s own hive of native Melipona bees and is known for its strong anti-microbial and healing properties. As a memento, tots take home Meli, a Melipona bee stuffed animal.
• GoldenEye offers a dedicated kids spa menu, which includes a “Rub A Dub Dub Bush Bath” – a relaxing soak in an outdoor bathtub. It’s a soothing way to prepare for a deep night sleep or an afternoon nap. The treatment incorporates medicinal herbs and essential oils, such as lime, soursop and rosemary. These are known to calm nerves and relax tension in the muscles. As part of the spa programming, kids’ yoga is offered complimentary. Unlike studio-based classes, yoga at Goldeneye is held outdoors with the fresh breeze and calming sounds of the ocean as a backdrop.
• Kids at Sugar Beach, A Viceroy Resort can join mom and dad for a spa day at the Rainforest Spa, made up of treehouses dotted along the treetops of this UNESCO World Heritage Site. The entire family can spend a day relaxing in their private treehouse cabana, being pampered with all-natural rituals and treatments using locally sourced ingredients like coconut, aloe vera and cocoa. Kids ages 5-11 can pick from island-inspired colors for a Happy Feetpedicure, or try a Sweet Chocolate Wrap with local chocolate – and even sneak a taste. Tweens and teens ages 12-17 can enjoy everything from aChocolate Mint Massage to a Natura Bisse Teen Facial designed specifically for sensitive and youthful skin.

Big City Wellness Respites…

• Tokyo: 47 floors above the city, Park Hyatt Tokyo’s Club On The Park Spa & Fitness Centre features panoramic views of the city and snow-peaked Mount Fuji. The skyline is visible through floor-to-ceiling glass windows from the pool and exercise machines. After a day on Shinkuku’s bustling streets, guests can wind down with a candlelit Good Night Sleep Stretch, offered twice a week, which features stretches designed to relax the muscles for a restful night ahead.
• Barcelona: Only steps from Passeig de Gracia and Barcelona’s stylish district of shops, restaurants and museums, guests of Almanac Barcelona can reset with a ‘Wine Therapy’ spa treatment designed to eliminate impurities and detoxify the skin. The 90-minute body ritual includes a peeling, wrap and massage – all infused with the antioxidant properties found in grape extracts. Morning yoga and breathwork classes are also offered on the rooftop terrace, followed by a healthy green juice to jump start the day.
• London: Guests at The Marylebone have complimentary access to Third Space, an on-site members-only health club. Guests can snag a coveted spot in the popular group fitness classes and use the 60-foot indoor lap pool – finishing with a healthy smoothie from The Juicery.
• New York: From the heart of the Theater District, The Chatwal launched an exclusive collaboration with Madonna and Gwyneth Paltrow’s yoga and spiritual guru, Eddie Stern to offer complimentary in-room and in-suite yoga sessions. Eddie’s “Pause & Take a Breath” app, featuring nine 12-minute yoga lessons with music by Moby, is now provided to hotel guests through the in-room iPads. Complimentary yoga mats in Chatwal’s signature red are also available.
• Charleston: Situated on the fourth floor, the Spa at Belmond Charleston Place offers ten treatment rooms and the city’s only rooftop pool – a 50-foot horizon-edge salt-water pool with a retractable roof. For a full day of pampering, spa-goers can enjoy a sauna, steam room and jacuzzi as well as the in-house Elysium salon.

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