Unique spa experiences at luxury spas in Asia

Imagine taking a break in a place that not only helps you relax but also gives you a unique and refreshing experience. So why not take some time off and go for a wellness vacation to soothe your mind, release the tension in your body, ease muscle pains, and renew your energy? You can plan a wellness getaway and indulge in some unique spa treatments available in Asia.

Fire therapy and yajoo treatment at Anantara Chiang Mai

Reviving Northern Thailand’s centuries-old massage and aromatherapy techniques, Anantara Chiang Mai Resort offers two rare therapeutic treatments—Yam Khang (Thai Fire Therapy) and Yajoo. Both have longstanding historical roots, connecting guests with the region’s rich Lanna heritage.

Yam Khang is considered a sacred art where the therapist is required to have gained high spiritual maturity. The unique spa treatment uses solely the feet, which are first bathed in healing oil infused with mixed local herbs. The therapist then slips her foot onto an iron plowshare or khang that has been heated over an open fire, then, skillfully balanced, she massages the guest with one foot only. 

As the treatment uses an open fire, it is done outdoors, next to Anantara Chiang Mai’s stunning pool on the banks of the Ping River.

Moving into air-conditioned comfort, the Yajoo treatment utilizes the healing powers of the local herb plai to ease tension and deeply relax guests. The 90-minute treatment begins with the heating of a herbal poultice, giving off a fragrant aroma, and then pressed along the body to ease pain and inflammation.

A plai oil massage follows, ending with a light head massage and Tok Sen. Tok Sen massage involves a wooden mallet and hammer being tapped along the sen (energy line). This unique spa treatment, according to the resort, relaxes the muscles, heals chronic pain, and improves the pathways of the nervous system.

Rice and spice scrub at Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai

Wara Cheewa Spa, the luxurious spa at Four Seasons Resort Chiang Mai, offers an indulgent sanctuary experience. The spa invites you to plant your feet firmly on the Earth with a grounding collection of body-balancing treatments.

“Restore stabilizing energy while Mother Earth’s abundant gifts heal you on all levels. Recall the cyclical importance of rest and rejuvenation in order to grow and thrive,” says Saowapa Thumpapun, Director of Spa, about the menu.

For complete physical relaxation, she recommends the Rice and Spice Scrub—a signature therapy that resonates with the spirit of the land. Homegrown jasmine rice is blended with a wide variety of local herbs and spices to exfoliate and rejuvenate.

“Used by rice farmers for generations, this sensuous combination of earthy herbs and spices—blended by hand in our Spa kitchen—exfoliates the skin, warms the muscles, and boosts circulation to leave you glowing with health,” she adds.

Kala coconut massage at Four Seasons Resort Koh Samui

Nestled in a coconut grove amidst a tranquil environment, The Secret Garden Spa offers relaxing experiences inspired by the bounty of nature and homegrown herbs infused with traditional Thai therapies.

The therapies incorporate plants and herbs grown onsite and use massage tools such as lava shells and smoothened Thai coconut shells.

Be pampered with The Secret Garden Spa’s signature Kala Coconut Massage and experience how the smoothened coconut shells gently knead your muscles, easing the tension and tightness as warm streams of freshly pressed coconut oil soothe your entire body.

“We wanted to create a treatment that not only reflects Samui’s history and local ingredients but one that could also serve as a great souvenir. We have collaborated with a local vendor to create a product line including fresh coconut oil that we use in the Spa for guests to take back as memorabilia from this tropical island,” shares Kotchaphan Mekloy, the resort’s Spa Manager.  

“You can feel the tension seep away as smooth coconut shells are used to knead your muscles gently. Warm streams of fragrant coconut oil nurture the skin while flowing strokes soothe the entire body,” Kotchaphan adds.

Ruak bamboo massage at Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle

Rejuvenate your body and bathe your spirit in perfect serenity at Four Seasons Tented Camp Golden Triangle. Set amidst the bamboo forests of the Golden Triangle, two spa pavilions with double treatment rooms nestled in the San Valley that bisects the Camp. Their rustic design and naturalistic materials blend with the environment, featuring two spa beds and a bathtub/shower area.

In this environment of simple luxury, traditional Thai massage and innovative ritual—assisted by the healing power of nature found in mountain botanicals and warming spices—guide you on a restorative journey.

Inspired by the bamboo—long considered a symbol of longevity and strength in Asian cultures—the Spa’s Ruak Bamboo is a full-body massage using a combination of local herbal oils of lemongrass, ginger, and smooth, natural bamboo sticks to target deep-seated muscle tension.

Onsen baths at Alba Wellness Valley by Fusion, Vietnam

On the outskirts of Vietnam’s former imperial capital of Hue and surrounded by lush tropical forests, Alba Wellness Valley by Fusion features the only Japanese-style onsen baths in Vietnam.

Tapping into the healing power of the geothermal spring at the property’s heart, you can enjoy a traditional onsen experience with several natural indoor and outdoor baths connected to the spa.

Rivers of thermal water also weave their way through the property and wellness activities like water meditation take place in the open air.

The resort’s Signature Onsen & Spa Journey (bamboo option) is a blissful 80-minute split between various healing baths (silk bath, jet bath, hot spring, cold water bath, steam, and sauna) and a massage where warm bamboo is slowly rolled onto the body to help release tension and detoxify.

evian® journey at Palace Hotel Tokyo, Japan

Occupying 1,200 square meters of space on the fifth floor of Palace Hotel Tokyo, evian SPA TOKYO is the only evian® branded spa in Japan and only one of three outside of France. 

The spa’s design is inspired by the journey that evian® natural mineral water takes through the Alps. The loose stone garden at reception represents the water’s source on a mountaintop, while the ceiling of the treatment rooms reflects ripples in a pond. It’s a beautiful and peaceful space that will make you feel like you’re surrounded by nature.

The evian® water that flows naturally through the Alps has inspired the spa’s menu of treatments that aim to restore your body and help you feel rejuvenated. The spa’s signature therapy is called Vitalizing Signature, which is exclusive to evian SPA TOKYO. It’s a 60 or 90-minute therapy that combines Japanese acupressure-style trigger point work with deep tissue massage. You can also choose to add on a Spirulina Body Wrap or a Marine Mineral Mud Back Treatment to make your experience even more relaxing.

The 60 or 90-minute experience is a therapeutic blend of traditional Japanese seitai acupressure-style trigger point work with deep tissue massage. Optional add-ons include a Spirulina Body Wrap and a Marine Mineral Mud Back Treatment.

Forest bathing at The Datai Langkawi

Have you experienced ‘bathing in the forest dew’? The Malays have been practicing this natural ritual of wellness for centuries, a tradition they call Mandi Embun.

Inspired by this ancient Malay tradition, The Datai Langkawi invites guests to experience a holistic Malay Wellness Journey. At the break of dawn, immerse yourself in a sensory journey into the healing rainforest surrounding Langkawi’s Machincang mountain formation until you reach the forest stream. There, you will be led through some light breathing and stretching exercises. You then dive into the refreshing pristine waters of Crystal Creek for the Mandi Maul Hayat ritual (bathing in the water of life). This Malay tradition is believed to regulate the circadian rhythm, promoting better sleep and increasing sense of well-being.

Completing the wellness journey are the reinvigorating Urut Melayu massage designed to help loosen sore muscles and enhance blood flow, and a healthy lunch created around the concept of the Enam Rasa, the six taste sensations including hot, sweet, sour, salty, bitter and astringent.

The Malay Wellness Journey leaves you deeply refreshed and re-energized.

Slumber Guru Massage at Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas

Taking advantage of its unique location enveloped by endless Indian Ocean views, the overwater spa at Anantara Kihavah Maldives Villas offers stunning views and transformative world-class treatments crafted with the healing properties of indigenous plants and fruits in mind.

Indulge in the resort’s signature spa treatment—the Slumber Guru Massage. Taking the importance of a good night’s rest to a whole new level, this evening villa ritual begins with a soak in a luxuriant essential oil bath surrounded by candles.

Let go of all your tension in a deeply relaxing massage using lavender essential oil. Unwind to your choice of calming music throughout the evening. Sweet dreams then await in a bed dressed in 1,000 thread-count sheets and a silk eye mask. A truly rejuvenating wellness experience.

Signature Ceylon Retreat at Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle, Sri Lanka

Enjoy a healthy escape to this tropical sanctuary in Sri Lanka. Overlooking the Indian Ocean, experience paradise amidst lush greenery and blooming lotuses.

A sensory experience that encapsulates Sri Lanka’s finest elixirs and wellness practices, powerful antioxidants are released during this unique Ceylon Tea-inspired spa journey. This signature spa treatment at Anantara Peace Haven Tangalle begins with a black tea and lime foot scrub followed by a full body green tea and salt scrub to stimulate blood flow. A full-body Marma Abhyanga Massage and Ceylon Signature Facial pamper you from head to toe.

Marma Abhyanga is a unique massage treatment that focuses on the marmas—the various joints of the body where blood and lymph vessels, muscles, bone tissues, and nerves meet. The therapist stimulates the marmas from feet to head through rhythm and pressure to achieve balance.

Journey of Vietnam at Anantara Quy Nhon Resort

How about unwinding within a jungle spa resort in Quy Nhon while enjoying the ocean views?

Follow the path through the tropical jungle to a clearing fringed by ferns. A natural sanctuary awaits at this spa resort in Quy Nhon, fragrant with organic ingredients such as lemongrass and ginger from the resort gardens.

Journey of Vietnam is a 210-minute journey to inner and outer well-being. Sink into a milky coconut bath overlooking the South China Sea. Submit to healing hands during an Anantara Signature massage, blending Eastern and Western massage techniques to soothe muscle tension with meridian line oil. Then, beautify with a hydra memory facial massage using micro hyaluronic acid and botanical extracts to encourage optimum cellular function for nourished, younger-looking skin.

Herbal bath at The Farm at San Benito, Philippines

A medical wellness resort and a healing sanctuary, The Farm at San Benito offers various medically supervised immune-enhancing treatments and programs.

One of its signature wellness treatments is Tres Banyos Lunas, a herbal bath ceremony still practiced by arbularyos (local herbalists) in the Philippines.

Combining the five healing elements of Earth, Fire, Water, Wind and Wood, this treatment invites you to reconnect with nature to repair, renew, and revitalize your body’s innate ability to heal.

The treatment begins with a bath filled with a blend of Philippine natural medicinal herbs. Traditional herbs—pinagbagang, lupang, punsong, and tuob (commonly known as “Earth” and “fire”)—are inhaled to awaken your senses before indulging in a warm glass bottle massage with tapal-tapal balot (a wrap filled with medicinal herbs) to encourage the release of excess dampness or heat.

Tres Banyos Lunas, according to The Farm, is “especially effective in treating energy stagnation while improving vitality. It also releases impacted toxins, commonly attributed to fluid retention, while strengthening the immune system. Regarded as one of the most soothing experiences—it will fine tune the aura, astral and etheric bodies, reducing stress to invoke regular restful and healing sleep.”

READ ALSO: Take a wellness workation at this medical wellness resort

Ancient healing at Melia Koh Samui

Melia Koh Samui’s award-winning YHI Spa features two double spa suites, each with a shower and bath, two single spa suites, an infrared sauna, a Thai herbal steam room, and a hydrotherapy shower.

The hotel’s 120-minute-long YHI Signature Massage combines ancient healing procedures and contemporary massage techniques to reach a deep level of relaxation. It is based on Eastern and Western aromatherapy and lymphatic and Lomi Lomi massage techniques combined with Ayurvedic holistic traditions.

This treatment also follows the Shirodara discipline for inner harmony and balance and ends with Chakra energy healing and Tibetan bowl sound healing therapy.

Cannabis-infused treatment at Anantara Spa in Thailand

The powerful properties of cannabis plants have been harnessed for millennia by healers seeking its medicinal benefits. Rich in antioxidants, anti-inflammatory compounds, and pain-reducing properties, the medicinal purposes of cannabis have been brought back to the forefront of alternative therapies as part of the recent decriminalization of certain parts of the plant in Thailand.

Anantara Spa in Thailand is now bringing this traditional compound to the twenty-first century with a series of brand-new luxurious spa treatments showcasing the plant’s myriad benefits, from calming the mind to relieving pain, and more.

Restful slumber journey

Perfect for jet-lagged travelers, this 90-minute wind-down treatment begins with a stress-releasing soak in a cannabis-salt-laden bath. The therapist kneads the limbs and the full body using either cannabis-lavender oil to calm redness and puffiness or cannabis-rice milk to improve skin elasticity and moisture retention.

Cap the unique spa treatment with a soothing cup of cannabis tea and discover the Cannabidiol (CBD) benefits, which are believed to relax the mind and body, rid any anxious thoughts, and prepare you for a deep and restful night’s sleep.

Cannabis stress-release journey

Reverse the debilitating effects of office syndrome or back and neck pain using the healing powers of cannabis in herbal and essential oil form. Combining the pain-releasing properties of cannabis with the art form of traditional Thai herbal compress ball, Luk Pra kob, creates a dynamic duo capable of tackling even the deepest of muscle knots. The cannabis-infused herbal compress ball induces deep relaxation, melting away tension along the spine and boosting your emotional and physical well-being.

Enjoy improved postural alignment and blood circulation and leave the treatment room floating on air.

Head-to-toe calming journey

End a long day of sightseeing or a vigorous Muay Thai session with this top-to-toe treatment.

The relaxing journey begins with a calming cannabis foot soak ritual to release swelling and water retention, followed by a blissful scalp massage using cannabis-infused coconut oil to release tension.

The benefits of foot reflexology to restore the body’s natural balance have long been recognized. Combining the physical manipulation with cannabis balm—traditionally used by Thais to reduce congestion and muscle tension—is the perfect answer to relieve deeper pains and repair damaged skin.

The cannabis spa treatments are available at several Anantara Spas across Thailand, including Anantara Siam Bangkok Hotel, Anantara Riverside Bangkok Resort, Anantara Chiang Mai Hotel, and Anantara Bophut Koh Samui Resort.