Kamalaya Thailand Spa
BY JOANNA HUGHES
At first, it’s almost unnerving – the absolute quiet of the place. Then as ears and senses adjust, you begin to hear birds and insects and lovelorn, melancholy bull frogs. You might hear laughter, but never a too-loud TV from the next room (the only televisions are in the library) or the latest Shakira number blasting from the swim-up bar (there isn’t one) or children screeching or the constant zippp zipppp zipppppp of jet skis.
If all you came for is the quiet, it would be enough. online booking
Kamalaya is not simply a spa as it has been popularised in the last 10 years or so; the bungalow-cum-Jacuzzi – with-couples-spa-treatments-thrown-in sort of spa, although it has bungalows and spa treatments in one of the most imaginative spa environments in Southeast Asia. Nor is it a holiday resort as it lacks the obligatory glitz of dancing space or bar, water slide, ‘cultural dances’ and foam parties on the beach.
Instead, Kamalaya describes itself as a wellness sanctuary and holistic spa, a retreat for body and spirit, a place where you can do what you need to do – and get the support to do it – whether it is jumpstarting your life or just staring at the water.
The founders of Kamalaya – Karina and John Stewart – felt initially drawn to the site because of the presence of a cave inhabited for over 20 years by a Buddhist holy man. That site is not only preserved, but also seems to provide a focus for healing not just the body, but minds and if you will, souls that may have folded under the pressures of life as we live it now. Kamalaya offers a space to work things out; I felt myself reawaken to sights, sounds, smells; the senses that nourish intuition and creativity.
My journey began with a somewhat fraught Bangkok Air flight, the only airline that serves Koh Samui. Unless and until Kamalaya can come up with a flying carpet service direct from Singapore to Koh Samui, you’ll have to put up with a crowd of noisy (and sometimes smelly) young families and holiday-makers with something other than spiritual renewal on their minds. However, arrival at the Koh Samui airport – open-sided attap-roofed pavilions and a security guard wearing stilettos with her uniform – is utterly charming.
My bungalow – all white cushions and clean lines – was a delight to retreat into after the flight. A late supper of salad, vegetable soup and fruit was laid out on the coffee table; it was followed by a lavender-scented shower under the stars and a snuggle under a fluffy, non-allergenic duvet.
I wandered down to breakfast the next morning amid rain clouds and spectacular views. Forget the noisy buffets of greasy bacon, porridge, leathery eggs, dried-out sweet rolls and dodgy sushi. Breakfast at Kamalaya is good for you without getting up in your face about it. You mix and match: crusty whole grain breads, high-end muesli, mixes of nuts and fruit, bee pollen, flax seeds, home-made tropical jams, raw vegetables, hummus, olives, guacamole, plus cow or goat-milk yoghurt, and custom-designed juices are a luxurious take on healthy eating.
In fact, the food – whether strictly vegan (no meat, no dairy, no honey, no eggs, no animal product whatsoever) or carnivorous (grilled sea bass, rack of lamb) – was constantly inventive and superb, offering traditional Thai dishes alongside European ones. At Kamalaya, the body is key to your total wellbeing, which brings me to the second event of the day, a naturopathic health consultation.
Prior to my arrival, I had filled out a lengthy health and lifestyle questionnaire. That information, plus the truth about my weight, became part of a larger inquiry into the state of my health and body. By the end of my Initial Wellness Consultation, I knew my lean body mass (not bad) and how many calories I actually need per day (shockingly low). I then received a recommended course of treatments in an order that would synergise them.
And then I was off on an almost constant round of treatments – some 13 in three days. Spa treatments are administered in rooms and pavilions scattered up and down the hillside, with Nature everywhere. For example, boulders intrude into shower stalls!
My health aim was to do something about my tummy, so we began with a Chi Nei Tsang massage. Taoists believe that the lower gut holds a lot of negative energy, which in turn affects the health of both body and soul. So for one hour, my tummy was deeply manipulated and massaged – and I emerged (without embarrassment, I might add) feeling wonderfully relaxed and energised. Then, following in the Jimmy Choo clad footsteps of the late Diana, Princess of Wales, I tried Colon Hydrotherapy with Ozone. All I will say is that if you need it, it’s great.
Cleans you out, and makes you feel tip-top, and all of that. If you don’t need it – and it turns out that I don’t – then go for high tea and count your blessings.
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Next up – after a break for lunch: The Far Infrared Sauna, which works by supposedly ‘melting’ fat cells immediately under the skin. So for the 30 minutes or so that you are in the cabin, you have to constantly wipe away sweat to keep the fat from being re-absorbed. I swear my sweat felt greasy, and it was only the thought of fat destruction that kept me in the 41degree cabin for the full time. Those of us taking the sauna treatments referred to it as ‘the torture chamber’ and bragged to each other about how long we had made it, either with or without cracking the
door open.
With that out of the way, it was time for Kamalaya’s signature Lotus Seed Scrub to exfoliate and jump start the detoxification process, followed by an Indian body massage based on Ayurvedic principles to balance the body.
The next day I had a homeopathic consultation; a homeopathic remedy, vitamins, minerals and dietary advice were dispensed, and then I was off for another session in the Infrared Sauna, a Vital Massage (a superbly relaxing aromatherapy massage) and 30 minutes each of traditional Asian hand and foot massage. (I wake up at night with my poor tired tootsies still longing for that treatment!).
Sadly, the following day was my last one, and it wrapped up my wellness experience, with a Thai massage (so that my body could handle economy class on the way home), another session in the Infrared Sauna, and to complete detoxification, a lymphatic drainage massage.
In between treatments, I donned a sarong and headed off for the steam cavern, actually a small tiled cave with billows of steam and a waterfall. You steam yourself as long as you can, then run up the path and pop into any or all of three outdoor pools ranging from hot to tepid to cold. (Every home should have one.) After this, I not only felt younger and glowing, but began to feel like a free nature spirit.
I found myself reaching for a camera, for a notebook; I began to make plans on how I would continue the process begun at Kamalaya at home. Unlike other holidays where all you bring back is sand in your shoes, the three days I spent at Kamalaya brought me back to me – energised, more balanced, thinner and ready to take my life back again.
MORE GOOD THINGS online booking
Kamalaya offers just about everything the new New Ager is looking for: yoga, pilates, tai chi, meditation, spirit dance, and special guest speakers on the inner life. The trick while you are there is working out a schedule for both treatments and these practices. Three days is probably not enough if you have a lot of work to do on yourself.
A variety of health care approaches are on offer, including traditional Chinese medicine, naturopathy, nutrition, homeopathy and Western medicine. You can also experience treatments like acupuncture, moxabustion, cupping and herbology.
Life enhancement programmes and retreats address issues like detoxification and rejuvenation, relax and renew, optimal fitness, ideal weight and joyful living. Programmes can be customised to fit your individual needs.
