Seventh heaven

SEVENTH HEAVEN

Tranquillity at its most elegant, a stay at the Six Senses Destination Spa on Naka Yai island, Phuket, is nothing short of life-changing. Surrounded by jungle and white beaches, the resort island is both a luxurious cocoon and natural springboard for holistic wellness programmes. After six days, Sharon Marshall leaves with her seventh sense firmly intact.

When I mentioned to a friend that I felt the gods of renewal were making a mid-life entrance in my life, I had little inkling just how prophetic the statement would be as I struck the entrance gong of one of the finest spas in the world to make a wish. Set amidst a jungle on a tranquil island shaped like the Buddhist sea serpent after which it was named, Naka Yai oozes greenery, harmony and rejuvenation from every laidback pore of its plus 80 000 square metres. As do the staff, who, akin to the sea serpent’s fabled ability to bridge the world of man and gods, mindfully tend gardens, drive autos to and from the spa and subtly attend to every click of the finger or phone.
Just a short boat trip from the mainland, the Six Senses eco-friendly island resort opened the doors of its earthy, sophisticated 61 pool villas, decorated in neutrals and vivid greens to offset the turquoise sea, to the world in November last year. Elegant rather than garishly luxurious, each minimalistic villa has its own sparkling pool, an outdoor bathroom with bath, steam and rain shower and, for the lucky like us, a view of the serenely lapping sea from the vast bedroom window.
Kicked off with a preliminary counselling session with a resident naturopath, whose intuition was so clear and tangible I found myself unburdening nagging stresses and strains within minutes of arrival, our six-day sojourn was well-aspected from the start. Within an hour, our massage programmes – two a day from a wide selection of Thai, Indian, Indonesian and Chinese – had been plotted. The rest was up to us!
Dazzled by the sheer tranquillity, we joked, while meandering down the stone path towards the Ton-Sai beach restaurant, that we could probably walk on water without any treatments. We were yet to discover that specially treated crystal water was just one of many elixirs on offer to complement fresh fishetarian cuisine, detoxifying smoothies and a spread of vegetable, fruits and salads light enough to ensure floating, but sumptuous enough to fill. Behold the first afternoon in tropical paradise: a gentle jetlagged nap, followed by an 80-minute Himalayan Hot Stone massage for me and a full detoxifying massage for him.
Housed in a feng shui-designed quadrangle divided into Thai, Indonesian, Chinese and Indian sections, the massage rooms, run by adept Thai masseurs who gauge strength according to your request, are tastefully nestled amidst gangly bamboo, mulberry bushes and lotus-filled ponds, with a zen-like tea garden at the centre to rehydrate the tissues post-massage.
By supper, where we forego the organic wine with some restraint, we are relaxed and spoilt for choices with starters ranging from papaya and coriander cous cous to sashimi rolls and hot Thai soup.

THE SEVENTH SENSE
Breakfast, we discover not too early the next morning, is just as sumptuous: muesli, sushi, fruit and omelettes vie for selection with miso soup; good sustenance for a Qi Gong class, a Chinese martial art, which leaves us feeling flexible and ready for a cycle of massages, starting with a traditional Pra Kob Thai for me. A combination of Royal Thai massage and a Thai herbal compress, it uses acupressure to ease muscular aches and pains while the heated facial compress improves the flow of energy. My sinuses feel much clearer afterwards! All the better to swim with, which, this time, is in the sea, complete with palm-lined beach, of course.
Afternoon, after beetroot carpaccio at the raw cuisine restaurant at the Point, presents a turning point; my wellness coach, equipped with a discerning 12-point wheel covering the key aspects of our lives, dissects areas where performance can be improved. Incorporating psychological, spiritual and intellectual to social, physical and emotional, wellness is perceived to be the seventh, all-encompassing sense and I leave with a mini task to listen to my inner voice for the duration of my stay. While my partner is mountain biking and kayaking, I dip into the copy of Kalil Gibran’s The Prophet on the bedside table for divine inspiration. The idea is to get a healthy balance of activities, and though the areas of preference differ from person to person, meditation is the focal point. In the evening, we do nadabrahma, a meditation which aims to clear blockages in the body via gentle humming, a sound vibration which simultaneously opens the heart centre to giving and receiving. The next morning’s session, a variant of kundalini meditation, is less metaphysical, but, through dancing loosely with eyes closed, helps to release tensions and inhibitions and allow the subconscious mind to open up to wisdom from a higher source.

NEW WORLDS
By Day Three, we’re starting to follow a routine and our city-clogged senses are starting to open to the smells, tastes and textures of the beauty surrounding us. Our bodies and minds start to relax and we begin feeling like we want to feel, both within and without. Fatigue is dissipating, and between massages, we relish the opportunity to learn ancient practices to aid our daily lives. Two massage classes, led by a diminutive Thai masseur, open up a new world: Chi Nei Tsang, in which we are shown how to locate and treat the Qi point in each other to oust negative emotions stored in the body, and Rue-si Dat Ton, in which we try to learn impossible techniques of stretching to counter computer, and other work-related, pains. This, combined with a comprehensive iridology consultation, which pinpoints a weakness in my lymph glands, a need for vitamin B, more exercise and three-hourly meals, gives me plenty to work on while I contemplate the meanderings of my soul during a holistic massage with free-flowing oil. Early morning yoga and Mat Pilates basics on day four ground the Lomi Lomi, a Hawaiian massage, which is performed by a fresh-faced masseur with powerful loving hands who synchronises my breathing to the sound of Hula dance music. While my partner receives Thai boxing tips and does core exercises, I slip off to a Reiki and Vibrational Alchemy lecture by a visiting therapist. It’s also Earth Hour, we discover that evening as the lights are switched off in support of the planet; more fitting a place to toast with organic wine and candlelit seafood barbecue than this holistic Shangri-La we cannot imagine.

LOTUS PETALS
By Day Five, mind, body and soul are working harmoniously and I am quite convinced I could make the leafy villa my metamorphic cocoon forever. Small surprise that when I walk out of my final wellness counselling session I have committed to a series of exercises, both practical and metaphysical, to enhance my life. That my soul, during the session, blurted that it would need to come up with a book plan by December, I have Gibran to thank for. My final massage, a Wat-su, in which the masseur guides me, butterfly-like, in a pool of tepid water to simulate movements in the womb, brings me full circle. Winged, I leave for the real world, my soul unfolding like Gibran’s countless lotus petals. After all, I have made a promise to the universe and my e,mail reminders will ping me into action at least once a week.

(BOX 1)
ALTERNATIVE THERAPY
Ramona Galardi has been changing lives for 15 years ever since she happened upon Reiki, an ancient Japanese form of energy renewal, which she informs us is with you forever once you are attuned to it, even if you don’t use it. Radiating vitality, Galardi combines the energies of Reiki, the vibration of crystals and colour and the vibration of sound using Tibetan bowls and chanting to form her healing modality called Vibrational Alchemy. Her first visit to the spa as a visiting consultant, Galardi is one of several alternative healers who offer a deeper healing component to the full massage agenda. I came away feeling a lot lighter, more centred and with a pair of meditative calligraphy cards, which she pens when not making jewellery. Her free-flowing meditation sessions underline her belief in creating your own reality and keeping universal energy flowing.

(BOX 2)
ECO-FRIENDLY COCOON
Designed to aid guests through tough life transitions and provide a lasting blueprint for wellness, Naka Yai is committed to an eco-friendly social responsibility programme, in accordance with Green Globe’s international benchmarks for environmentally-friendly resort spas, which aims to make the resort garden 100 percent able to provide meals. Locally caught fish is used as much as possible and endangered species avoided in order to help sustain the local communities and the planet. Says communications manager Anja Graube whose daily cleansing staple is the exquisite locally grown dragon fruit, “We use Tasmanian salmon, the safest and best quality in the world because it is free of all antibiotics and genetic modification and never the endangered red snapper which is common in the Andaman Sea.”

(BOX 3)
TREATMENTS
Managed and overseen by Kelly Mitchell, who personalizes individual programmes according to her wheel of wellness, the team of professional masseurs provide clients with a choice of over 20 massages from Thailand, Indonesia, India and China. Pre-planned life passages for specific needs range from a three-day “Recharge and Energize” to a 10-day “Mother-to-be” and 21-day “Body Confidence”. Mitchell, a great believer in synchronicity and the healing effect of water, combines energies with naturopath Sally Twitchen, who provides iridology readings and nutritional consultations, and lives by the Hippocratic oath, “Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food.” In addition, a hair and nail spa offers a wide range of specialised vanity treatments and a fully-kitted gym keeps the body in shape.

(SIDEBAR)
NEED TO KNOW:
WHEN TO GO: November to March, when temperatures are in the mid-70s with little precipitation, is the best time to visit. Though temperatures rise to the upper 80s and lower 90s in April and May, it is still a good time for tourists, but September and October should be avoided because of the hot, wet monsoons.
GETTING THERE: Guests are escorted from Phuket International airport in a limousine which takes 30 minutes to reach Ao Por Grand Marina. From here a resort speedboat takes five minutes to whisk to Naka Yai island.
COST AND CONTACTS: Pool villa accommodation for two including breakfast and two fishetarian spa cuisine meals a day, an individual wellness consultation, two spa treatments per person per day, a choice of wellness activities, starts at THB 75 000 (excl service charge and taxes; valid until 31 Oct 2009) for three nights. The Retreat on the Hill, a self-contained accommodation with kitchen, huge pool and individual spa and wellness facilities starts at THB 300 000 (service charge and taxes incl) for I bedroom per night, THB 377 000 (service charge and taxes incl) for 3 bedrooms per night while The Enclave, a cluster of six hill pool villas with outdoor conference/dining facilities is available on request. Go to http://www.sixsenses.com/Six-Senses-Destination-Spa-Phuket/ or contact reservations-naka@sixsenses.com for more details. Specialised treatments, cooking classes and boat trips to other islands cost extra.

-SEVENTH HEAVEN

Tranquillity at its most elegant, a stay at the Six Senses Destination Spa on Naka Yai island, Phuket, is nothing short of life-changing. Surrounded by jungle and white beaches, the resort island is both a luxurious cocoon and natural springboard for holistic wellness programmes. After six days, Sharon Marshall leaves with her seventh sense firmly intact.

When I mentioned to a friend that I felt the gods of renewal were making a mid-life entrance in my life, I had little inkling just how prophetic the statement would be as I struck the entrance gong of one of the finest spas in the world to make a wish. Set amidst a jungle on a tranquil island shaped like the Buddhist sea serpent after which it was named, Naka Yai oozes greenery, harmony and rejuvenation from every laidback pore of its plus 80 000 square metres. As do the staff, who, akin to the sea serpent’s fabled ability to bridge the world of man and gods, mindfully tend gardens, drive autos to and from the spa and subtly attend to every click of the finger or phone.
Just a short boat trip from the mainland, the Six Senses eco-friendly island resort opened the doors of its earthy, sophisticated 61 pool villas, decorated in neutrals and vivid greens to offset the turquoise sea, to the world in November last year. Elegant rather than garishly luxurious, each minimalistic villa has its own sparkling pool, an outdoor bathroom with bath, steam and rain shower and, for the lucky like us, a view of the serenely lapping sea from the vast bedroom window.
Kicked off with a preliminary counselling session with a resident naturopath, whose intuition was so clear and tangible I found myself unburdening nagging stresses and strains within minutes of arrival, our six-day sojourn was well-aspected from the start. Within an hour, our massage programmes – two a day from a wide selection of Thai, Indian, Indonesian and Chinese – had been plotted. The rest was up to us!
Dazzled by the sheer tranquillity, we joked, while meandering down the stone path towards the Ton-Sai beach restaurant, that we could probably walk on water without any treatments. We were yet to discover that specially treated crystal water was just one of many elixirs on offer to complement fresh fishetarian cuisine, detoxifying smoothies and a spread of vegetable, fruits and salads light enough to ensure floating, but sumptuous enough to fill. Behold the first afternoon in tropical paradise: a gentle jetlagged nap, followed by an 80-minute Himalayan Hot Stone massage for me and a full detoxifying massage for him.
Housed in a feng shui-designed quadrangle divided into Thai, Indonesian, Chinese and Indian sections, the massage rooms, run by adept Thai masseurs who gauge strength according to your request, are tastefully nestled amidst gangly bamboo, mulberry bushes and lotus-filled ponds, with a zen-like tea garden at the centre to rehydrate the tissues post-massage.
By supper, where we forego the organic wine with some restraint, we are relaxed and spoilt for choices with starters ranging from papaya and coriander cous cous to sashimi rolls and hot Thai soup.

THE SEVENTH SENSE
Breakfast, we discover not too early the next morning, is just as sumptuous: muesli, sushi, fruit and omelettes vie for selection with miso soup; good sustenance for a Qi Gong class, a Chinese martial art, which leaves us feeling flexible and ready for a cycle of massages, starting with a traditional Pra Kob Thai for me. A combination of Royal Thai massage and a Thai herbal compress, it uses acupressure to ease muscular aches and pains while the heated facial compress improves the flow of energy. My sinuses feel much clearer afterwards! All the better to swim with, which, this time, is in the sea, complete with palm-lined beach, of course.
Afternoon, after beetroot carpaccio at the raw cuisine restaurant at the Point, presents a turning point; my wellness coach, equipped with a discerning 12-point wheel covering the key aspects of our lives, dissects areas where performance can be improved. Incorporating psychological, spiritual and intellectual to social, physical and emotional, wellness is perceived to be the seventh, all-encompassing sense and I leave with a mini task to listen to my inner voice for the duration of my stay. While my partner is mountain biking and kayaking, I dip into the copy of Kalil Gibran’s The Prophet on the bedside table for divine inspiration. The idea is to get a healthy balance of activities, and though the areas of preference differ from person to person, meditation is the focal point. In the evening, we do nadabrahma, a meditation which aims to clear blockages in the body via gentle humming, a sound vibration which simultaneously opens the heart centre to giving and receiving. The next morning’s session, a variant of kundalini meditation, is less metaphysical, but, through dancing loosely with eyes closed, helps to release tensions and inhibitions and allow the subconscious mind to open up to wisdom from a higher source.

NEW WORLDS
By Day Three, we’re starting to follow a routine and our city-clogged senses are starting to open to the smells, tastes and textures of the beauty surrounding us. Our bodies and minds start to relax and we begin feeling like we want to feel, both within and without. Fatigue is dissipating, and between massages, we relish the opportunity to learn ancient practices to aid our daily lives. Two massage classes, led by a diminutive Thai masseur, open up a new world: Chi Nei Tsang, in which we are shown how to locate and treat the Qi point in each other to oust negative emotions stored in the body, and Rue-si Dat Ton, in which we try to learn impossible techniques of stretching to counter computer, and other work-related, pains. This, combined with a comprehensive iridology consultation, which pinpoints a weakness in my lymph glands, a need for vitamin B, more exercise and three-hourly meals, gives me plenty to work on while I contemplate the meanderings of my soul during a holistic massage with free-flowing oil. Early morning yoga and Mat Pilates basics on day four ground the Lomi Lomi, a Hawaiian massage, which is performed by a fresh-faced masseur with powerful loving hands who synchronises my breathing to the sound of Hula dance music. While my partner receives Thai boxing tips and does core exercises, I slip off to a Reiki and Vibrational Alchemy lecture by a visiting therapist. It’s also Earth Hour, we discover that evening as the lights are switched off in support of the planet; more fitting a place to toast with organic wine and candlelit seafood barbecue than this holistic Shangri-La we cannot imagine.

LOTUS PETALS
By Day Five, mind, body and soul are working harmoniously and I am quite convinced I could make the leafy villa my metamorphic cocoon forever. Small surprise that when I walk out of my final wellness counselling session I have committed to a series of exercises, both practical and metaphysical, to enhance my life. That my soul, during the session, blurted that it would need to come up with a book plan by December, I have Gibran to thank for. My final massage, a Wat-su, in which the masseur guides me, butterfly-like, in a pool of tepid water to simulate movements in the womb, brings me full circle. Winged, I leave for the real world, my soul unfolding like Gibran’s countless lotus petals. After all, I have made a promise to the universe and my e,mail reminders will ping me into action at least once a week.

(BOX 1)
ALTERNATIVE THERAPY
Ramona Galardi has been changing lives for 15 years ever since she happened upon Reiki, an ancient Japanese form of energy renewal, which she informs us is with you forever once you are attuned to it, even if you don’t use it. Radiating vitality, Galardi combines the energies of Reiki, the vibration of crystals and colour and the vibration of sound using Tibetan bowls and chanting to form her healing modality called Vibrational Alchemy. Her first visit to the spa as a visiting consultant, Galardi is one of several alternative healers who offer a deeper healing component to the full massage agenda. I came away feeling a lot lighter, more centred and with a pair of meditative calligraphy cards, which she pens when not making jewellery. Her free-flowing meditation sessions underline her belief in creating your own reality and keeping universal energy flowing.

(BOX 2)
ECO-FRIENDLY COCOON
Designed to aid guests through tough life transitions and provide a lasting blueprint for wellness, Naka Yai is committed to an eco-friendly social responsibility programme, in accordance with Green Globe’s international benchmarks for environmentally-friendly resort spas, which aims to make the resort garden 100 percent able to provide meals. Locally caught fish is used as much as possible and endangered species avoided in order to help sustain the local communities and the planet. Says communications manager Anja Graube whose daily cleansing staple is the exquisite locally grown dragon fruit, “We use Tasmanian salmon, the safest and best quality in the world because it is free of all antibiotics and genetic modification and never the endangered red snapper which is common in the Andaman Sea.”

(BOX 3)
TREATMENTS
Managed and overseen by Kelly Mitchell, who personalizes individual programmes according to her wheel of wellness, the team of professional masseurs provide clients with a choice of over 20 massages from Thailand, Indonesia, India and China. Pre-planned life passages for specific needs range from a three-day “Recharge and Energize” to a 10-day “Mother-to-be” and 21-day “Body Confidence”. Mitchell, a great believer in synchronicity and the healing effect of water, combines energies with naturopath Sally Twitchen, who provides iridology readings and nutritional consultations, and lives by the Hippocratic oath, “Let your food be your medicine and your medicine be your food.” In addition, a hair and nail spa offers a wide range of specialised vanity treatments and a fully-kitted gym keeps the body in shape.

(SIDEBAR)
NEED TO KNOW:
WHEN TO GO: November to March, when temperatures are in the mid-70s with little precipitation, is the best time to visit. Though temperatures rise to the upper 80s and lower 90s in April and May, it is still a good time for tourists, but September and October should be avoided because of the hot, wet monsoons.
GETTING THERE: Guests are escorted from Phuket International airport in a limousine which takes 30 minutes to reach Ao Por Grand Marina. From here a resort speedboat takes five minutes to whisk to Naka Yai island.
COST AND CONTACTS: Pool villa accommodation for two including breakfast and two fishetarian spa cuisine meals a day, an individual wellness consultation, two spa treatments per person per day, a choice of wellness activities, starts at THB 75 000 (excl service charge and taxes; valid until 31 Oct 2009) for three nights. The Retreat on the Hill, a self-contained accommodation with kitchen, huge pool and individual spa and wellness facilities starts at THB 300 000 (service charge and taxes incl) for I bedroom per night, THB 377 000 (service charge and taxes incl) for 3 bedrooms per night while The Enclave, a cluster of six hill pool villas with outdoor conference/dining facilities is available on request. Go to http://www.sixsenses.com/Six-Senses-Destination-Spa-Phuket/ or contact reservations-naka@sixsenses.com for more details. Specialised treatments, cooking classes and boat trips to other islands cost extra.

(Published in Aquarius, Dubai, June 2009, copyright held by author)