Cryotherapy and singing bowls? East meets West at Bangkok’s newest health retreat
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Cryotherapy and singing bowls? Due east meets W at Bangkok's newest health retreat
On the verdant banks of the Chao Phraya River, RAKxa Health touts itself as Asia's largest integrated wellness and wellness centre. Is it worth the hype? CNA Luxury'due south Bangkok-based writer Duncan Forgan finds out.
RAKxa Health in Bangkok touts itself equally Asia's largest integrated health and wellness centre. (Photo: RAKxa Wellness)
01 Mar 2022 06:30AM (Updated: 10 Jul 2022 05:13PM)
We've been expecting y'all, says the nurse with the merest hint of reproach in her phonation as she greets me at reception.
I'm having a busy morning at RAKxa Wellness, Thailand'southward well-nigh anticipated wellness offer, which opened only exterior Bangkok at the finish of 2020.
A iii-way partnership between regional hospitality giant Minor Hotels, leading Thai programmer MK Real Estate, and VitalLife Scientific Health Clinic (the anti-ageing clinic of Bumrungrad International Hospital, one of Thailand's near renowned healthcare institutions), the new facility was conceived as a full-spectrum wellness journey fusing healing philosophies from east and westward.
And I feel equally though I am ticking off nearly every box on the health inventory as I shuttle from timeslot to timeslot.
It's barely mid-forenoon on my start day of a 3-24-hour interval packet and I've already had a fully personalised consultation on my goals, experienced Chi Nei Tsang – a Taoist abdominal massage designed to rejuvenate the internal organs through the release of negative chi – and been attached to an IV baste to absorb a nourishing purse of vitamins into my system. It'due south a packed schedule and then I tin probably be forgiven for tracking slightly late.
Taking the nurse's hint, I rush to the irresolute room and exchange my clothes for a bib and a pair of backless pants. I am then led to a session of colonic hydrotherapy: A cleansing process that many people swear by, but one I won't be rushing to echo.
They say that health is wealth. As if to emphasise that bespeak, the slogan is emblazoned on the back of the uniforms worn by RAKxa Wellness staff. And the retreat certainly tin't exist accused of leaving any stone unturned in its range of three- to xiv-solar day programmes.
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With few other guests here, I feel as though I'1000 playing the lead in a health-themed action film. Instead of fancy gadgets, car chases, and scenes in burning buildings, I'thou busy negotiating high-tech devices similar a hyperbaric tube (where concentrated oxygen helps to speed upwardly healing) and a cryotherapy chamber (where exposure to extreme cold destroys aberrant or diseased tissue) and encounters with acupuncture needles and Tibetan singing bowls.
If there are times during my stay where I feel a trivial like a wellness-fixated Jason Bourne, information technology's a measure out of how comprehensive the programmes are at RAKxa.
"This hasn't been seen in Asia earlier, to this degree," said Dusadee Tancharoen, RAKxa's managing director. "In that location are wonderful retreats out there, all of which have an important place on the wellness map – merely none that can provide the same level of integrated care that we take at RAKxa.
"People desire the best when it comes to their health. We offer advanced medical treatments combined with exceptional holistic therapies, all encompassed in an uber high-end retreat. Complementary medicines, ancient therapies, and holistic spas play an important role. However, it is our integration of all these mediums with hospital-level treatments that make us unique."
Information technology'due south certainly unlike any other retreat I've washed before.
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The holistic side of things – a globe of bathrobes, floral and herb-scented foot baths, and treatments acted out by skilled therapists to soothing background music – will exist familiar to spa addicts everywhere. Simply the fusion with more conventional medical attending lends RAKxa an authoritative air.
It's a place where cutting-edge care and frank discussions with fully certified doctors about wellness concerns can exist followed by aboriginal therapies such as Shirodhara: An Ayurvedic trunk treatment involving a stream of warm oil flowing over the forehead and scalp that can trace its roots back over 5,000 years.
"The vision was to create a retreat that truly integrates advanced medical treatments with complementary and ancient medicines together, along with a medical gym, health cuisine, and exceptional hospitality," added Tancharoen.
This globe-class philharmonic does not come up cheap. Thankfully, the overall package goes a long way towards justifying the hefty price tag. Situated on Bang Krachao, a protected jungle-clad peninsula known as Bangkok'southward "green lung", the retreat is laid out amid verdant botanical gardens on the banks of the Chao Phraya River.
Tropical birdsong, breezes blowing through the leaves of native copse, and the gentle rhythms of the waterway contribute to the restorative atmosphere at the property.
If it weren't for the urban backdrop of the dazzling Bangkok skyline, it would be easy to forget that yous are just across the river from one of Asia's most dynamic capitals and just an hour from its two international airports.
This semi-rural setting is a suitably tranquil stage for RAKxa's range of wellness-focused programs. In the Thai language, rakxa means to preserve or to heal and the retreat aims to do merely that, courtesy of bespoke itineraries designed by certified medical doctors.
Personalised programmes include Detox, Weight Management, Gut Health, Mobilisation, De-Stress, and Immunity Booster. Each journey incorporates cutting-border medical science alongside holistic treatments spanning Traditional Thai Medicine, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Ayurvedic, and energy healing practices.
The transformative experience is designed to go on long after guests exit, with doctors and holistic therapists able to prescribe a precise handling plan based on each of the packages.
Other retreat features are as invigorating as the tailored health programmes. At that place are a total of threescore expansive 80sqm individual villas – bachelor in pool or garden configurations – along with ii 400sqm presidential residences.
Each is tastefully decorated in natural, calming earth tones and comes with health-conscious highlights including hypoallergenic linens and curtains, magnesium bath salts, and organic and chemical-costless en-suite amenities.
On the culinary side of things, I enjoy healthy – but hearty – international fare at Unam, and Asian gastronomy inspired by aboriginal local wisdom at Ukhao. Both restaurants utilise mainly locally sourced organic ingredients and enjoy prime number riverside perches.
Rounding out the wellness journey is a loftier-tech medical gym with Olympic athlete grooming equipment, hydrothermal spa facilities, a cleansing tea lounge, showpiece infinity-edge pool, and an enticing menu of workshops and activities ranging from cooking classes to evening gong baths.
On my concluding morning, I practically bound out of bed. Three days of tailored therapies, succulent healthy cuisine, and the very all-time medical intendance bachelor in Thailand accept left me feeling reinvigorated and – mayhap more importantly – equipped with tools and knowledge to ensure things don't go sideways on my render to the real earth.
I can but imagine how skillful I would experience after one of the retreat's longer packages. If health is wealth, and then RAKxa looks poised to exist 1 of Asia's highest rollers.
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Source: https://cnalifestyle.channelnewsasia.com/experiences/health-retreat-bangkok-thailand-rakxa-wellness-258361
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