In recent years, the most prestigious wellness retreats have evolved their offers beyond traditional spa treatments towards including advanced medical technologies and diagnostics, providing guests with even deeper transformations.
When you think about the places leading the way, you might envisage high-end clinics in places like Switzerland and Austria, where guests undergo in-depth diagnostic testing and receive personalised programs delivered by both medical professionals and spa therapists.
So it might come as a surprise to learn that one of the world’s top “integrative wellness” pioneers is located in Bangkok, a place better known for its lively urban energy than being a serene retreat.
Located on the city’s “green lung”, RAKxa is setting out to redefine wellness across five pillars: exercise, nutrition, rest, restorative treatment, and stress management. Its innovative, integrative approach merges high-tech medical diagnostics with fitness evaluations, traditional Thai, Chinese, and Ayurvedic treatments, and even alternative therapies like energy healing.
We sent writer Rosie Sargeant to find out what 5 nights of deep transformation at Asia’s top wellness destination looks like…
Day 1
I arrive in Bangkok feeling groggy after a long flight and ready to be whisked away to the lush oasis of Bang Krachao, an artificial island that feels much further removed from the hustle and bustle of the capital than it actually is.
RAKxa’s charming staff sit me down with a cup of jasmine tea and carry out a singing bowl ceremony as I overlook the serene Chao Phraya River. Afterwards, a golf buggy takes me to my villa for a quick pit stop to freshen up before it’s time for lunch in the resort’s ‘UNAM’ restaurant.
My server explains that all meals will be customised to meet my specific needs following my wellness consultation in the afternoon, but I can expect traditional Thai dishes for lunch and Western-inspired dishes for dinner (breakfast is a la carte with a broad range of options). We start with homemade kombucha and sourdough bread before a sumptuous yet light three-course meal: Yum Dok Kajorn (grilled prawn salad with chilli jam and lime dressing), grilled chicken breast with massaman curry and riceberry, and a Thai coconut pancake with coconut sorbet for dessert. Everything tastes exquisite, and I savour every mouthful for fear that my upcoming consultation will withdraw any indulgences for the remainder of my stay.
It’s then time for my consultations: we begin with a detailed health and wellness assessment that covers my lifestyle, habits, and goals for the next 5 days. I then undergo a medical consultation with a doctor who takes baseline measurements such as blood pressure, weight and heart rate and asks about my medical history and any issues I would like to focus on. I share that I want to reduce stress, tiredness and bloating, and would like to come away having restored my energy and feeling lighter and less anxious.
Although I have booked the signature “RAKxa Rebalance” programme, my care team suggests a few tweaks to the included treatments to achieve my desired goals – including an ominous-sounding “Yoga Detox” on Day 5 (more on that later). For now, I’m advised to relax in the hydrotherapy area – a zen-like array of spa facilities including sauna, steam rooms and pools – before my first of many massages, a “marma healing massage” that stimulates pressure points over the body using a warm bolster of oil. The therapeutic strokes lull me to a deep relaxation, and it’s a struggle not to succumb to the comfort of my villa’s giant bed before dinner.
My persistence is rewarded with another fabulous meal: octopus with heirloom tomato salad and pan-seared salmon with asparagus and a fennel citrus herb salad. My sourdough privileges have been removed on the advice of my doctor as well as the gluten-free hazelnut-chocolate-banana cake for dessert (although I steal a sublime spoonful of my partner’s portion while no one’s looking), but when each dish looks and tastes like something from a Michelin-starred restaurant it’s hard to feel too hard done by. I’m dropped off at my villa by a buggy and have the most restful sleep I’ve had in months.
Day 2
Fortunately I’m still allowed coffee (with oat milk – RAKxa doesn’t serve any dairy as part of its anti-inflammatory diet philosophy) and can choose from a range of options for breakfast, including crab omelette, chocolate-coconut overnight oats, avocado toast with poached eggs, vegan pancakes, and much more. Having expected a restrictive diet to achieve my goals, this feels like pure indulgence.
I try my best to exercise self-restraint knowing that I have several days to work my way through the menu, and also that the first item on today’s itinerary is a functional fitness assessment that might not sit well on a full stomach. In a state-of-the-art gym I’m taken through a series of exercises that test my balance, strength, stamina and flexibility, and whilst I score well overall, I realise that a hectic work schedule has made me de-prioritise slower-paced activities like yoga and meditation that will help calm my stress and anxiety. During my private Tai Chi lesson that follows, I notice that my mind does not wander to the multiple trains of thought that usually compete for headspace. I would never normally try something like this – my impulse would be to squeeze in a run or HIIT session – but it feels wonderful to slow down and move with intention.
After a lunch of crab with banana blossom salad and steamed red snapper in lime sauce, I have a few hours to read by the gorgeous jade-green infinity pool before an acupuncture and moxibustion treatment followed by singing bowl therapy. The combination of the tension release leading into the soothing sounds of the singing bowls carries me into a profound state of relaxation that I struggle to wake up from. After another exquisite dinner of carrot and ginger soup and seared scallops and cauliflower, I retreat to bed for another early night.
Day 3
Today I have a full suite of treatments in RAKxa’s Vitalife clinic to look forward to: cryo sauna, whole body light therapy, hyperbaric chamber therapy, and a Myers’ IV formula. The combination of these advanced therapies with traditional massage and other treatments is different to anything I’ve ever experienced before, but something must be working: I feel more energised, relaxed and at ease than I have done in months.
After a lunch of spicy chilli tuna with shallot, cucumber and kaffir lime followed by oriental duck breast and bok choy, I transition back to my afternoon ritual of spa and relaxation: today is a stress release massage that works through all the knots that have accumulated in my shoulders from long days working at a desk. Another sublime dinner of tiger prawn risotto with pumpkin pearl barley, truffle, asparagus, and macadamia parmesan cheese sets me up for another deep sleep.
Day 4
I wake up with a sense of impending dread looming over me: today I must prepare for my upcoming Yoga Detox. I try not to let it occupy too much of my thoughts and am pleasantly surprised to learn that there’s barely any change to my diet: minced prawn and herbs followed by scallop and pineapple red curry for lunch, and pan-seared cod and confit vegetables for dinner.
I must also confront other blockers to my inner peace and wellbeing: I attend a Sand Tray Therapy session in which I use sand, toys and figurines to express my emotions without words. I am instructed to choose a representative set of figurines and arrange them in a way that conveys how I currently feel, then repeat the exercise to convey how I would like to feel, then get the two scenes to interact in a way that bridges their differences. Expressing my feelings in this way is cathartic albeit emotionally exhausting, and the signature sleep enhancement massage that follows is just what I need. I go to bed without even stopping to think about the detox I will undergo tomorrow morning, and have another long, sound night of sleep.
Day 5
It’s D(etox)-Day, and my body wakes me up extra early as if trying to draw out the anticipation. When it’s finally time to meet my practitioner I cycle to RAKxa Jai, the wellness centre, noticing that my legs feel wobblier than usual. I’m escorted to a room with beautiful views over the river, but instead I fixate on the large jug of a salt water concoction that I must drink.
My practitioner senses my uneasiness, so we don’t beat about the bush: he quickly recaps what we’ll be doing: drink a few glasses, go through a specific sequence of yoga poses, pause, then repeat 3 times. I take a few sips and it’s nowhere near as bad as I had expected. My stomach makes some ominous gurgling sounds as we go through the poses, and after a few glasses I begin to struggle to get it all down, but I had expected far worse. Back in my room I cosy up with a book and await the “flush” that I’m told will follow. A few hours later, I emerge thinking I was silly to let myself get so worked up about the process. I feel refreshed and revitalised, and the probiotic coconut yoghurt I’m served to settle my stomach tastes more flavourful than food I’ve eaten in a long time. A soothing massage and a light dinner of tamarind tempeh and steamed vegetables is just what I need to have another restful night’s sleep.
Day 6
It’s time for the final checks with my consultants, and my blood pressure has improved, my bloating has disappeared, my skin is glowing and I’ve lost 2.5kg. I would have expected these outcomes to require effort and sacrifice on my part, but I’ve felt nothing but pampered and indulged these past 5 nights.
I already feel amazing, but my final treatment is the icing on the cake: a nourishing hair and scalp massage and mask followed by a blow dry to send me away feeling fabulous. For the first time in a while, I look in the mirror as my stylist puts the finishing touches to my transformation and have a genuine reason to smile at my reflection: it feels so good to feel this good.
RAKxa’s 5-night Rebalance Programme starts from £3,926; to book, visit www.rakxawellness.com
words by Rosie Sargeant
