Returning to the Roots

May 24, 2023 - Just as the ingredients in your food are homegrown, locally inspired spa treatments are also flourishing. From Portuguese schist to Bhutanese dotsho, Vietnamese bamboo to Aegean Breeze, let’s get your vacation started properly.

“Life can get so busy that we often arrive somewhere in body, but our mind takes a little while to catch up. By awakening all the senses, you are more likely to ease into your holiday quicker,” explains Six Senses Director of Wellness Marketing Anna Ramsay. “Our locally inspired treatments will not only get your sense of smell stimulated but your olfactory system will bank positive memories linked to smells used. Most of us associate coconut scents with vacations and therefore like it. We aim to add to your list of happy memories with our locally inspired treatments that allow you to immerse in regionally grown ingredients and experience culture through wellness inspirations.”

The strength of a vine lies within its roots

Douro Valley is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the world’s oldest demarcated wine region. Six Senses Spa Douro Valley offers treatments using highly concentrated ingredients taken from grapes to create delicate fragrances and luxurious textures for maximum efficacy and real results. These aren’t common treatments found at any other Six Senses resort or spa. Designed specifically by Six Senses Douro Valley, inspired by guest feedback and packed with local ingredients plus schist stones found in the region. Schist stones are dense and comprised of layers of minerals that nurture and nourish vineyards to produce great grapes.

Start your spa journey with Warming Schist Vinotherapy. This two-hour unique spa experience begins with a full body exfoliation using grapeseed pearls and port followed by a relaxing massage with the placement of warming schist stones to help melt tension. A mini facial using local ingredients concludes this signature journey, leaving you refreshed and restored, and ready to explore your beautiful surroundings. Wine talks or vineyard walks – take your pick!

Opt to release your inner water baby during the 45-minute Aqua Sound Massage with Tibetan Bowls. Using a blend of healing aromatherapy oils combined with foot massage and the restorative sound vibrations of the singing bowls, you’ll float away in a state of weightlessness and sheer bliss that will leave you with a deep sense of inner and outer calm. Alternatively, the Curated Massage Experience is tailored to how you want to feel and what you need to achieve. Your therapist will guide you in selecting the right tea, essential oils, and massage techniques for your desired effect.

Vietnamese ventures

Six Senses Spa Ninh Van Bay is sending you a personal invitation to venture on a Vietnamese Journey. For two and a half hours, you will be pampered with a body scrub made of Com Xanh (Vietnamese rice) and a bamboo massage using coconut oil and suction cups as well as heated herbal poultices featuring local herbs: Tia To, Cay Nga Cuu and Kinh Goi, fresh fruits, vegetarian hand rolls and a Hung Lui (Vietnamese spearmint) tea Natural Facial Treatment.

Better with Bhutan

The Traditional Dotsho (Hot Stone Bath) is a 45-minute ‘must experience’ when visiting Six Senses Bhutan. Mineral-rich stones from riverbeds are heated for several hours and added gradually into the water in a traditional stone bath. Heating the water in increments allows the body to adjust to the changes in temperature and encourages the purification process. Minerals released by the stones with the addition of Khempa, a Bhutanese medicinal herb, work together to release muscle pain, joint stiffness and travel sickness.

Ease in to your own skin with Elounda

We’ve all heard of the expression ‘ocean air, salty hair’. Six Senses Spa Elounda in Greece is sending out a siren’s call to try the Aegean Breeze with Salt and Olive Oil, ​a 60-minute cleansing and nourishing treatment starting with a herbal scrub made from Cretan sea salt and olive oil. Afterwards, a personalized full body massage blends nurturing oils with healing hands to leave your skin soft and rejuvenated, from top to toe.

“Our guests love this spa experience as the scents and sensations included in the treatment are a beautiful extension of our island home,” says Elli Soumaki, Area Director of Six Senses Spas. “After the treatment, guests come out stroking their arms as their skin is so soft.”

Locally inspired, around the world

From around the world, we work hard to curate the best culturally rooted wellspring. Locally inspired treatments can be found across all Six Senses Spas. Over at Six Senses Vana in India, the team specialize in Ayurveda, Yoga and Tibetan Medicine. Hop over to Turkey, where you can find Hammam experiences at Six Senses Kocataş Mansions and Six Senses Kaplankaya. And of course, we wouldn’t be able to conclude without including our new take on ancient Roman Baths at Six Senses Rome, Italy.

Select the treatment of your choice and we’ll hand-pick the components for true wellness and cultural immersion.