8 Over-the-Top Spa Experiences You’ll Only Find in Bali
From diamond-dusted massages to a bare-bottomed mystical steam ritual.
By Harper’s Bazaar Singapore Team - published
To some, Bali is the island of the Gods, with hand-carved stone temples evoking an ancient holiness. To others, it’s known as the land of love, where secret gardens and infinity pools offer honeymooners a glimpse of happily ever after. And yet to still others, those who consider the spa to be their mecca, Bali is the world capital of spoiling yourself rotten.
Given that Bali is an epicenter for all things spiritual, spa-ing here is a quasi-religious experience; and these top-of-the-line spa escapes are high altars to indulgence. Set against cascading rice paddies and lush greenery, these sanctuaries paint a picture of serenity, while the rituals that take place inside feel somehow wholesome yet completely over the top. Deep-tissue massages incorporating precious gem shavings, colorful aromatic wraps and tinctures, saltwater whirl pools pumped up from the Indian Ocean below are all on the menu–and a super-sized, hand-picked, fresh young coconut or detox brew usually awaits after each and every one. In the name of getting back to basics, no extravagance is spared. Below, eight edenic Balinese spas where you will find your calm (and lose your cool).
This article originally appeared on Harper's BAZAAR US.
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Spa on the Rocks at AYANA Resort and Spa, Jimbaran
Perched on a cliff top overlooking the Indian Ocean and blooming with lush, colorful flora, AYANA is the island’s most extensive spa resort. Its Thermes Marins Aquatonic Pool, equipped with 60 seawater jet streams that massage muscles and target cellulite, is an essential experience for every visitor (and pummeled both the jetlag and acne out of me on a recent press trip). But AYANA’s real pièce de résistance is its Spa on the Rocks, a set of individual treatment rooms resting on rocks that jut out over the water, with 360-degree views of the ocean and a natural soundtrack of waves spattering against the glass huts as they near the shore. It’s here that the spa’s most extravagant treatments take place, including lava stone reflexology, hot-and-cold jade massages, a slimming seaweed and caffeine wrap, and the ultra-lavish Diamond Miracle: a foot soak and massage, rose petal bath, massage using silk and pearl fragments and facial using sea quartz and diamond dust. Forget glow—why not walk out sparkling?
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COMO Shambhala Estate, near Ubud
Just north of Ubud, COMO Shambhala’s breathtaking emerald-green rainforest backdrop seems to possess a Shakespearean enchantment. A holistic health retreat, complete with a resident dietitian and Ayurvedic doctor, it attracts the most zealous of wellness vacationers, who are often participating in an individualized cleansing or self-betterment program. At the estate’s epicenter is the spa, minimalist in design and maximalist in its offerings. During a press tour, I received the Shirodhara, a mind-quieting Ayurvedic treatment that begins with a full-body massage, after which a continuous stream of aromatic, medicated oils is poured over the third eye, filtered through a steampunk-y brass pump. The effect was trance-like. Others go for the bespoke acupuncture program; joint-mobilizing massage conducted inside the property’s alkaline, hydrojet Vitality Pool; or Hydradermie facial, which sends a mild electric current through the skin to achieve peak radiance.
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Four Seasons Sayan, Ubud
What is more sacred than sleep? Sacred River Spa at the Four Seasons Sayan upgrades the art of slumber with its Sacred Nap. Think: resting in a silk hammock, cocooned over the Balinese jungle, while listening to the property’s resident Buddhist nun whisper bedtime stories about the Buddha. For those seeking rejuvenation over relaxation, hands-on sessions like full-moon yoga, a mini jungle biathlon, and rice planting and Balinese massage lessons make for more invigorating activities. The Tantric Bliss ceremony, a sensuous four-hands massage to awaken the kundalini energy, will catch the eye of unshy visitors. But the climax of the spa program may be the seven chakra ceremonies, among them Muladhara, which balances the grounding chakra through a combination of quartz crystal singing bowls; an abundance of aromatic ingredients like ginger, cinnamon, vetiver, patchouli and jatamansi oils; and a Balinese kemenyan smoke ceremony—which involves being massaged while sitting bare-bottomed on a steaming basket.
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Anantara, Uluwatu
At the Anantara, on the southern tip of the island, wellness is next to godliness. Which is why its Balance spa recently hired Ibu Jero, one of Bali’s high priestesses, to helm a new natural healing program. A fifth-generation intuitive healer, Jero offers guests an extensive menu of spiritual enhancement sessions to choose from, but the most devout wellness junkies will be drawn to Jero’s take on the traditional Balinese melukat ceremony, a self-purification ritual that, at the Anantara, involves chanting self-affirming mantras, being anointed with consecrated spring water, a temple offering, and an energy cleansing, plus a 60-minute massage for good measure. Also transformational is the property’s dramatic glass chapel overhanging the Indian Ocean, where guests can Zen out or, get married with a panoramic view of the surf break.
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Mandapa, A Ritz-Carlton Reserve, near Ubud
Nestled in the Balinese jungle surrounding Ubud, Mandapa offers a wide-ranging spa menu that has something for everyone, from the yogi to the occult-shop frequenter to the naturopathy enthusiast—especially those traveling in pairs. The Mandapa Private Spa Suite, host to the most indulgent couples’ treatments, boasts its own steam shower, relaxation lounge, plunge pool, and treatment areas, where honeymooners can experience ceremonies like the “romance-inspiring” gita cinta: a welcoming foot ritual, cactus brush spearmint skin exfoliation, Balinese-Javanese hybrid massage, and a reviving rose quartz crystal scalp massage, plus relaxation time (or, you know, whatever) in the suite’s private pool, cabana, or river-view terrace. Spa-ing solo? Book a consultation with one of the spa’s multiple healers or naturopaths, or try an aromatic jasmine skin smoother with body-firming butters. Want to peer into your future? Partake in a Vedic astrology session.
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Alila Villas, Uluwatu
While its treatments draw from ancient Balinese tradition, the Spa Alila has a distinctly modern feel. Its coffee-cocoa-coconut exfoliation and wrap is a crowd pleaser, but if you’re partial to turmeric and ginger to achieve a glow or clay and geranium to soothe your skin, they’ll be customized to suit your needs. Those traveling in twos, take note: the spa is not only cool with you getting frisky behind closed sauna doors, it offers private steam rooms to couples during mask application specifically to encourage an “intimately therapeutic experience.” A singing bowl session can help you reach a different kind of nirvana through sound healing and vibration balancing, while those seeking radiance will take interest in the Babor collagen facial. Yogis will rejoice in the array of specialty guided practices available, from paddleboard-top to aerial.
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Banyan Tree, Ungasan
Towering over the beach, ocean and tree line, Banyan Tree seems as though it resides somewhere in the clouds rather than on the southern edge of the island. Visitors receive the royal treatment, most popularly the Royal Banyan treatment, which includes a full-body mixed-discipline massage, coriander cucumber cleanser, herbal pouch massage, rejuvenating jade face massage, and therapeutic herbal bath. Also unique is Banyan Tree’s Tropical Rainmist, which tops off a purifying body scrub with luxurious water rituals like a cleansing mitt scrub, honey milk nourisher, or therapeutic hair wash.
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Amandari, near Ubud
Aman derives from a word that means “place of peace,” and the trademark tranquility of the brand’s resorts (across 20 countries) is exactly what attracts its cult-like fan base (self-named Amanjunkies). The properties are known for minimalist design schemes that blend into show-stopping natural surroundings—accented by superior personalized service and a dreamy pool, of course. Amandari’s spa incorporates scents and materials indigenous to the island to create a five-senses experience. Its signature Village Spa Treatment, also based on the Balinese melukat, follows up a water purification ritual with tactile treatments including a full-body black rice exfoliation, a volcanic clay body wrap, and a massage. Other standouts include the frangipani-filled flower bath and the mandi lulur, a wedding day ceremony built around a massage, a turmeric-and-honey exfoliating body mask, and an aromatic herbal bath.
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