One & Only Spas by Matt Morley

It might have been easier to stay in Europe this summer, but we decided to buck the trend and head off to Dubai and the Maldives to sample some of the world’s most exotic spas.

One&Only Kanahura

One&Only Kanahura in the Maldives won a 2006 design award for its recent refurbishments and it is not hard to see why. The resort now matches elegance with understatement, informality with five-star luxury and a paradise island feeling of space and seclusion with everything you would expect from a One&Only.

Three gourmet restaurants, a poolside beach bar, freshwater swimming pool and a centrally located spa mean you can slide out of the water and onto a massage table in less than 30-seconds flat.

In its deliberately laid back approach, the spa here also fits in perfectly with the Kanahura mentality of “barefoot luxury”. There is no unnecessary pomp or pomposity involved, just walk in, throw on a bathrobe and enjoy the experience. Psychologically, this can be a weight off one’s mind, particularly for men who find spas somewhat daunting places.

Kanahura’s spa offers a wide range of Asian body and soul rituals for both sexes, but for a touch of local flavour, try the Indian head massage in which a therapist uses a mix of smooth and penetrating movements to create a tingling sensation in the scalp that is guaranteed to last for the rest of the day. Pressure points around the neck and shoulders are also gently brought to life, causing the front forehead in particular to relax, somewhat bizarrely!

If you are tempted to try more, look out for the almost unpronounceable Maldivian Theyo Dhemun signature massage or the slightly more graspable Citrus Body Bliss treatment. No matter what you opt for though, be sure to finish off with a dip or three in the hot and cold plunge pools located inside both male and female changing rooms. These unique oases of shady calm lie at the very epicentre of the resort, not that you’d ever know it.

Reethi Rah

Reethi Rah lifted the bar on what a luxury resort could do to impress its increasingly demanding clientele. No mean feat in itself perhaps, but holding on to its unofficial title as the world’s no.1 resort for several years is even further testament to just how advanced this place really is.

The purpose-built island contains 130 beach and over-water villas designed by architect Jean Michel Gathy, a wine cellar with 17000+ bottles from around the world, six kilometres of private coastline, a 23metre infinity lap pool to top all others, as well as a 9500 sq metre spa. And that’s before mention of the countless world class dive sites waiting just 30 minutes out to sea too.

Reading like a Robinson Crusoe fantasyland of all that an island resort should be, if one were foolish enough to attempt some kind of criticism of the place, it might conceivably be that it is all just a little too perfect. This magazine’s editor distinctly remembers getting over that particular hurdle while sipping champagne in front of a memorable Indian Ocean sunset one evening; apparently nature could do perfection too, so that was alright then.

ESPA run the spa here and have been given enough space to let their imaginations run wild. Multiple open-air relaxation pavilions, over-water private spa rooms, stand alone treatment villas and both male and female outdoor vitality pool complexes mean this is nothing short of a mini spa village.

So pack a bag, bring a picnic, plan a whole day’s spa outing if you like. Or better yet, let your butler do it all for you. Start with an ESPA aromatherapy massage, followed by a kundalini yoga lesson in a pavilion hovering over the ocean before letting the heat get the better of you and lazing in the cool seclusion of a private relaxation pool.

Dubai is gleefully making a name for itself as a city of the future, a sign of things to come, a beacon of brash commercialism in all its guises. So the One&Only Royal Mirage with its Arabesque architecture and traditional motifs has no difficulties in standing out.

But this is about more than differentiation amongst an otherwise modern hotel marketplace. The Royal Mirage has some of the most exclusive accommodation around in the shape of its Residence & Spa, a 50-room private residence with adjoining Givenchy spa and even a hammam, all neatly set apart from the rest of the resort.

Residence Manager Philippe DuPont is an elegant Frenchman who runs a remarkably tight ship, assuring his guests that they need not bother reserving for dinner for example, as they will always have a table set aside for them. Personalised service, sea-facing suites and an “anything is possible” attitude mean this is the preferred accommodation option for Western VIPs, local Sheiks and high-powered businessmen when visiting the Royal Mirage.

And their partners haven’t been forgotten either as the Givenchy-run spa features an ornate reception and 12 treatment rooms where signature massages, facials and body scrubs make use of Givenchy’s finest products. Many choose to begin their visit here before moving downstairs to the must-see oriental hammam.

Here guests are dressed in traditional cloth wraps known as ‘Pestemals’ before being escorted into the central bathing area where professional masseurs, or ‘tellaks’, scrub them with natural black soap. The ensuing ritual involves hot steam, cleansing rinses and gentle all-over massages before finishing with plenty of cold water to close the pores, some Moroccan mint tea and a welcome lie down in a darkened room.