Layan Life is nestled in a lush jungle hillside, providing a serene escape from Phuket’s main areas. Photo / Anantara Beach House
With the latest season of The White Lotus set at a luxury Thailand wellness resort, Anna King Shahab freezes her socks off at Phuket’s newest destination retreat – the new Layan Life by Anantara.
Had it been up to me, I’m not sure I would have picked being locked for several minutes in a tight chamber set well below freezing, nor having another person physically pushing my limbs past their comfort zone of flex as my preferred picks from the menu of Layan Life’s Wellness Centre. A Sweet Herbal Dreams Thai traditional medicine aromatherapy and acupressure session, perhaps, or a spot of guided Pranayama Breathing might’ve tickled my fancy. But, after an initial consultation, my treatments were selected for me by the smiling, white-coated medical professionals. And as they say, what we need isn’t always what we want, or something to that effect.
READ MORE: What are the benefits of staying at a wellness retreat in Thailand?
So there I was, stripped down save for a disposable boob tube and panties, as well as fluffy gloves, socks and ear muffs, with my therapist Nadia taking my blood pressure and showing me the hand signals I would soon use to communicate with her from inside an Icepod during the cryotherapy session I was about to embark on – being locked inside a narrow, upright chamber for three minutes, with the temperature plunging as low as -110C. (The glamorous life of a travel writer!)
From the wellness centre menu’s “bio-harmonising” selection of treatments, the cryotherapy session is described as helping to “activate the body’s response to generate warmth; blood is redirected towards the core organs and away from painful muscles or joints, calming inflammation”. They go on to say “cryotherapy has an emotional effect as its ultra-cold temperatures cause the hypothalamus to flood the brain with endorphins, easing anxiety and enhancing both mood and overall wellbeing”.
Thumbs down! Within 30 (long) seconds I had pulled that handy signal to abort my first attempt. My heart had been racing, the lack of visibility caused by the mist had whipped me into a panic and I couldn’t fathom the idea of spending a minute (or two and a half, to be precise) longer in there. Thankfully, Nadia was used to that kind of reaction, and as I took a breather outside the chamber she assured me the mist does clear, I’d soon be able to look outside the chamber to watch the three-minute timer countdown and suggested measured breathing might help quell my panic. She was right. Round two went without a hitch – thank you, box breathing, and I even used the pointing up signal to let Nadia know I was game for getting the temperature right down to the maximum low.
Stepping out after my allotted time and into a warm, fluffy blanket for a wee sit-down, my skin prickled, I couldn’t feel my fingers and toes for a while and I was shaking, but I felt a clear adrenalin rush – I was laughing and grinning, my mind felt like it had had all the cobwebs dusted out of it and I felt an uprightness in my posture; my spine and hips felt light and pliable. I didn’t have any significant inflammation issues I could use as a gauge, but the general afterglow from my cryotherapy session seemed to last days, and I know it’s something I’d love to do again and again.
After a restorative plant-based sweet treat and herbal tea, I changed into a comfy provided set of black singlet and leggings and headed to the studio space to meet my therapist, Tas, who would be leading my Personal Stretching Session, which the menu describes as “an assisted passive stretching session tailored to your needs”, said to “promote muscle recovery and enhance performance”.
I regularly practise yoga and Pilates on a reformer machine, which both offer some excellent stretchy moments, but having someone pushing your muscles beyond their self-imposed boundaries was something quite different. I wouldn’t describe the stretching as painful, although there were moments of discomfort, but overall I had the sensation of an itch I couldn’t quite reach being scratched. And boy did I feel lithe and limber once I’d gently and slowly got up from the mat at the conclusion. A+, would trade again.
My visit to Layan Life, a new addition adjoining the family-friendly beachfront Anantara Layan Phuket Resort, was only for a day, but the wellness retreat offers bespoke three-to-10-day programmes integrating treatments with luxury accommodation and dining. The “biophilic”-designed space, nestling in tropical gardens on a lush jungle hillside, feels a world away from Phuket’s main drag. The striking split-level, light-filled wellness centre boasts state-of-the-art design and technology across its medical and holistic facilities, and neighbouring Active Zone and Outdoor Fitness areas offer plenty of ways to fit fitness into your stay, from muay Thai classes to zip-lining and windsurfing.
Farewelling the friendly team of wellness experts with a spring in my step, I joined the rest of my group for dinner at the resort’s lagoon-front restaurant, Dara. At the entrance, staff instructed us to each spin the dial to our respective star signs, then gave us a little horoscope reading to set the celestial tone for the evening.
There was to be telescope-gazing from the restaurant’s own observatory following our meal, but an incoming electrical storm put the kibosh on that. But any disappointment we had didn’t linger because the night was stellar enough as it was. Dara’s head chef, Hong, is serving up modern Thai cuisine that’s beautifully presented and equally satisfying on the flavour front, with inspiration coming from her mother’s cooking. Khun Hong put the stars right in front of us at the table that night.
GETTING THERE
Fly from Auckland to Phuket International Airport with one stopover with China Southern, Malaysia Airlines, Cathay Pacific and Singapore Airlines.
Layan Life by Anantara is roughly 25 minutes by car south of the airport.
DETAILS
anantara.com/en/layan-phuket/restaurants/dara-cuisine
The chef chats to Herald Travel about unforgettable foodie experiences in Aotearoa.