A personal touch
Despite increasing demand for personalised spa treatments, only a select few offer fully customised packages steeped in history and opulence. One example is the The Dheva Spa at The Dhara Dhevi Chiang Mai, a Lanna-inspired 60 acre resort that flaunts about six acres of paddy fields.
The Dhara Dhevi Chiang Mai compound houses just 123 spacious villas and suites. The most prized experience would be the 644-sqm Royal Residence, courting six Lanna-style pavilions, three pools, a grand piano, and a wall artifact hailing from the city’s oldest temple, Wat Chiang Man.
But the main highlight of The Dhara Dhevi Chiang Mai is its world-class destination spa, which takes after the iconic Burmese Mandalay Palace. The therapies share just as much history as its architecture, offering rituals from the ancient Lanna Kingdom, such as Tok Sen (Lanna massage). This consists of rhythmic tapping of pressure points to rejuvenate the mind and body. Apart from massage and facial packages, spa ‘ceremonies’ such as the Lanna, Royal Thai and Indian Ceremonies are also available. Each ceremony lasts for three hours and 20 minutes.
The signatures at the spa, however, are the specialised Ayurvedic treatments. The Ayurvedic technique is one of the world’s oldest whole-body healing systems, rooting back to ancient Hindi medicine that was practised more than 5,000 years ago. These practices aim to strike a balance between dosha (energy) levels, bringing the body’s internal environment to a net equillbrium.
Before treatment, guests sip on warm Butterfly Pea Flower tea while a consultant takes them through a questionnaire, and an Energy Field Imaging session, that analyses light frequencies reflected from bodies. After a general examination of the guest’s health, the in-house Ayurvedic specialist will recommend a string of treatments tailored to target specific areas. These treatments do not merely include massages. Bespoke yoga, meditation and gym sessions will be arranged with private instructors to focus on rebalancing dosha levels.
The therapeutic treatments can be combined or performed individually. As guests comfortably ensconce themselves within one of the 18 luxurious Ayurvedic Suites, or at their private residences, all senses are awakened. Whiffs of warm herb-infused oils tingle the senses while the gentle compressions of the body coax muscles to relax and
