COMO Shambhala at COMO Metropolitan Singapore
Welcome to the second iteration of Vogue's global spa guide, an index of the 100 best spas in the world, built from the expertise of our global editors and trusted contributors. There is a lot to choose from in the world of wellness, and no matter how far you're planning to travel—from a subway ride to a trans-Atlantic flight—we want to make sure it's worth the journey. Whatever your path, let us be your guide.
Why go here?
COMO Shambhala Singapore is the only Singaporean outlet for the Singapore-based and founded COMO Shambhala, part of the larger COMO hotels & resorts empire, founded by Christina Ong. While the Bali location is advertised as the premiere retreat for a secluded, all-encompassing experience, the Singapore location is the 'urban flagship,' touted as the center for innovation for the entire Shambhala enterprise. In a city where you can't walk a block without running into a second-floor walk-in massage parlor, it offers something distinctly high-end, stylish, efficient, and elegant.
Photo: Courtesy of COMO Shambhala
What's the vibe?
Designed by Milan-based designer and architect, Paola Navone of OTTO Studio, COMO Shambhala Singapore is aesthetically unified by its pale blue tiles, sort of like what you might find in an upscale Italian pool or a location scouted by Italian director Paolo Sorrentino. It's a quite distinct look for an Asian spa, modern, crisp and without a bamboo shoot or orchid in sight. (Delicious warm ginger tea is served in cups sourced by Ong from artisanal pottery studio in Ubud, Bali, pottery—that's the kind of inspired aesthetic grace notes the spa incorporates.)
The spa itself feels like the kind of place that busy Singaporeans might stop by for an hour or two. People don't seem to stay still in general in this city, and the spa seems aware that it's (mostly) catering to a clientele that is on the move. (There is a multi-day 'digestive reset' program involving cleanses of varying intensities if you do want to call the hotel and spa home for a stretch.) On the day I visited there were far more people bustling in and out in spandex than shuffling around in robes.
What's the history?
As mentioned, COMO Shambhala, with 16 locations around the world (spanning the globe, from Turks and Caicos to Bhutan to London), has become synonymous with elegant, high-end wellness retreats. But there is a special resonance to COMO Shambhala Singapore, the only Singaporean outlet for the Singapore-based company. COMO Shambhala, in fact, first started in 1997 as a local yoga studio in the city. This outlet is part of the relatively new COMO Orchard hotel, which opened in 2023, just off the buzzing, luxury-laden shopping thoroughfare of Orchard Road where pedestrians pass in and out of air-conditioned malls, laden with Gucci or Prada shopping bags.
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