Latest news with #LayanLife
Vogue
6 days ago
- Health
- Vogue
Layan Life by Anantara
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 transatlantic flight—we want to make sure it's worth the journey. Whatever your path, let us be your guide. Why go here? Let's be honest, we could all use a reset from time to time, and Layan Life might just be one of the best places to do it. Tucked away within Anantara Layan Phuket Resort's lush paradise, not only do you get the chance to explore Thailand's largest island, but this medi-spa takes hotel wellness offerings to new heights. With a menu of more than 50 offerings (I counted) that covers everything from ancient Thai practices to modern-day medical treatments, it's where you'd come for multiday curated retreats, or even if you don't exactly know what it is that you need—that's the beauty of having access to a diverse staff of specialized practitioners. Photo: Courtesy of Layan Life by Anantara What's the vibe? As your chauffeured golf cart makes its way down palm-fringed paths and a steep, winding road, a glass-walled building suspended above a lily pond emerges. The beige interiors are unremarkable, but perhaps that's the point, creating a space that calms the mind and cedes attention to the surrounding greenery, on full display thanks to floor-to-ceiling windows. The ground level is largely dedicated to movement, with a sizable 24-hour fitness center stocked with what seems like every piece of Technogym equipment in existence along with two studios, one of which is dedicated to reformer Pilates. At the end of the hall you'll find the heated vitality pool, a cold plunge, and an experience shower, along with the changing rooms, each with a Himalayan salt sauna and steam room. Above is the heart of Layan Life, where the majority of the treatments take place. At some hours, it'll seem like you're the only one in the facility, but at least one of the 19 rooms is likely occupied at any given moment. Many of the spaces are designed for specific purposes, like for cryotherapy, hyperbaric oxygen therapy, colonic hydrotherapy, and IV vitamin drips. Even the massage beds have been appropriately selected, with wider tables in the traditional Thai medicine (TTM) rooms. It's organized. Clinical, even. But it adds to the overall sense of professionalism and commitment to wellness at Layan Life. Photo: Courtesy of Layan Life by Anantara The history? While Anantara Layan Phuket Resort opened in 2014, Layan Life didn't launch until this past October. Staying true to Anantara's Thai roots, TTM plays a significant role at the facility and is complemented by cutting-edge technology. Drawing from traditional beliefs that food is a form of medicine, the resort also offers a dedicated menu with dishes free of gluten, dairy, and processed sugars. Photo: Courtesy of Layan Life by Anantara What should you try? The simple and honest answer is that it all comes down to your personal goals. Remember, this isn't your ordinary spa (although the resort has one of those too). But if I have to pinpoint something from Layan Life's encyclopedic menu, I'm heading straight to the TTM section. Upon arrival, the team ushered me straight into one of Layan Life's many rooms for nuad rajasamnak, a massage that was once reserved for Thai royalty. The practice involves targeted acupressure to what are known as Sen in TTM—energy lines from which life force flows, with 10 major paths believed to govern well-being—paired with warm herbal compresses to ease muscle tension and inflammation. A total dream after more than 30 hours of travel. A close second was the Sweet Herbal Dreams treatment, where an herbal poultice was gently applied to my body, delivering on the promise of a deep and restorative sleep, as confirmed by my Fitbit's built-in sleep tracker the next day. For those who experience frequent aches, I'd also recommend a 3D body scan so that a physiotherapist can better understand your problem areas and follow it up with a targeted treatment to help relieve pain or optimize mobility. Photo: Courtesy of Layan Life by Anantara How environmentally friendly is it? The elimination of single-use plastic is a growing norm, thankfully, but it's still worth noting when a hotel commits to it. What else do we need to know? The resort offers a daily schedule of six complimentary activities that range from fitness classes to cultural introductions. For those who enjoy exercising by way of sports, hit the tennis court with a private lesson or opt for some time in the ring with a Muay Thai coach. Who can go? Anyone on Phuket is welcome—just make sure to book in advance. Booking details for Layan Life by Anantara Address: Anantara Layan Phuket, 168 Moo 6, Layan Beach Soi 4, Cherngtalay, Thalang, Phuket Read more from Vogue's Global Spa Guide.
Forbes
25-05-2025
- Health
- Forbes
This Thai Resort Is Becoming A Wellness Disruptor. Here's How.
Layan Life, the new wellness center at Anantara Layan Phuket Resort in Thailand. At most luxury resorts, wellness is somewhere near the end of a long list of amenities, behind the signature restaurant, infinity pool, and shopping. But what if it were at the top? That's the idea behind Layan Life, a new medical wellness facility at the Anantara Layan Phuket Resort. The hotel has put health at its center by combining science-backed therapies with traditional healing practices. The result is a program that's pushing the boundaries of wellness — and it could affect your next vacation. Wellness is one of the dominant tourism trends of 2025. The Global Wellness Institute projects that the wellness market is growing by 12 percent a year and will reach $8.5 trillion by 2027. And while there have always been boutique resorts with a more intense wellness focus, such as Six Senses or Miraval, it's a trend that appears to be spreading to more traditional luxury resorts in places like Southeast Asia. Layan Life's resident physiotherapist, Pacanut Intafong, works with a patient at Layan Life in Phuket, Thailand. Dee McGuinness, the group director for spa and wellness at Anantara, says the Layan Life method is about treating the whole person – body, mind, and spirit. "We gently educate our guests on a healthier approach to being-well, through nutrition and restful sleep – simple sustainable practices which ignites that inner glow." That "glow" can be elusive when you've crossed 11 time zones for vacation. It can be elusive even if you're traveling from nearby Bangkok, come to think of it. The Layan Life facility at Anantara Layan Phuket Resort is a purpose-built spa and medical facility that looks like it belongs on the cover of Architectural Digest. There are welcoming spaces throughout the facility, and the treatment rooms have floor-to-ceiling windows that fill them with natural light. Layan Life features everything you'd expect to find at a conventional spa, including an indoor pool, steam rooms, exercise equipment, and a yoga studio. But there are things you don't see at a normal spa, such as a hyperbaric chamber and a high-intensity laser used for physiotherapy. Why the unconventional equipment? Central to Layan Life's treatments is the Life Method, which emphasizes advanced diagnostics and treatments, bodywork and spiritual healing, holistic therapies and lifestyle practices that promote wellness. There's even a resident herbalist who prepares custom teas to enhance your health. In other words, they'll use whatever methods are available to fix you. Layan Life's resident herbalist prepares a pot of hibiscus tea for guests. A typical treatment starts with consulting Layan's resident doctor, who reviews your health history. He'll discuss your wellness goals and then decide which treatments you need. After that, you might undergo a posture analysis. Layan Life uses a Moti Dynamic Postural Analysis system that scans you while you're standing and then performs a body structure assessment. It quickly analyzes your posture, gait, and hip angles and identifies any problems. Then it emails you a list of recommended exercises to correct your posture. If the issues are more serious — such as an old injury that went untreated and is causing posture problems — Layan's resident physiotherapist can recommend a massage or laser treatment to address the problem. There are consultations with a Thai Traditional Medicine (TTM) specialist. TTM analyzes your health based on ancient principles to balance physical, mental, and spiritual well-being. A registered TTM practitioner might recommend herbal remedies or hands-on therapies to increase your wellness. Layan Life also has an energy healer on staff who can diagnose any imbalances in your body. Energy healing can help with pain management and processing trauma, and the facility considers it an integral part of the Life Method. A treatment room at Layan Life in Phuket, Thailand. As you go through the system, all of the specialists — from the doctor to the energy healer — are consulting with one another to ensure you get the correct treatments. They might recommend an IV drip procedure next. It's a 60-minute treatment with nutrients that give you more energy and support vital brain function. They might also send you to the cryotherapy chamber, which can help with inflammation and joint pain. Not all of the therapies are easy. For example, the cold chamber exposes you to temperatures as low as -180 degrees. Colonic hydrotherapy, billed as a "purifying treatment" that removes the toxins that have built up in the colon over time, may make some guests squeamish. And if you don't like needles, you might have some trouble with the IV drip therapy. But most of the treatments are more conventional. For example, there's a special massage for office syndrome, which counteracts back, neck and shoulder pain that results from sitting at a desk for a long time in the same position. Layan Life's physiotherapist helps release your strained muscles and teaches you effective stretches and postural improvements to relieve muscular tension. There are also classes such as Pranayama breathing, which can lower your stress levels and increase mindfulness. The facility's expert guide will run you through a series of exercises designed to harness your life force by breathing better. Integration is a major trend in the wellness industry, and Anantara is trying to position itself at the cutting edge of that movement. Just south of the new Layan Life project in Malaysia, there's the Anantara Desaru Coast Resort & Villas, which has embraced a more holistic approach to wellness. At Layan Life, there's a special menu that allows you to pursue your wellness goals when you're away from the spa. Typical fare includes rustic banana bread and fruit for breakfast or a sprouts salad with edamame, baked broccoli, pumpkin or wok-seared beef with umeboshi dressing for lunch. Even dinners at Dara, its Thai fusion restaurant, feature healthy salads and vegan dishes that allow you to keep a healthy routine. Wellness is built into almost every aspect of the resort experience, including the rooms and activities. But the real question is, does it work? It may be too soon to know. But Anantara Life's unified approach to wellness could be a welcome break from luxury resorts in Southeast Asia that emphasize heavy meals and a sedentary lifestyle. And ultimately, a stay at a resort like Anantara Layan Phuket Resort could mean the difference between feeling well-rested after a vacation — or arriving back home feeling fatigued and perhaps in need of another vacation.
Times
22-05-2025
- Health
- Times
Too scared to spa? This Thai retreat will convert you
'Are you OK with needles? For the IV drip therapy.' Yes, that's fine. 'Are you OK with heights? For the ziplining.' Errr, pardon? 'And would you like a colonic?' Umm … After my pre-consultation for a wellness retreat at Layan Life at the Anantara Layan Phuket Resort, I had a slight knot in my stomach. I'd never done a wellness retreat before. Day spas in the UK, plenty. But here I'd signed up for a five-night programme that included body analysis, medical consultations and high-end treatments. As I reminded myself: We're not in the hot tub any more, Toto. Just 30 minutes along the coast from Phuket airport, this Anantara hotel has a mix of accommodation with views of the Andaman Sea, including 30 suites, 46 double pool villas and 15 sprawling pool residences designed for families, all a short golf-buggy ride from the central areas. Located within luxuriant forest, each of the rooms is very private, with modern Thai-style interiors, and lots of spoiling treats, from a giant comfy bed to a huge bath. When I wasn't getting well in the wellness centre, my villa was a beautiful and tranquil place to do absolutely nothing. The three-to-ten-day packages at its new enormous two-storey Layan Life wellness centre, which opened in late last year, combines future-proofing medical strategies and traditional Thai techniques. Each programme is personalised depending on what you want to achieve — you can learn Thai boxing or improve your mental strength with t'ai chi, or undertake a mindfulness and healthy eating regime. Once you're inside the centre, clad in light wood and warm neutrals and overseen by the most helpful staff, you can, as I soon learnt, choose your own adventure. Having never done one before, I wanted to start with the basics — a postural analysis and a 3D body scan. A few minutes after posing in front of the camera, I could see my entire body on the screen, alongside a helpful breakdown of my muscle and fat distribution and highlights of the weaknesses in my body. The scan almost immediately showed up a sore shoulder, which had been bothering me for weeks. Straight after, I was sent to talk to Pat, the physio, who gave me an intense massage followed by a one-on-one personal training session to create an exercise regime to strengthen it. It was the fastest diagnosis and treatment I could have asked for. After a consultation with the doctor, to check my general health, it was time for the IV drip therapy. I was hooked up to the bag full of vitamins and amino acids to help with brain function and chilled out in a comfortable chair overlooking the lush green jungle. I peacefully read the first half of The Old Man and the Sea, chuckling as I imagined what Hemingway would have thought of all this. If he was game, I concluded, he'd have signed up for the hangover drip (their most popular choice). I definitely felt invigorated afterwards. The most exhilarating experience was the cryotherapy chamber. Having never looked sexier, in football shorts, a mesh bra and fluffy earmuffs, I stepped into the chamber for three minutes at -110C and stepped out, shaking and with blood rushing through my body. Top athletes tend to have this treatment to calm inflammation. I would recommend it to anyone who wants to feel alive. Ziplining was equally life-affirming. Cruising through the trees across the resort was oddly peaceful, rather than daunting — 20 minutes of birdlike bliss as I soared above trees in a harness, enjoying the forests and seascapes around. Gut health was a prominent theme through the week. The doctors and practitioners talked me through the benefits of eating pre- and pro-biotics for my body. It also cropped up during my visage analysis on how to improve my skin and during my colonic. In the Beach House restaurant there is a specially created gut-healthy menu by the chef Filippo Tawil (who previously worked at Clinic La Prairie) that included fresh, nutritious food that ranged from antioxidant juices to surprisingly healthy lamb koftas. All dishes are free from gluten, dairy and processed sugars and full of high-quality macronutrients. Like everything here, you are given options — and can either choose the super-healthy meals, or indulge in the varied cuisine. The traditional Thai treatments in my programme came in the form of a rajasamnak massage, an extremely light-touch meditative experience. My imagination ran wild for an hour, with trippy dreams and vivid visions. After my first session of chakra rebalancing, something within me was definitely unlocked. I'm still not entirely sure what happened during this deeply relaxing treatment, but the calming after-effects lingered for days. Of the resort's six restaurants, Dara Cuisine is the crown jewel. Here, I was treated to a feast of modern Thai dishes, including flavourful curries, and fragrant and fresh fish and spicy veg dishes —followed by an hour of stargazing on the rooftop after dessert. Admiring the cosmos, especially seeing Jupiter up close, was as life-affirming as the spa treatments. Seeing thousands of stars stretching out into inky infinity really does put daily worries into perspective. I was anxious about admitting to unhealthy lifestyle traits but the staff couldn't have been more generous or more kind — there was no judgment. The focus was looking forward, not backwards, and the changes I could make at home towards a life of self-improvement. I left feeling refreshed and relaxed, with a list filled with advice to take forward. Although the resort sprawls along the coast, there's room for every guest to be as social or as private as they like. In the evening the rooftop bar has good music and excellent cocktails over which to meet other guests or simply to chill out and watch the sunset. The size of the resort means there are both places to gather — and hide — including a 24-hour gym, studios for daily yoga and Pilates classes, hydrotherapy pools and, of course, the beach. The resort is set on the most beautiful bay, so I spent a large part of my time bobbing around in the sea. A few weeks on and I'm still dreaming about my trip. I think about gut health when I do the weekly shop, mull over the trippy dreams and what they might signify, and am still doing the exercises Pat taught me. Consider me a convert. Details Doubles in a Deluxe Pool Villa cost from £499, b&b. A three-night retreat, with ten personalised treatments, group classes and workshops, costs an additional £966,
Listly
05-04-2025
- Health
- Listly
Top Reasons You Need to Take a Wellness Retreat ASAP - Because You Deserve a Break (for Real!)
Wellness isn't just about rest, it's also about finding balance for your mind, body, and soul. What better way to do that than in a dreamy destination far away from city stress? That's why when it comes to enriching wellness retreats, Phuket, an idyllic island in Thailand, is popular since it's set amidst golden beaches, lush forests, and tranquil lagoons. You can look forward to such a transformative journey at retreats offered by the likes of Layan Life, blending ancient Thai traditions with modern healing techniques. You can also enjoy guided meditation, longevity treatments, in-nature adventures, and personalised nutrition plans. It's not just about relaxation, it's about transformation. This is your chance to reset, restore, and maybe even discover a whole new 'you'!
South China Morning Post
03-03-2025
- Health
- South China Morning Post
How luxury hotels are evolving into wellness hubs: think Phuket's Anantara Layan, Four Seasons Singapore's collaboration with Chi Longevity and Six Senses Ibiza's partnership with Rose Bar
As we enter the golden age of wellness tourism – the industry is growing exponentially and will be worth US$1.4 trillion by 2027 according to the Global Wellness Institute – luxury hotel brands are looking to capitalise on the trend by creating next-level wellness experiences to lure in new customers. 'Travellers nowadays are savvy and wellness travellers even more so,' says Trisha Bannister, wellness director at the newly opened Layan Life at the Anantara Layan resort in Phuket . 'They are looking for places that go beyond the spa, the yoga retreat or an aesthetic-based quick fix that can be found in a lot of hotels.' Anantara Layan Wellness Center. Photo: Handout Advertisement In the past, health-conscious travellers would head to dedicated wellness resorts such as Thailand's Chiva-Som or The Farm in the Philippines to experience cutting-edge medical and wellness treatments. These resorts, however, are starting to face stiff competition from luxury hotels launching 360-degree experiences that embrace physical, holistic and spiritual modalities, while offering world-class hospitality and luxe accommodation. 'Hotels are keeping up with wellness resorts by amping up their offerings but, likewise, wellness resorts are borrowing from hotels' playbooks in terms of elevating guest journeys and the customer experience. Increasingly these two worlds are converging,' explains Cathy Feliciano-Chon, managing partner at marketing agency Finn Partners, whose clients include The Mandarin Oriental and Marriott International Luxury Brands. Surrenne Club pool at The Emory. Photo: Handout 'In many cases, they're partnering with established wellness centres because that is the quickest and most compelling way they can offer wellness. Hotels, after all, are about hospitality. They'll need to bring in the wellness experts to be able to do it right,' she says, citing examples such as the Four Seasons Singapore's collaboration with Chi Longevity and Six Senses Ibiza's partnership with Rose Bar, led by acclaimed wellness expert Dr Mark Hyman. The latest trend, however, sees hotels launching and operating their own centres, which offer the best facilities, treatments and staff to go with it. Often, they cater to the local community as well as guests. Take for example, London-based wellness and longevity members' club Surrenne, launched by Maybourne Hotels at The Emory, which opened in April last year. The 2,000-square-metre space is entirely devoted to health and well-being and includes the country's first studio from global fitness guru Tracy Anderson. Tracy Anderson Studio at The Emory. Photo: Handout Wellness brand Soneva Soul, the brainchild of Soneva Resorts founder Sonu Shivdasani, is another stand-out. It combines ancient healing modalities with modern technology to curate personalised wellness experiences that cover movement, sleep, medical services and innovative, regenerative treatments like stem cell therapies – all of which can be enjoyed while on holiday. New on the scene is the aforementioned Layan Life, which opened its doors in September last year. Located within the grounds of Anantara Layan Phuket Resort, this medical wellness concept is housed in a 1,767-square-metre, purpose-built facility designed using biophilic principles. A short walk from the hotel's main pool and restaurant, the stunning space blends contemporary architecture with nature and would not look out of place in a design magazine with its floor-to-ceiling windows, warm neutral tones, airy spaces and abundance of natural light.
