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The sexiest spas in the world
Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand
The Setting
Bangkok is endlessly seductive. Still capable of inducing a traveler’s vertigo of sensory overload, the city exudes a sensuality that ranges from the sacred to the profane. Wandering the narrow lanes of the Bangrak district, enticing aromas waft from food stalls while cascades of sarongs, embroidered fabric, and carvings spill from small shops. Nearby, centuries-old temples and the neon of massage parlors beckon to seekers and sinners alike, stirring a delirious mélange of sights, sounds, and scents. It’s also here on the banks of the ageless Chao Phraya River that the superluxe (and aptly named) Shangri-La Hotel vaults into the sky, serving as a hyper-modern retreat from the swirl of activity below.
The Spa
The controlled chaos of the streets dissolves immediately upon entering the incense-infused, silk-draped realm of the hotel’s newly opened CHI Spa. Somehow, the spiritual and sensual aspects of Bangkok’s boulevards are exquisitely entwined here, a retreat redolent of exotic essences such as jasmine, sandalwood, and cardamom. There is a palpable allure of beauty and anticipated experience. Playing off the legend of Shangri-La, CHI weaves Himalayan elements such as Tibetan singing bowls and traditional sculptures with a sleek aesthetic of latticed screens, stacked sandstone walls, and artfully diffused lighting—a stylistic harmony that sets a mood of total surrender.
Satisfaction Guaranteed
The ultimate indulgence is the Yin Yang Couples massage, a treatment that features Himalayan herbs and essential oils with names that translate to “She of 1,000 Husbands” and “He Who is Virile as a Horse.” Get the idea? Halfway through the session, therapists switch the partner they are working on to transfer energies, while the focus throughout is to stir and awaken male and female forces and endocrine and hormonal systems, sending chi, or life force, to the reproductive areas. In sum, pretty hot stuff.
Masseria Torre Coccaro, Italy
The Setting
Southern Italy’s Puglia region is home to a rustic retreat. The integrity of Masseria Torre Coccaro’s 16th-century farmhouse architecture was retained during its restoration, and the antiques that fill its spacious stone-lined interiors give the feeling of having entered another era. Set among seemingly endless olive groves, the property is richly comfortable with room to wander, pools to swim in, and private nooks to discover, though excursions into nearby villages are easily arranged. Meals are organic, with seasonal ingredients leading the way — there are no menus here. Five minutes away by bike, the hotel’s beach stretches along the rocky shores of the Mediterranean, where privacy reigns supreme.
The Spa
Masseria is such a retreat from the rush of the everyday that to spa might seem redundant; relaxing comes so naturally in a place like this. But while sunning poolside, taking long drives through the countryside, and finding your own private cave on the property have their rewards, the spa itself is stunning. Built into a cave, its stony interior is warmed by candlelight, scent, and cozy blankets, its highlight a heated pool set in a quietly echoing grotto.
Satisfaction Guaranteed
To experience the mental and physical release of the Traditional Ayurvedic Massage requires settling into a large stone treatment room. Performed on a mat on the floor, the full-body treatment takes massage a step beyond as the therapist powerfully engages his own arms, legs, hands, and feet to loosen tension, stress, and undesirable muscle memory. But this is not a clothed, Thai-style massage. Instead, the unusual leverage that this off-the-table therapy offers is as physically liberating as it is requiring of the ultimate mental release — pure trust.
Begawan Giri Estate, Bali
The Setting
A decade in the making, this dream of a tropical retreat is made up of nine luxury bungalows (there are 21 suites in all) hidden among jungle gardens and perched over the Ayung River Gorge near Ubud. Each residence has a theme: Fire, Water, Forest, Wind, and Earth. My suite in Tirta-Ening (Clear Water in Indonesian) has a turquoise seamless pool directly opposite the front door and a private oasis off the back where I luxuriated for hours between a zen-styled Jacuzzi, a bathtub carved from a two-ton boulder, and under a small waterfall in the plunge pool.
The Spa
Descending 350 steps into the river gorge, the path to the spa is lined by lush jungle gardens. Brightly colored firecracker hibiscus, fragrant sandat, and masses of flowered vines glow amid the dense greenery. Birds I can’t see make exotic calls. The deeper into the gorge, the greater the roar of the river and the stronger the scent of the jungle: dewy leaves, thick soil, and aromatic flowers. About halfway down, I find a wooden platform with a small stone pool that glitters emerald green in the dappling sunlight. This is the first sign that I’m at Como Shambhala, Begawan Giri’s breathtaking open-air jungle spa.
Satisfaction Guaranteed
Originating in the 15th-century palaces of Java, Javanese Royal Lulur was traditionally practiced daily for the week preceding a royal bride’s wedding. The two-hour spa version of this sensual ritual begins with a massage of fragrant oils, accompanied here by the lulling sounds of the river. As a mask made from rice flour, turmeric, sandalwood, and jasmine is gently applied to my body, its spicy floral scent insinuates itself in my nostrils. When the intoxicating blend dries, I am rinsed and rubbed with yogurt and honey, then led to a bath scattered with jasmine and hibiscus. Time has slowed down if not stopped, and I bathe with eyes closed.
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