CAN A SPA MAKE YOU HAPPY?

Can a spa break truly create lasting contentment? Dolly Alderton takes her deeply entrenched anxiety to Thailand to find out

Dolly Alderton heads to Thailand to find some much-needed calm

Until I arrived at relaxation bootcamp – or Amanpuri, a luxurious wellness retreat in a former coconut plantation on Phuket’s jade-green coast

– I didn’t realise how much guilt I carry about the concept of relaxation.

The flight here is long, but the experience is painless, thanks to the amazing legroom on Emirates, a blanket and back-to-back films. Regardless, work pressures mean I’m an overstretched, under-slept mess. But when I arrive at the resort to a garland of fresh flowers and a cup of hibiscus tea, I know I’m in safe and soothing hands.

Overlooking the Andaman Sea, Amanpuri is comprised of Thai-style pavilions housing suites, treatment rooms, restaurants and a bar, all elegantly constructed from teak wood so rarefied that the hotel has to close for a month each year so it can be treated. I’m here for the three-day Awareness Immersion, designed to bring about lightness and clarity through an intense programme of meditation, exercise and healing body treatments. ‘Immersion’ is a carefully chosen word – Amanpuri is keen that the programme doesn’t feel like a strict detox, which works well for me, as not only do I dislike being told what to do, but my idea of relaxation involves time on my own and, crucially, carbs. The Immersion encompasses both, and wellness director Dr Alison Stone tells me that they’ll tailor my schedule to ensure I’m rejuvenated on my own terms. Still, it’s almost an assault of indulgence, with permission to heal and nourish my mind and body around every turn. For the first 24 hours, I feel guilty for being waited on but, unsurprisingly, I soon get the hang of it.

After all, the point of coming to a retreat like this is to let go of obligations, guilt and responsibilities for a few days.

The gym at Amanpuri has a view so breathtaking I actually look forward to exercising. I do interval training, Pilates and yoga. The spa treatments are the best I’ve ever had. A deep massage unknots every crunch of tension in my shoulders, cupping leaves me feeling light and calm, and a Chei Nei Tsang detoxification massage with practitioner Mae Sams is cleansing as well as fascinating – afterwards, Sams draws a diagram of my internal organs and shows me the issues she detected, such as intestinal inflammation, and how to ease them.

The restaurants offer Thai and Italian food, which is nutritious without feeling worthy, and this light, balanced eating, alongside twice-daily treatments, leaves me feeling blissfully unwound.

As I sink into an hour of reflexology in a lavender-scented treatment room, rain beating heavily on the pavilion’s teak roof, I can’t remember when I’ve felt as peaceful. I sleep like a baby every night, and the obsessive thoughts of work and self-doubt that keep me awake back in London melt away. I realise what a relief it is to let go (it comes as no surprise when Dr Stone tells me she sees a huge amount of 30-something women from London).

The most memorable moment is Mind Training with former monk Anamai. In a pavilion surrounded by verdant palms, he talks me through the meaning of life and the pursuit of peace. It’s a conversation that has me in tears as we discuss the hurdles of anxiety and stress. “Tea time,” he says brightly at the end of our discussion, and a woman comes in with a tray of petal tea. Anamai asks me the meaning of happiness. “I don’t know,” I respond weakly. “The warmth of the tea in your hand,” he says. “The weight of the cup. The taste. The smell.” In other words, the here and now. Sit deep in your life and appreciate every moment, rather than worrying about the abstract future or past. A few simple sentences I’ll carry with me for ever.

During my Departure Consultation, I tell Dr Stone that I’ll miss the guilt-free time just focussing on myself. She reminds me that I can practise this at home – it may not involve lavender-scented spa rooms or the wisdom of a monk, but I can breathe deeply, eat Pad Thai and sleep for eight hours, if that’s what I want. And the only person who needs to give me permission, is me.

DOLLY ALDERTON

HAPPY AT HOME

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