Urban Oases
Four of what might be the world’s next best luxury wellness centres are opening in major metropolitan hubs around the world
No longer relegated to far- flung tropical islands or remote forests, some of the world’s best wellness centres can now be found in its busiest cities
A growing number of health enthusiasts are flocking to luxury wellness centres that are opening in major metropolitan hubs around the world
The tables have turned. Rather than travelling great distances to visit out-ofthe-way health farms, a growing number of health enthusiasts are flocking to luxury wellness centres that are opening in major metropolitan hubs around the world. Shifting the perception that achieving wellbeing involves prolonged solitude at rural retreats, these new holistic destinations are spaces that allow busy urbanites to find sanctuary in their daily lives.
Asaya pioneered this concept in Hong Kong when it opened at the Rosewood in November, offering treatments and programmes that go far beyond the typical massages and manicures.
Designed by award-winning New York-based designer Tony Chi, Asaya is a sprawling oasis of lush greenery and crisp, calming interiors that incorporate light, water and stone. It comprises a tranquil courtyard garden, a dedicated rest and leisure space known as the Glass House—named for its soaring floor-to-ceiling windows—a fitness studio, elegant treatment suites, men’s and women’s bathhouses inspired by ancient Roman bathing temples, a stylish nail boudoir, and a tranquillity lounge that houses private consultation rooms and facilities for meditation. At the entrance, guests are welcomed by three apothecary-style ateliers: one for skincare, one for aromatherapy, and one for tonics complete with a hydroponic wall, where healing herbs are grown in-house.
Programming at Asaya is built around five pillars: emotional balance, fitness and nutrition, physical therapies, skin health, and community. Its practitioners include experts in movement coaching and body work, naturopathy, tailored fitness, and expressive arts therapy—to name just a few. Curated for modern life and the concerns that come with it, its Signature Programming series offers experiences such as Unplug, designed to help foster healthy habits with technology, and Growing Together, designed to build trust and intimacy in couples or families.
Guests are encouraged to start their journeys with assessments—options include an extensive Wellness Lifestyle Assessment, Genetic Analysis, and a 3D Facial Skin Analysis. On a recent visit, I opted for the latter, which scans deep layers of your skin to assess everything from sun damage to moisture levels and elasticity. It’s a confronting process—who likes a mirror held up to their flaws?—but real healing, in any aspect, can only happen when we get to the root of the problem.
“Coming to Asaya Hong Kong to work with our expert practitioners who then put together a programme for you, is a transformative experience,” says Niamh O’Connell, vice president of Rosewood Hotel Group. “For some people this might be a short programme of a day, a month or a few months, for others it might be a year or more to completely address their concerns.”
For more instantaneous gratification, guests can dine at Asaya Kitchen. Open to the public, the airy 120-seat restaurant serves wholesome, health-conscious cuisine with a focus on locally, responsibly sourced ingredients. Designed by chef Renaud Marin, formerly of Hong Kong’s Cochin and Upper Modern Bistro, the menu is a creative selection of vegetarian and seafood dishes with Mediterranean and Japanese influences.
“Your wellbeing is an ecosystem and if one aspect of your lifestyle is out of sync then it has an impact on your overall state of wellbeing,” says O’Connell. “This is why the programmes at Asaya have been designed to relate across all dimensions of your wellbeing to enhance all aspects as your journey unfolds.”