Over a year of hibernation and introspection has passed; debating whether leaving the house was worth the risk, cleaning our groceries and much of life taking place over zoom. We went for short, masked walks, got a peloton, tried an online cooking class… but for many of us, things aren’t quite the same and our physical and psychological health has suffered. Even though we are told it is back to normal, do we really feel the same?
Our friends at Joali Being have the answer. Their heavenly wellbeing retreat, the only one of its kind in the Maldives, is about to open this winter: a sanctuary aimed at nurturing and rebooting
the mind, body and soul located in this picture perfect paradise. Their team of specialists design transformative journeys tailored to areas of strength, mental clarity, hormonal balance, women’s health, digestive and weight rebalance, restorative sleep as well as movement and alignment for good health and immunity.
But fear not, this isn’t a strict, portion-controlled, 6am gym, lab-coat wearing clinic. Quite the contrary; think glorious over-water bungalows, Pina coladas, lie-ins and room service. This is after all a holiday, but with a focus on you. The results driven programmes will be tailored and outlined by four principles; designed in partnership with professor Gerry Bodeker of Oxford University,
a Harvard-trained expert on traditional and integrative medicine and wellness and Chair of the Mental Wellness Initiative of the Global Wellness Institute.
The aim is to create a path towards wellness and set foundations for better practices and routines that can later be integrated into everyday life. Sometimes a rebalance is exactly what we all need.
Did we mention that you get your own ‘magician’? Each one of the 68 beach and water villas will have a jadugar, meaning ‘skilled magician’ in Dhivehi. They will be on-hand to ensure you don’t lift a finger and solely focus on rest and relaxation: organizing wellness treatments, unique Maldivian experiences, dinner reservations, are just a few of their magical powers.
The 68 villas come in various categories, beach, over-water, family and ocean ranging from one to four bedrooms. Enormous and with a minimalist soothing aesthetic, and equipped with meditative balancing musical instruments and wellbeing games. Four-bedroom overwater family villas will even have dedicated wellbeing and movement rooms, so there’s no need to ever leave.
The epic spa stretches across the island and is dotted with various Areka and transformational spaces including a Hydrotherapy Hall with sensory deprivation room, Russian Banya, water therapies, salt inhalation room and Turkish Hammam. There is a separate Pilates studio, overwater meditation deck and intelligent ‘Movement Analysis’ tool, as well as a Sound Therapy Hall and Discovery Sound Path created in collaboration with the sound healing consultant Aurelio C. Hammer.
Master herbology and cooking techniques from the onsite nutritionists, herbalist, tea sommelier and specialty chefs that tailor ingredients and methods to suit you and your body. An enticing calendar of interactive workshops lets guests discover the surprising benefits of herbs, teas, certain foods and cooking techniques, and you can even make your own natural body creams, face masks and body oils.
Ultimately, the resort aims to leave guests feeling renewed, uplifted and inspired, ensuring an achieved sense of weightlessness. Something to bring us back to life in the ‘new normal’.
