From past life regression in Anguilla to starlit sessions in the British Virgin Islands, Caribbean resorts are going all out in their new generation spas.
Kamalame Cay, Bahamas
Cool & relaxed
The first over-water spa in the Bahamas recently opened at Kamalame Cay with the tiny 19-room private island hideaway offering charming pastel coloured cottages amid lush palms where luxury prevails.
The 2,000-square-foot spa is amazing sitting over turquoise waters. The two-storey wooden construction - reminiscent of Bali’s finest - offers natural scrubs and oils made of Biotropica for an authentic island experience that includes the one-hour Bahamian Boreh, a twist on the traditional Balinese treatment, to sooth muscles and exfoliate skin.
Away from the spa, time can be spent relaxing over champagne lunches on the veranda, or at the al-fresco yoga sessions.
Peter Island, British Virgin Islands:
Sea & self
Peter Island, a private resort, set in the unspoilt paradise of the British Virgin Islands has a 10,000 square foot spa set over five acres with 10 indoor treatment rooms, two outdoor thatched bohios, private steam rooms, a salon, a spa café, a large pool, paradise-like landscaped gardens, a half mile beach and the most spectacular views along Big Reef Bay.
Select a West Indian Honey & Sesame Seed. Glow to exfoliate and moisturise; a Tropical Lime and Ginger Buff with local island salt and lemongrass or consider a delicious fragrant Caribbean Coffee Polish that mixes finely ground Caribbean coffee, vanilla and spice oil!
Carlisle Bay, Antigua:
Smooth & sexy
Carlisle Bay is a leader in new Caribbean hideaways with an ultra modern designer setting, as opposed to the traditional local style, bringing a hint of London to the beach. Suave and sophisticated, Carlisle Bay juggles local influences with Asian and European.
The 17,000 square foot Blue Spa is in keeping with the resort’s sleek style with a contemporary James Bond feel to the two-storey pavilion, designed by guru Mary Fox Linton, in shades of grey. All treatments include a ‘For your eyes only’ energising treatment.
Cap Juluca, Anguilla:
Chakra & Shiatsu
Cap Juluca has a different spa approach with treatments available in the guest rooms, following the belief of many indigenous cultures that the heart of healing begins at home. The Mind, Body and Spirit programme includes shamanic and phycho-spiritual work, yoga, intuitive healing, energetics and spiritual astrology. It’s all about detoxifying the body, mind and soul.
To delve deep, trans-personal therapist Diane Bourel’s Coming Home sessions use story telling, channeling, re-birthing and bio-energetics, as well as past-life material to reach the inner spiritual core.
La Samanna, St Martin :
Chic & sleek
La Samanna is a glamorous resort overlooking the Baie Longue on the French half of St Martin. For good food and pristine surroundings in privacy, this is the place to be. The spa, named Elysée after the “abode for the blessed” in Greek mythology, has eight massage rooms, two hydro-therapy rooms and a separate beauty salon. With rich redwoods and hand-hewn Italian travertine stone floors the spa blends in with the resort’s cool whitewashed look dotted with colourful Caribbean touches. The choice is extensive, with everything from shiatsu to reflexology, Thai massages and hot stone therapy as well as pilates and yoga, and there’s even a personal trainer on hand for one-to-one training.
Ritz-Carlton, Grand Cayman:
Sleek & slippery
The brand new Ritz Carlton resort in Grand Cayman spans 144 acres from Seven Mile Beach to the North Sound. With 365 guestrooms, five restaurants, tennis centre, a golf course and a shopping centre, it naturally had to come with an amazing 20,000 square-foot spa!
Designed by New York based D’Aquino Monaco and the legendary Swiss skincare company, La Prairie, the spa’s theme is water with raindrops, rivers and rivulets creating a surreal sparkle. Whether it’s a massage in softly falling rain, an aromatic bath with Cayman orchids or a crushed coriander exfoliation, guests are submerged into another world.
