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Journeys That Soothe the Soul

Posted on July 29, 2021July 29, 2021 by Alycee Byrd

We often turn to travel as a way to escape the daily grind – a chance to relax, recharge and return home refreshed and ready to face new challenges. To make it happen, maintain balance and reconnect body, mind and spirit during a session with an expert residential healer: Focus on the spiritual plane in New York, discover mindfulness through mandalas in Hong Kong, clear mental clutter with a life coach in Los Angeles. Here are some of our favourite Four Seasons experiences that immerse you in transformative teachings.

A Spiritual Journey in New York

In the heart of busy New York’s Tribeca neighbourhood – bustling with artists, restaurants and chic shops – discover a calming oasis at Four Seasons Hotel New York Downtown, where an entire floor is dedicated to the fitness and well-being of both body and mind. Develop your spiritual awareness and personal enlightenment in a one-on-one session with one of the Hotel’s Resident Healers, offering services like acupuncture, clairvoyant readings, astrological readings, sonic alchemy and hypnosis, all tailored to your needs. Heal your spiritual plane and reintegrate spirit with your true purpose and passion with Dr Deganit Nuur, or explore the healing power of sound with Michelle Pirret: Her sonic alchemy sessions pair her four-octave vocal range with instruments like alchemy singing bowls and archaic gongs to shift negative energy and discord away from the body. And allow renowned New York City astrologer Rebecca Gordon to chart your stars – based on the exact time of your birth, your planetary alignment may offer guidance to help you meet life’s challenges.

Mindfulness in Hong Kong

Achieve a greater sense of balance at Four Seasons Hotel Hong Kong, where wellness offerings in the Spa include lessons in breathwork and lifestyle consultations with Dr Tania Bardhan; guided meditations using vibrational sound therapy; and the ancient Chinese art of tai chi, led by the Hotel’s resident master. Hotel workshops teach mindfulness skills to help you continue your practice when you’ve returned home. Our recommendation? Learn the art of being present with the Mindful Mala Making and Mandala art workshops. Hone your focus as you carefully craft a string of counting beads – known as japa mala necklaces – to use during yoga or meditation sessions, or colour bright mandalas to learn to be present in the moment and discover clarity. Children can make their own japa mala necklaces or mandalas, discovering focus and clarity while expressing their creativity. You’re never too young to appreciate the art of self-care.

A Focus on Health in Los Angeles

Discover a comprehensive approach to well-being at Four Seasons Hotel Westlake Village. Leave busy Los Angeles behind and retreat to the Santa Monica Mountains, where a nationally renowned team of health experts is on hand to help you find total body rejuvenation. Transform your lifestyle with healthy eating habits braced by cooking classes and nutritious menu offerings, and then learn strategies to balance your energy, health and well-being in personalized sessions with Four Seasons coaches. Explore alternative therapies like hypnotherapy and qi gong – a mind-body-spirit practice that improves physical and mental health by integrating posture, movement, breathing techniques and intent. Work with an expert to attain the tools to build successful relationships and family dynamics at any stage of life, and reduce anxiety through guided meditation and mindfulness techniques. Continuous coaching afterwards is available through follow-up sessions in person or by phone.

Hypnosis in Hampshire

Sometimes just a change of setting is enough to shift your perspective. Escape to the picturesque English countryside at Four Seasons Hotel Hampshire. Wander through lush gardens, ride horseback along rolling hills and picnic on the grounds of this 18th-century manor. Once your physical self has been reinvigorated, it’s time to heal mentally and spiritually. The Hotel’s Deep Mind Massage can help boost motivation and encourage positivity and confidence. A clinical hypnotherapist will work with you to change your thinking patterns to overcome a variety of modern ailments, including anxiety, pain, migraines and other headaches. Whether you want to lose weight, reduce stress, combat sleep disorders, break a bad habit or overcome a phobia, hypnotherapy can help you achieve your goals.

Natural Energy in Bali

It’s easy to ground yourself at Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan, where treatments at the Sacred River Spa help body, mind and spirit consciously align with the Earth. Explore theta healing – which focuses on releasing energy blockages caused by events, traumas and relationships from our past lives – and sound vibration therapy with Resident Healers like Susanna Queiroz and Vanessa Holliday. Or connect with Ibu Fera, the Resort’s resident wellness mentor and a former Buddhist nun, to develop your meditation practice and explore strategies for overcoming everyday issues with peace and presence of mind. For a uniquely soothing experience, let Fera lull you to sleep during the Sacred Nap ritual: Take an afternoon nap suspended from the ceiling of the bamboo Dharma Shanti Bale in an aerial silk hammock. Relax as Fera gently rocks you to sleep while she shares the life story of Buddha, accented by the sounds of nature. You’ll awake refreshed and recharged.

Deep Discovery in Geneva

After a day spent exploring the lake or Old Town, unwind at the rooftop Mont Blanc Spa at Four Seasons Hotel des Bergues Geneva. In addition to soothing treatments like massages and body wraps, the Hotel’s team of wellness experts can help you put your spirit at ease. Work with hypnotherapist and life coach Vick Capt to become the best version of yourself. Pascal Buyck uses hypnosis to help you create new mental paths to become stronger, freer and happier. And you can turn to Fabienne Duffour, who has 20 years of experience with full moon singing bowls. She’ll talk with you about any concerns, and then adapt the sounds of her 14 singing bowls to suit your needs – whether to help with relaxation, release a blockage or guide you to rediscover yourself.

Pura Vida in Costa Rica

At Four Seasons Resort Costa Rica at Peninsula Papagayo, transform your outlook with daily yoga and meditation sessions. For a taste of the true pura vida lifestyle, schedule an Ayurveda consultation with Wellness Ambassador Beto Peña. He’ll use the ancient Indian practice to help you identify your primal nature – vata, or space and air; pitta, fire and water; or kapha, water and earth – and, based on your results, develop a customized plan to help you achieve a state of balance and harmony. Another way to boost your spirit? Volunteer through one of the Resort’s community outreach programs. You’ll connect with local schoolchildren over fun activities, treats and laughter – always good for the soul.

How I Discovered a New Side of
Paradise Island

Posted on February 21, 2019December 30, 2020 by Jennifer Parker

For me, the Bahamas used to conjure images of a teen-spirit beach vacation: neon bikinis, potent rum runners, over-chlorinated megaresorts and the like. My expectations had been set by bus-stop posters of beachgoers rolling around in sand, or giddily gambling inside a cavernous casino. I didn’t anticipate being impressed. But that was before I laid eyes on The Ocean Club, A Four Seasons Resort, Bahamas.

The Ocean Club, A Four Seasons Resort, Bahamas

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See all you can experience at The Ocean Club, A Four Seasons Resort, Bahamas

Flying into the Nassau airport, I’m struck by the bright turquoise waters encircling the archipelago, the sun reflecting off sandy shallows. From the capital, it’s a breezy 30-minute drive across Nassau’s harbour and over the Sir Sidney Poitier Bridge to the north side of Paradise Island. As I step out of the van, my luggage is discreetly handled for me, and I’m welcomed by the scent of hibiscus flowers, waves of salty ocean air and a cool glass of Champagne.

Maybe I didn’t know Paradise after all.

This is the famed Ocean Club, a private estate–style resort embracing 35 acres of landscaped gardens, pools, guest rooms and villas all overlooking an 8-kilometre (5-mile) stretch of powdery white beach. Since its opening in 1962, the property has matured into an elegant enclave for fine art, Bahamian culture and innovative cuisine.

Standing inside the lobby with its vaulted ceiling and polished marble floors, I realize my previous notions were misguided. Here, a few takeaways from my voyage of discovery.

Get to Know Your Butler

Given the expansive grounds, getting to my room entails following a meandering stone path dotted with tropical palms, their fronds swaying beneath the night sky. A few feet away, ocean waves crash onto what feels like my very own crescent-moon slip of beach. I ascend one flight of stairs and open the heavy mahogany door to my suite. My first thought? Please don’t make me go back to New York.

The stately king-size bed is flanked by pale yellow walls; floor-to-ceiling glass doors open onto a private balcony with an exquisite ocean view. A giant oval bathtub stocked with Jardin Sur Le Nil toiletries by Hermès is a welcome surprise. This feels like a place to fall in love.

David, a born-and-raised Nassuvian, arrives with a broad, friendly smile and asks how he might be of service.

Of course, I’m flying solo. That never stopped James Bond, I say to myself, remembering scenes from Casino Royale, which was filmed here, and staring at the shiny silver cocktail set on my desk. It has all the necessary ingredients for a gin-based stinger the locals call “Sky Juice.” I’d like to make it perfectly, so I call my Bahamian butler. Butlers are on call 24 hours a day at The Ocean Club, rendering services such as luggage packing and unpacking, laundry pressing and the delivery of Champagne and strawberries nightly.

In my case, David, a born-and-raised Nassuvian, arrives with a broad, friendly smile and asks how he might be of service. He’s a great fan of Sky Juice and is genuinely pleased to school me: Combine 2 ounces London Dry Gin, 1 1/2 ounces sweetened condensed milk and coconut water into a shaker; mix, and then pour into a tumbler filled with ice. Just like that I have my first island cocktail (that’s essentially an adult milkshake). Already, this is fun.

Photos courtesy of Grant Legan

Commission Fine Art

By the next afternoon, I’ve let the natural rhythm of this place sink in, swapping my smartphone for the strength of the sun to tell me it’s time to go inside. When I do, I stop to admire a particularly striking painting that depicts tiny figures gathering to form the words “carpe diem.” It’s part of Gatherings, a signature series painted by Jane Waterous, an artist whose work captures the sheer joy of being alive.

A Canadian expat known for her eccentric clothes and outsized optimism, Waterous is the Resort’s artist-in-residence, from whom guests can commission original pieces to take home with them. This is not a typical hospitality offering, so I’ve come to get a closer look. Luckily, Waterous regularly welcomes Ocean Club guests into her private home and art studio, where she and her husband of 25 years permanently reside. Tonight they’re hosting a pre-holiday dinner party, and it’s here I discover that the cheerful energy in her paintings is an extension of the artist herself. Nearly every available wall in this eight-room island estate is covered with art.

For many years, I just sketched these figures who are communicating, celebrating or playing with each other. They express our capacity for joy – to create it and to share it. I love it when people enjoy themselves. – Jane Waterous

“Gatherings is what I’ve been working on for 50-plus years. It’s part of my soul,” Waterous says. “For many years, I just sketched these figures who are communicating, celebrating or playing with each other. They express our capacity for joy – to create it and to share it. I love it when people enjoy themselves.”

To her point, there is a 3.5-metre pink flamingo float outside in the pool and a small army of caterers keeping glasses full. Oh, and everyone has received their own elf hat, complete with jingle bells.

On one wall, I notice two sizeable paintings that spell out “Lady Gaga.” On another, a giant butterfly oversees dinner preparations – we’re having spiced pumpkin soup, filet mignon with roasted vegetables and, for dessert, a kiwi passion fruit meringue. The after-dinner drinks and merriment portion of the evening, involving holiday-themed charades and sumo wrestler costumes, takes place in the living room, where a massive ceramic pig holds court in front of another of Waterous’ celebrated series. Into the Blue, with its depictions of children jumping into the sea with abandon, feels right at home here.

Left and middle photos courtesy of Grant Legan

Become a Rum Connoisseur

Spend enough evenings at Ocean Club and you’ll soon learn the difference between a fine sipping rum and what occupies the bottom shelf. Having taste-tested the best Bahamian rums, there’s just no going back.

Having taste-tested the best Bahamian rums, there’s just no going back.

For a complimentary crash course in the history and making of modern rum, look no further than John Watling’s Distillery in a 1789 Buena Vista Estate in downtown Nassau. Here, I learned that the first rum distillation took place in the 1600s when it was discovered that molasses, a by-product of refined sugar cane, could be fermented into alcohol. As distillation techniques became more sophisticated, the alcohol had fewer impurities and the quality of the rum improved. Sailors introduced the drink to Colonial America, and rum production has fundamentally shaped the course of island commerce ever since.

It’s a rollicking good story, which only gets more entertaining after tasting a caramel-coloured flight of Watling’s pale, amber and single-barrel offerings. I decide to take home a barrel-aged bottle of the smooth walnut-and-vanilla-flavoured Amber, as it’s not available outside the country.

Left photo courtesy of Grant Legan

Tour Versailles-Inspired Gardens

All this imbibing is tempered with a long walk through Ocean Club’s Versailles Gardens, which span the entire width of the island with stone steps that lead to a grand reconstructed 12th-century Augustinian cloister. Staff members insist the cloister offers the best sunset views over Nassau harbour, so I take them up on this promise.

Louis XIV’s resplendent Sun King style has been transported to Paradise Island.

Walking through the stately Hartford Courtyard and out to the gardens, I’m expecting more of the same: sea grapes, palm fronds and ocean air. What I find only adds to my enchantment: Louis XIV’s resplendent Sun King style has been transported to Paradise Island. The garden was the pet project of Swedish industrialist Axel Wenner-Gren, who came upon the island in 1939 and spent two decades building the estate. Wenner-Gren took great pains to ensure that the manicured hedges, tiered stone walls and whimsical marble statues reflected the grandeur of the French aristocracy. There’s a reason so many couples make their vows here – it makes you feel like royalty. You’re still better suited in sandals and flowy resort wear, however, than in gold hardware or tight corsets.

Get Gorgeous in a Spa Villa

Ocean Club has a long line of A-List guests, Bill Gates, Robert De Niro, Sidney Poitier and Joan Collins among them. Hoping to up my own glam factor, I book a treatment in one of Ocean Club’s Balinese-style villas. These fully decked stand-alone abodes have a private stone-paved entryway, and in each one a hydrotherapy whirlpool bath and a cascading waterfall shower beg to be enjoyed.

The whole things feels undeservedly decadent, but I happily check in, ditch my phone (they aren’t allowed anyway), and wrap myself in a fluffy robe and slippers.

The whole things feels undeservedly decadent, but I happily check in, ditch my phone (they aren’t allowed anyway), and wrap myself in a fluffy robe and slippers. One herbal tea later, I’m lying face down on a soft, pre-warmed table receiving a full body hot-stone massage, while also being doused in lightly perfumed Frangipani Monoi body oil. The effect is deep relaxation and release as my muscles let go of deadlines and jet lag–induced tension. After 90 minutes of this, I’m ready to don my fanciest chiffon halter dress and oversize earrings for dinner at Dune, the Resort’s fine dining establishment from Jean-Georges Vongerichten. The lauded French chef isn’t present for my last night in the Bahamas, but I think he’d approve of my choices: Bahamian lobster bisque and a Sky Juice on the rocks.

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Hold the Honeymoon: Why Your Next Girls’ Trip Should Be in Bora Bora

Posted on November 12, 2018April 9, 2024 by Keisha Paul

All the reasons honeymooners head to the idyllic French Polynesian island of Bora Bora still stand when you drop the couples component. You can be pampered in overwater spa suites, shop for black pearls at the source and frolic in a turquoise lagoon. So why not earmark it for your next girlfriend getaway?

We consulted local members of the team at Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora for input on the ultimate itinerary, and their answers did not disappoint. Ready to dive in?

Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora

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Your first order of business is a no-brainer: Choose to stay in an open-air overwater bungalow suite. Each thatched-roof sanctuary, reminiscent of a screen saver sprung to life, is over 100 square metres (1,000 square feet) and outfitted with teak daybeds, a deep soaking tub and snorkelling gear – in the event you decide to step out your front door and go for a swim. There’s no time for squabbling over who gets the sofa bed versus the king; exquisite adventure awaits.

Kick off your stay with an “only at Four Seasons Resort Bora Bora” exploit: the Lagoon Sanctuary Tour and coral grafting, led by French marine biologist Denis Schneider. “This amazing activity allows guests to actually contribute to our underwater ecosystem,” Concierge Rayanna Holman says. “Denis loves to share his research and knowledge with guests.” On the docket: cutting coral nubbins and then attaching them to GPS-tracked underwater structures to grow new coral colonies, as well as affixing coral to build itself up on doughnut-shaped forms in the Resort’s own Lagoon Sanctuary, where octopus, unicorn fish and even Picasso trumpet fish flourish.

It’s a great first-night dining choice for delicious sushi and Asian small plates, plus beautiful sunset views over Mount Otemanu and Mount Pahia.

In the afternoon, browse the Resort’s boutique, MoeMoea (“dream” in Tahitian) – you’ll find everything from Roberta Roller Rabbit to Eres among the wares. “Our new boutique will feature 330 square metres [3,550 square feet] of high fashion, accessories and everything in between,” after its December opening, team member Ewa Poujade says. “It’s sure to be a highlight for girlfriends travelling together.”

Another is bound to be a twilight dinner with your friends – and that’s where Sunset Restaurant & Bar, lofted over crystalline water, comes in. On the menu: mahi mahi skewers, pineapple shrimp sushi rolls and passionfruit-poached baba cake for a sweet finish. “Sunset is a great first-night dining choice for delicious sushi and Asian small plates, plus beautiful sunset views over Mount Otemanu and Mount Pahia,” Reservations Manager Maxi Zani says. “Start with the signature Mahana cocktail.” And when it’s a wrap, just stroll back to your bungalow.

Start the day by hitting the tennis courts. At Four Seasons Bora Bora, that means donning your whites for a lesson with pro Joachim Arab, former tennis coach at Academie Tennis Alain Barrere in Pontet, France. “Joachim loves working with multiple guests at a time,” General Manager Maria Jagla says. “He can organize everything from a simple lesson to a clinic or even a small tournament.”

Afterwards, get some wind in your hair with a guided WaveRunner tour of the island, complete with lunch on white-sand Matira Beach. “It’s untraditional and absolutely the best way to see our island,” Holman says. “Matira Beach, where you’ll stop for lunch, is one of French Polynesia’s most beautiful beaches.”

Matira Beach, where you’ll stop for lunch, is one of French Polynesia’s most beautiful beaches.

Following a day of adventure, you and yours can while away the evening at Fare Hoa Beach Bar & Grill for dinner, and live music, right on the sand. Order a round of highly photogenic Shades of Blue cocktails, made with vodka, elderflower liqueur, blue curaçao, grapefruit juice, fresh mint leaves and lime juice. As for dinner, the shaved coconut salad and grilled Marquesas Islands spiny lobster with clarified butter are what Bora Bora dreams are made of.

Launch your third day in paradise at open-air Tere Nui, where a breakfast buffet awaits as early as dawn. This being French Polynesia, the options would suit any ardent Francophile: Think salmon eggs Benedict and lighter-than-air crêpes with Nutella and fresh berries on the side.

The best (and most restorative) way to proceed: a yoga session led by yogi Rajeeb Prajapati on a teak platform above the shimmering lagoon. After quieting your mind, report immediately to the Spa, where treatment beds are set above glass-floor panels for a clear line of sight into the lagoon below.

This colourful experience uses local pareos [wrap-around skirts] to stretch and manipulate the body, bringing incredible relief and increased range of motion.

Of the myriad blissful treatments, Spa Director Stephanie Cherbakow recommends the brand-new Pareo Ritual. “This colourful experience uses local pareos [wrap-around skirts] to stretch and manipulate the body, bringing incredible relief and increased range of motion,” she says. “And guests are able to keep the pareo as a souvenir.” The Trio of Gold Global Anti-Aging facial is another favourite.

End the day in mermaid fashion within the confines of a private thatched-roof cabana, where attendants anticipate your every need. Chilled towel and fresh fruit slices, anyone?

There’s arguably no better way to cap off a Bora Bora stay than diving deep – literally. Take a half-day Shark and Ray Snorkelling Tour, which affords the opportunity to feed sharks and stingrays in person, and then lunch on your guide’s motu. “This is the quintessential Bora Bora experience, and something I recommend to all of our guests,” Jagla says. “A guide takes you out to snorkel in three beautiful areas of the lagoon, where you get to see and interact with coral fish, rays and reef sharks.”

A guide takes you out to snorkel in three beautiful areas of the lagoon, where you get to see and interact with coral fish, rays and reef sharks.

Before you reluctantly begin to pack, stop at the ultimate source of Bora Bora souvenirs: Tahia Pearls, where you’ll find the black pearls Tahiti is known for. “Guests can learn all about Bora Bora’s signature indigenous treasure and do some shopping if they’re so moved,” Zani says. Spoiler alert: You will be so moved.

Get dressed up and take your goodbye dinner at Polynesian-meets-French boîte Arii Moana, where the seasonal menu is an ode to all things Bora Bora. You don’t want to miss the langoustine tails, steamed in lagoon water and served with fresh house-made gnocchi. Aptly named, The Exotic provides a decadent finale. Order one for the table and plan your next getaway between bites of shortbread, poached pineapple, passion cream and mango passion sorbet.

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Peace and Quiet in Las Vegas:
How to Unplug in Sin City

Posted on November 9, 2018March 25, 2020 by Alison Miller

A closer look at Las Vegas, city of bright lights and infinite indulgence, reveals its softer side. We asked local Four Seasons experts where to unwind. Here, eight relaxing experiences to round out your next trip.

Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas

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The poolside scene at Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas is an oasis of calm.

The poolside scene at Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas is an oasis of calm.

Cabana Fever

“Our Hotel in itself is an oasis,” says Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas’ Chef Concierge Patrick Ritschard. “We share a building with Mandalay Bay, so the casino experience is right there, but you can easily return to the sanctuary of the Hotel at any time.” The well-appointed poolside cabanas, complete with ceiling fans, sofas, chilled towels and dedicated servers, are a favourite hideaway for guests. “We don’t have loud music at the pool, so it’s a haven of quiet,” Ritschard says. “Lots of people spend the day there.”

Practice your downward dog 550 feet (168 metres) above ground during a spin on the High Roller Observation Wheel.

Practice your downward dog 550 feet (168 metres) above ground during a spin on the High Roller Observation Wheel.

Ohm, What?

For a good stretch with a lofty view, try yoga in the High Roller Observation Wheel. This futuristic Ferris wheel sends you soaring 550 feet (168 metres) above ground in a glass-walled pod with room for a small group to follow the peaceful poses of a local instructor. “We recommend doing it right before dusk,” Ritschard says. “Las Vegas has some amazing sunsets.”

Take a break from the day’s activities with a proper tea (and Champagne) service.

Take a break from the day’s activities with a proper tea (and Champagne) service.

Refresher Course

What better way to wind down the day and recharge for the evening than with a proper tea? Afternoon tea at the Hotel’s poolside Veranda restaurant is an hour-long escape from hubbub, with finger sandwiches, scones and pastries prepared by French chef Jean-Luc Daul and his team. Every weekday in December, guests clad in holiday sweaters can sip a complimentary glass of Champagne paired with seasonal sweets like eggnog crème brûlée.

Stretch your legs at Red Rock Canyon, just west of the city.

Desert Aces

Vast canyons, vermilion sandstone peaks and spiny desert flora fill the Mojave Desert surrounding Las Vegas. Two spots to stretch your legs and breathe in some fresh air: Red Rock Canyon National Conservation Area, a 15-minute drive west of the city, and Valley of Fire State Park, an hour to the east. At Red Rock, take in the scenery on horseback, a bicycle or your own two feet – or with the top down on a 13-mile scenic roadway. Ancient trees, petroglyphs and otherworldly arches are among the treasures at Valley of Fire. Enhance either trip with a picnic lunch courtesy of Four Seasons Hotel Las Vegas.

Ugo Rondinone’s Seven Magic Mountains is set among desert scrubland in a clearing off Las Vegas’ Interstate 15.

Fine Art

“You can really get lost in the beautiful art experiences in Las Vegas,” Ritschard says. “James Turrell’s experiential exhibit, Akhob, inside the Louis Vuitton store, is all about light and space, and it’s by reservation only so it’s never overly crowded.” Another compelling installation: Ugo Rondinone’s Seven Magic Mountains, a series of three-storey towers composed of vibrantly painted boulders, set among desert scrubland in a clearing just 10 miles (16 kilometres) south of the Strip.

Nearby Lee Canyon offers year-round entertainment, from skiing and snowboarding to hiking.

Photography courtesy Lee Canyon

Nearby Lee Canyon offers year-round entertainment, from skiing and snowboarding to hiking.

Photography courtesy Lee Canyon

Schuss It Out

“A lot of people don’t realize there’s a ski resort here,” Ritschard says. In fact, Lee Canyon, 50 miles (80 km) from Vegas, offers 24 downhill skiing trails, plus a snow-tubing course and snowshoeing trails. “There are some beautiful hikes you can do there, year-round. And mountain-biking trails, too.”

Photos courtesy Lee Canyon

Springs Preserve nature center proves you don’t have to leave the city to get a fresh-air fix.

Nurture by Nature

Set smack in the middle of Las Vegas, the non-profit Springs Preserve nature centre traces the city’s history while serving up sustainable ideas for its future – all via interactive exhibits fit for all ages. Stroll through the serene butterfly garden as the sprightly creatures fly freely around you, or wander the meandering botanical garden trail alongside hundreds of varieties of native plants.

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Wellness Around the World: 10 Ways
to Join In

Posted on May 17, 2018July 15, 2025 by Shannon Magann

With studies emerging continually that link a healthy lifestyle to longevity and happiness, you’ll want to maximise your wellness efforts wherever you are in the world. Four Seasons hotels and resorts offer a myriad of activities to keep you looking and feeling your best – here are some of our favourites.

Meditate With a Former Buddhist Nun

Take a hike in the Sonoran Desert

Light Spiritual Lanterns and candles in Vietnam

Let crystal singing bowls guide your mindfulness journey

Experience the Sacred Nap ritual in Bali

Find your balance by reconnecting with nature

Ancient Practices Made New

Meditate With a Former Buddhist Nun

At Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan, resident wellness mentor and former Buddhist nun Ibu Fera knows the value of mindfulness and meditation: “They’re realistic ways of addressing all sorts of stresses. They go straight to the root of the problem.” For an even deeper sense of relaxation, she recommends the Sacred Nap ritual. Wrap yourself in an aerial silk hammock, suspended from the ceiling of the Resort’s bamboo Dharma Shanti Bale, and let Fera rock you to sleep as she tells the life story of Buddha. You’ll awake from this deeply soothing and nurturing experience refreshed and recharged.

Make a Wish in Vietnam

You’ll have the Spa to yourself at Four Seasons Resort Hoi An (The Nam Hai) during the Goodnight Kiss to the Earth ceremony. As the sun sets, float traditional wishing candles on the Spa’s lagoon and join Oanh Ngo, the Resort’s Resident Singing Bowl Artist, for a soothing singing bowl lesson on an eight-octave set of crystal bowls tuned to 432 Hz – believed to be the harmonic frequency of the universe. “When I play singing bowls I feel more happiness,” Ngo says. “I feel at peace, and it helps me to deeply connect back to myself, as well as to our Mother Earth.”

Find New Perspective in the Sonoran Desert

In Arizona, at Four Seasons Resort Scottsdale at Troon North, you can start the day with a 6:30 am hike on the Resort’s private trail through Pinnacle Peak Park. The 5.1-mile hike meanders over saguaro-studded ridgetop and past towering granite boulders. Your effort is rewarded at the top, where you’ll enjoy 360-degree views of North Scottsdale – the ideal spot to change your perspective.

Eggs filled with hot baobab seeds mimic the sound of the waves in this massage in Seychelles

Sip a Green Supreme drink in Anguilla

Exercise in privacy in Los Angeles

Bali’s Illume Room offers total immersion in light, sound and colour frequencies

Find inner balance with yoga stretches

Kick-start Your Healthy Diet in Anguilla

Treat Yourself

Sip a Green Drink in Anguilla

Because a healthy lifestyle often begins with diet, each hotel or resort prioritizes nutritious offerings. Raise a glass to wellness at Half Shell Beach Bar at Four Seasons Resort Anguilla. On the menu? The Dean Green Supreme, which has anti-inflammatory properties thanks to moringa plant leaves. You know they’re fresh, because Restaurant Manager Dean Bryan picks the leaves from his home tree. The rest of the ingredients? Bananas, orange juice, mango purée and – should you so desire – coconut rum. “Moringa contains more vitamin C than oranges, the same amount of vitamin A as carrots, more potassium than bananas, more iron than spinach and more protein than yogurt,” Bryan says.

Relax with the Waves in Seychelles

No wellness regime would be complete without some pampering, inside and out, and you have options around the globe. One is at Four Seasons Resort Seychelles at Desroches Island. Unwind with a relaxing massage that uses a unique technique: Eggs filled with hot baobab seeds are rolled across your skin to soothe tense muscles, mimicking the sound and motion of waves.

Find Holistic Harmony in Bali

Science meets spiritual at Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay, where the cutting-edge Illume Room draws on the latest technology and scientific understanding of the body’s 50 trillion cells to offer total immersion into light, sound and colour frequencies. Bali’s first “Surround Sound Spa Suite,” the room is sealed from outside light sources to maximise the effects of colour therapy, while a heated quartz-sand bed made of crushed crystals and seven alchemy crystal singing bowls add to the vibrations – using the body’s electromagnetic field to stimulate inner healing.

Enjoy Exclusive Access in LA

Put wellness at the centre of your stay at Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills, where the exclusive Private Fitness Suite offers access to room features like a treadmill, Hydrow Rowing machine, Peloton bike, yoga equipment, medicine ball and weights, and Soul Cycle bike. After your workout, shower in the suite’s private bathroom and then unwind with guided meditation narrated by Deepak Chopra. Or just pause for a rest – the room’s energizing light helps regulate the body’s circadian rhythm.

Harvest salt in Hawaii

Discover holistic healing in the Spa in Kuwait

Soar to new heights with AntiGravity yoga

Go for an early morning run through the sugar cane fields in Mauritius

Get wet with an aquabike training session

Harvest salt in Hawaii and learn to cook with it

Unexpected Exploits

Harvest Salt in Hawaii

If you think salt harvesting – as a guest of Four Seasons Resort Hualalai – must be bad for your blood pressure, think again. “Our Hawaiian ancestors lived off of Hawaii’s bountiful resources and, in turn, respected and honoured our land and ocean,” says Aunty Halani Berard, Mea Ho‘okipa (literal translation: “I am host”), a member of the Resort’s Ka‘upulehu Cultural Center team. “The natural salt the ocean provided was a cornerstone of Hawaiian living – used for food preservation, cooking, medicine and more. We are thrilled to bring this experience to our guests as another way to showcase our rich history.”

The natural salt the ocean provided was a cornerstone of Hawaiian living.

The newly launched experience begins with a quick hike to the ancient salt flats adjacent to the Resort, where guests will learn how Hawaiians collected and dried the vital mineral. Next, a cooking class with a Resort chef to taste how sea salt can change a dish. Still want more? End the day in the Spa with the Salts of the Ocean Body Treatment, which includes a salt scrub-down.

Soar in an AntiGravity Class in Kuwait

At Four Seasons Hotel Kuwait at Burj Alshaya, guests can take an AntiGravity class in which they’ll do ballet, Pilates, yoga and strength training while suspended from the ceiling in a silk hammock. “When you start practising this, you’ll find you actually become younger, healthier and even a bit taller,” says AntiGravity founder Christopher Harrison. (We wouldn’t bet on the younger part, but it’s certainly worth trying.)

Cycle Underwater in Mauritius

If you’d rather be immersed in water than suspended in mid-air, Four Seasons Resort Mauritius at Anahita is your place: There, guests will be elbow deep in the 25-metre (82-foot) al fresco lap pool for an aquabike session. Or simply choose to run a 3.5-to-7-kilometre trail along the sugar fields. “June is the start of the sugar-cane harvesting season in Mauritius,” Fitness Centre Manager Noam Clarisse says, “meaning that much of the cane is at its tallest and it sways gently in the breeze – a beautiful sight to run alongside in the early morning light.”

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Harvest Salt in Hawaii

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Cycle Underwater in Mauritius

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