© Beniya Mukayu, Japan
Real rest and relaxation await you after these many months of nocturnal tossing and turning and Covid-curtailed dreams. Here are 10 properties that offer true repose, as soothing as the arms of Morpheus.
A Bedding Menu for Five-Star Slumber - Son Brull Hotel & Spa, Spain
In this former monastery, silence is golden and sleep is sacred. Perched above Mallorca, this 12th-century establishment still welcomes weary travelers, only does so now as a hotel. Its thick, ancient walls soundproof the premises and state-of-the-art bedding ensures rest for the body. Down? Latex? Microfiber? Choose from seven carefully selected pillow qualities. Sheets are available in Egyptian cotton or linen and a memory-foam mattress topper is also on the menu. And for the gentlest of awakenings, the 23 rooms and suites, all in a mosaic of whites, let you look out over the Pollença valley in the morning. A dream come true.
The Art of Relaxation - Shreyas Retreat, India
Fourteen cottages amidst coconut palms, guests in small numbers, the intoxicating scent of frangipani – time seems to pass more slowly here, at the perfect pace for reregulating your sleep. The days glide from morning meditation to the art of breathing to yoga nidra, a practice of yogic sleep that helps you tap into a modified state of consciousness. Body and mind release every form of tension. The ancient and very powerful Shirodhara healing technique focuses on the third eye and rebalances the nervous system. Before setting off for bed, sip some traditional ashwagandha herbal tea, brewed from a stress-relieving, adaptogenic, and pleasantly soporific plant. Then take the recipe home with you.
In Search of Lost Sleep - Hostellerie La Cheneaudière & Spa, France
Head to the eastern edge of France for five days and no fewer than twelve treatments to bring back inner peace and restorative sleep. The spa is nestled in the pines and boasts a flotarium, a tank filled with water rich in Epsom salts. Utterly irresistible. As you stretch out, your body is buoyed by the saltwater from head to toe, a state of weightlessness that generates profound relaxation. This is intensified by the therapeutic properties of Epsom salt. Your floating session can be followed by a massage with mountain herbs and a body wrap with house honey and heather oil. Top off your treatment with Kraxenofen sessions, breathing in the aromas of aromatic organic hay as you are wrapped in warmth, releasing all tensions of muscle and mind. Sleep is a blink away.
Medicinal Plants to Cure All Ailments - Beniya Mukayu, Japan
Set your suitcase at the foot of Yakushiyama, “the mount of the healing Buddha” and forget your cares. Everywhere you gaze at Beniya Mukayu, you find only tranquility. The hotel blends into a landscape of tangible spirituality and offers Japanese massages, soothing baths, and signature Yakushiyama treatments especially designed for overstressed souls. The Spa Entei uses hot spring water and natural herbs to work its magic: mulberry leaf, turmeric, pine needle, bamboo leaf, chrysanthemum, peppermint – the spa specialists select the medicinal plants best suited to each guest’s needs, steam them in the resort’s mineral-rich, alkaline thermal water, and apply them in the form of herbal balls or cream to your body’s meridians. In an instant, your blockages vanish, the very air feels lighter.
Escape from Technology - The Point, USA
The arched gateway, with its natural wooden lettering, sets the tone: wild, poetic, rustic. Passing through it, you enter another space-time continuum, one of Adirondack chairs beside the lake, eiderdown drifting on an invisible breeze, airplane mode. No visual pollution, no ringing phones, no electromagnetic waves, no blue light. Wi-Fi can only be had in the Main Lodge. Tech addicts will come to know the freedom of the great outdoors, the sound of silence, the nourishment of restful nights. Perfect for a reset, to once again honor your circadian rhythm.
Sound Therapy - Svatma, India
Are you ready for an experience that only India could provide? For a spiritual and acoustic journey? Visit Swaram, the spa at Svatman that specializes in sound therapy. The massage table (or sound bed), designed as a musical instrument, has 50 tuned strings stretched beneath it. A skilled therapist uses a resonator to cause them to harmoniously vibrate at a frequency that nurtures the emotional-physical system. Rattles, gongs, bells, and chimes hang from the ceiling, their subtle score amplifying this sensory soaking. The effect is hypnotic, entrancing, and tailored to each body’s needs. It provides intense relaxation and helps encourage healing. The resulting ease will last many days and nights.
A Journey to “Sleep Well” - Elounda Mare Hotel, Greece
Elounda’s Six Senses Spa practices Ayurveda as tradition would have it, but with views of Mirabello Bay and whitewashed façades. Its “Sleep Well Journey” ritual pre-paves slumber to perfection; no sleepy stone is left unturned. First, 15 minutes of pranayama breathing to prepare for your session, then a full body acupressure massage releases tensions while a facial marma massage stimulates the pineal gland. Then a nasya (a few drops of oil into the nostrils) clears the sinuses, and the ancient Shirodhara technique activates the pineal gland to secrete melatonin. Three smoothies aptly named Sleep and Resilience complete the ritual. Everything is aligned and cleared, tracing the pathway to your dreams.
A Restful Retreat - Ellerman House, South Africa
A relaxation getaway designed like a fitness retreat? Health fans will love the concept. Ellerman House brought in Briton Harry Jameson, the internationally-renowned Elite Wellness Consultant, who went all out in the planning. The five Sleep Rooms are devoid of any source of unnecessary agitation – no stimulants in the mini bars, no disruptive electronics. Instead, a unique Sleep Pack (lemon verbena bath salts, sleep-enhancing body butter, lavender-neroli linen mist, comforting eye masks, and CBD chamomile tea). And because physical activity also affects the quality of your sleep, Jameson invites guests to paddle the Atlantic or pedal to Sea Point.
Absolute Relaxation in a Flotarium - A Quinta da Auga Hotel & Spa, Spain
There is something delightfully antediluvian about staying at this former 18th-century paper mill. Cozy nooks, fireplaces, solarium, tartan-draped partitions, fountains, verdant grounds, the river below – an air of childhood vacation is everywhere. The ambiance is conducive to refreshing naps in the shady grounds or, for the ultimate in relaxation, in the spa’s flotarium. As you lie in water saturated with soothing, magnesium-rich Epsom salt, the body floats effortlessly, defying gravity. Your state of consciousness changes and time ceases to exist. Wondrous.
A Tailor-Made Cozy Cocoon - Secret Bay, Dominica
Medium or firm hypoallergenic mattress? Memory-foam, waterbase, or extra-firm pillow? Silk- or rice-filled eye mask? Or would you rather lie in a soft hammock on the terrace to sleep beneath the stars? All combinations are possible at Secret Bay – just pick your preferences in advance to truly unplug. Few places are cozier than these six eco-designed villas on the estate, tailor-made to reunite you with your dreams. Even Bluetooth speakers will play the most soothing soundtrack. Perfect for getting away from the world, enjoying breathtaking views of starry skies and glowing sunsets.
