Within the stylish W Retreat & Spa Bali – Seminyak, located alongside Petitenget Beach, even up against Bali’s internationally acclaimed spas, W’s AWAY Spa is cutting edge, sophisticated stuff, bucking Balinese spa trends and justifiably the recipient of numerous awards, including Condé Nast Johansen’s Spa Awards for Excellence 2015. Covering 1,500 square metres, this is W Retreat’s largest globally branded AWAY Spa and its sleek, all white and futuristic interiors almost resemble a vast spaceship – belying the beachfront location.
More than just a mere spa, AWAY captures the playful, hip W Retreat experience, with emphasis on jetsetter glamour and fun, providing an escape within an escape, whisking customers off to another stratosphere. AWAY Spa is open 24 hours a day and incorporates W Hotels’ signature Whatever/Whenever service philosophy, offering guests whatever they want, whenever they want it, while out-there facilities cover a detox chamber wired with pure oxygen masks and Chill Bar.
In sync with AWAY Spa’s ultra-contemporary surroundings and spirit, even spa products come from another world – exclusively designed for Bali’s AWAY menu and custom blended to match individual treatments. Freshly made with 100 percent natural ingredients, products come in dry powdered form, water being added just before treatments, resulting in a smooth paste still retaining all the ingredients’ beautifying benefits. Massage and pure essential oils, selected by AWAY Spa rather than guests, contributes to a specific product-treatment regime.
AWAY Spa’s detox and refuel concept brings traditional Asian therapies up-to-date with a mood-boosting menu of recharging and reinvigorating treatments. This innovative menu reflects different personalities, with offerings such as Glamour and Glitz, Fit and Fabulous, Serene and Soulful and the all-new What Men Want.
For pre-treatment therapies, set aside 30 minutes for complimentary use of AWAY’s decadent Wet Area, featuring a steam room, hot stone pool and cold jet vitality pool, all of which help relax the body before your treatment.
The Serene and Soulful treatment suits “the quiet, passionate soul that delights in imagination and seduction”. From the Body Works sub-section, I opt for the Body Honey treatment (150 minutes, IDR2.3 million++). Although off-the-charts relaxing, this lusciously sweet treatment is a maintenance regime, keeping skin glowing and well nourished and propelling nature’s magical product to the star role. However, unlike other spas, the honey used at AWAY is not of a sticky, dense and heavy consistency, but rather comes in a powdered form, mixed with other ingredients and water. It isn’t sticky, it’s mess-free and there are no crystallisation issues!
To reengage the senses, my one-hour massage uses AWAY’s signature massage technique, incorporating circular strokes along the spine and long strokes over the limbs, in traditional Balinese style. This stimulates the nervous system and releases muscle tension and is assisted by an ultra-soothing, heated herbal poultice, packed with therapeutic Himalayan crystal salts, rosemary and aromatic pandan leaves, mixed together with warm grape seed and soya oil.
Now insanely relaxed, my scrumptious Honey and Mango Body Scrub exfoliates and removes dead skin cells for renewed skin brightness. Loaded with antioxidants, enzymes and other nutrients that nourish, cleanse and hydrate the skin, honey makes a wonderful exfoliate. This scrub also features sea salt, organic ground rice, mango and mandarin peel, plus pure essential oils.
All showered off, it’s straight into a deeply moisturizing Coconut Milk and Wild Honey Body Cocoon. Honey is a natural humectant drawing moisture deep into the epidermis where it’s needed most for penetrating, long-lasting hydration, while antioxidants repair the skin, protecting it against environmental damage. Even when water is added to this cocoon powder – which also incorporates French and yellow clay and coconut milk – it’s still not too runny, explaining the purple satin sheets used for cocooning me (contrasting with the usual banana leaf wraps).
While all this soaks in, and before my final shower, I am spoiled further with a reenergizing head massage by my superstar therapist. Body Honey Lotion seals the deal with a highly moisturizing liquid honey base, incorporating hydrating aloe vera, jojoba seeds, avocado, wild pansy extracts and more, blended with mandarin, lime, jasmine and ylang ylang essential oils. Post-treatment, I waft down to the Refuel Room for my debriefing; this sunshine-filled chamber is pure AWAY Spa, glass-encased with funky seating and banana chips provided plus candies and Refuel Juice (young coconut, pineapple and ginger).
As AWAY Spa promises, “The new irresistible you is now ready to hit Bali’s glam hotspots.” Body Honey is ideal before a big night out, such as a hot date or glitzy first-night event, although its divine effects last well past one memorable night. I’m certainly ready, nicely zoned-out with beautifully hydrated, fragrant and glowing skin that is out of this world.
