The AWAY® Spa at W Retreat & Spa Bali in Seminyak is a hip, funky escape where you can disappear from the outside world into a delicious, almost underwater palace to indulge in absolute pampering.
AWAY® operates on Whatever/Whenever® time, so you can make your way to the spa to relax, detox or revitalise whether you’ve just peeled yourself off a sun lounger, danced out of the club, or just can’t sleep at 2AM.
W is well known for its attention to detail and location-specific themes, so it is hardly surprising that Bali’s sacred concepts of “wind as the breath of life” and “water as the source of life” have been woven into this place of restoration and life-enhancing treatments – not to mention a spa treatment based around a summery island cocktail…
Into the Spa…
AWAY®’s pampered guests glide through the spacious spa, bathed in the signature aquatic hues of cool blues, greens and purple, past the windswept wall and know that the outside world cannot intrude on this “hidden” realm.
In the changing room, you slip into a sensuous purple silk robe that makes you truly feel gorgeous and glamorous – regardless of the reality! W’s passion for music, fashion and design is clear, with chill-out music playing gently throughout, curated specifically for AWAY® by Michaelangelo L’Acqua, W’s Global Music Director. There is just a hint of the delicious resort-designed scent drifting through the air, while the space has been created so you feel like a superstar backstage at a luxury fashion show.
Prior to the body treatments, you are encouraged to take advantage of the hot stone mineral bath to soothe your weary body and tired muscles and relax ready for your massage, or plunge into the hydrojet cold vitality pool to get your blood pumping. There is also the Detox Chamber, a deep blue and purple room with sofas to lie back on while you breathe in the pure oxygen and sip on a cool healthy drink.
But after a few too many cocktails in the sun, it is the Tempted by Raw Energy signature treatment that is really here to refresh and invigorate. Described as the tantalising freshness of a lime Margarita in a salt-encrusted Martini glass, the treatment includes a salt scrub, the “Morning After” massage and a swirl in a fresh lime and basil bath. But first, the treatment starts with a foot cleansing ritual with a fizzy bath bomb in the water, making your feet tingle while the antibacterial properties get to work.
Your therapist then takes you through to the back section of your swanky multiplex room and lies you down on a silk covered treatment bed, discreetly covers you with a soft cotton sheet and starts the detoxifying sea salt and seaweed exfoliation to brush away the old and let your inner glow shine through, while the ocean minerals contained in the seaweed release layers of built-up toxins, leaving your skin as smooth as that Margarita glass.
With your skin primed for the next stage, the Morning After massage takes place in the middle section of your domain, away from the salt crystal debris, on a hugely comfortable treatment bed with a slideshow of nature and healthy food running on the floor to entertain you while you lie face down.
The therapist’s long, firm movements with fingers, hands and forearms, warm and relax you as grape seed and soya oil, infused with pure essential oils of grapefruit, basil, peppermint and rosemary, seep easily into your already soft skin.
All the products used are 100% natural. They are made fresh for the spa and pack a powerful punch with a number of fruit and herbs normally found on your plate or in your cocktail glass. While mint, basil and rosemary are all believed to relieve stress, soothe the skin and loosen dead cells, they all, along with the lime, are refreshing and help to rejuvenate the skin. The delightful cocktail of scents also combats mental fatigue and stress.
As your muscles relax and your body releases its locked-up knots, your therapist encourages the stagnant energy to flow and stiffness to fully ease by stretching your limbs with yoga-inspired movements to encourage healthy blood circulation, flexibility and the release of your raw energy.
At the end of the massage, you feel limber and fully invigorated, just about ready to take on the world again. But first, to complete the pampering, you take a little personal time to soak in the sunken vitality bathtub full of Margarita-inspired ingredients; slices of fresh lime, basil leaves, sprigs of rosemary and tiny yellow flowers – almost good enough to drink! A snack of rosella flowers, banana chips and a beautiful shiny green apple, with a drink of young coconut and pineapple juice, is provided to complete your revitalisation as you soak and start planning your next cocktail!
Stay in this retreat within a retreat while you relax in the spacious Chillout Lounge nibbling on snacks and rehydrating as you catch up and compare treatment notes with your friends, or head over to the catwalk and the CHILL spa bar for that lime Margarita, or another alcoholic treat, luxuriating in your silk gown.
When it’s time to rejoin the outside world, the smiling staff at the Whisk Me AWAY counter offer you a dish of wishing stones – close your eyes, select one, and throw it in the Wishing Pond as you wend your way back to reality.
AWAY® is so much more than just a beautiful place for a massage, facial or mani-pedi. It is an escape, a private retreat for you and your friends, a world where you can be the cosseted superstar with no thought other than where to enjoy your next Margarita…
Spa Secrets of the Margarita…
Lime has a refreshing scent, while its acidic nature helps to naturally loosen dead skin cells to rejuvenate the skin.
Mint is well known for supporting the digestion, but it is also a natural astringent and can be used to loosen dead skin cells, soothe and calm the skin, increase blood circulation, and, of course, the scent is both refreshing and soothing.
Basil, another member of the mint family, is high in vitamin A, is anti-bacterial and anti-inflammatory, believed to improve blood circulation and help combat stress and mental fatigue, while the scent is extremely calming.
Rosemary is also a member of the mint family and has been used in religious rituals since ancient times. It is an anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant believed to stimulate cell renewal and reduce swelling and puffiness. As a scent, it is both energising and calming.
Exfoliating with sea salt is very gentle, leaving the skin smooth and able to easily absorb moisture and nutrients. Sea salt and seaweed can both be very high in minerals, such as magnesium, calcium, zinc, iodine and potassium, all of which, according to scientists, boost the skin’s ability to retain moisture.
