All over the globe, the spa industry is booming, and today’s savvy travelers are seeking out the best each destination has to offer. From old-world European mineral hot spring “cures”, to modern day spas featuring the latest technology, it’s all just a plane ride—or mouse click—away. Every month, Spa Week profiles one of our favorite destinations, and whether international or domestic, each one is out of this world.

On an island brimming with beauty and wellness centers—not to mention holistic healers and yoga teachers — the spa at The Four Seasons Bali, Jimbaran Bay is one of our favorites. Spread out in a nearly-11,000-square-foot facility on the resort's lush main grounds, the spa offers the high-end amenities and anticipatory service expected of a five-star hotel, while avoiding the generic, you-could-be-anywhere feel of many chain resorts, luxury or otherwise. Even with eyes shut tight in the midst of a massage-induced coma, it's hard to forget you're in Bali.


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After checking in at the reception /retail area, guests are led to one of the changing rooms, well-stocked with amenities both standard (razors, styling products) and thoughtful (in-locker boxes for stowing jewelry.) Once wrapped in a Balinese style sarong and robe, it's off to sip tea in the cozy waiting lounge. The facility boasts eight neutral-palette treatment rooms, including three suites outfitted with Swiss showers, soaking tubs and small plant-filled private courtyards. The Royal Spa Suite boasts its own rain shower. (Massages can also be enjoyed al fresco at the spa's satellite facility, a spacious, beautifully decorated hut set just above the beach.)
Treatment-wise, the spa keeps it local and natural with a menu rich in indigenous ingredients and techniques. The classic Balinese massage is performed using santi oil (a combination of coconut oil and essential oils like basil and vetiver); the Aroma rub-down offers a choice of massage styles and fragrant oils, and the Marble massage relaxes with hot and cold marble rocks. The body services descriptions read like a catalogue of an exotic garden: lemongrass, papaya, hibiscus, shredded coconut and mint pop up in body scrubs, while vanilla, lavender and banana leaves are incorporated into hydrating wraps. Facials range from those designed to heal and balance to more in-depth energizing and detoxifying options while making use of natural ingredients like turmeric, dandelion and black walnut.
Thanks to the favorable dollar-rupiah exchange rate, a one-hour Balinese massage will run you only about $85. Some of the most unique deals can be found among the treatment package options. The Island Fruit Ritual refines skin with a massage, hibiscus sugar scrub and island fruit soak; Coco de Mer restores moisture to sun-worn skin with a sea kelp and mother-of-peal scrub, blue reef and algae body mask, milk bath and hydration with whipped nut butters; and the signature Lulur Jimbaran, a take on the traditional Balinese pre-wedding ritual, exfoliates skin with a combination of turmeric, sandalwood, rice powder and ginger, then tops it off with a yogurt splash, flower bath and lotion application.
Ayurveda-inspired services like the Shiodhara oil bath/massage and the Poultice Body Compress treatment help round out the menu, as do alternative therapies like Reiki and Chakra balancing. With a little advance notice, the spa can also arrange for an excellent Watsu, or water massage, a transformative mix of stretching, gentle muscle work and massage in an individual heated pool. Finally, you can enjoy an array of fitness classes—from Tai Chi and meditation to water aerobics, mountain biking and kick boxing—all help guests cultivate the mind-body connection that's so integral to Bali's healing culture.
For more on the Spa at The Four Seasons Bali, Jimbaran Bay, visit www.fourseasons.com/jimbaranbay.
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June, 2008
Grand Heritage Hotels |
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May, 2008
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March, 2008
The Verandah Resort & Spa |
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February, 2008
Miraval Tucson Resort & Spa |
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January, 2008
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December, 2007
Six Senses Spa at Puntacana Resort & Club |
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November, 2007
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October, 2007
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July, 2007
The Laveda Spa at The Ritz-Carlton Istanbul |
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June, 2007
Regency Spa and Salon at the Manchester Grand Hyatt |
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May, 2007
Red Mountain Spa |
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April, 2007
Skaná: The Spa at Turning Stone Resort
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March, 2007
Amanjena Resort, Marrakech |
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January, 2007
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December, 2006
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November, 2006
Spa SPC at The Stoke Park Club |
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October, 2006
Spa Avania at Gainey Ranch
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