Chiva Som – The Optimal Performer

Our Sales Director Chris Wain recently travelled to Thailand, and his trip took him to Hua Hin, and to Chiva Som. We caught up with him to learn a little more about his time there.

I am very fortunate to have visited Chiva Som regularly over the past few years, and I now know the ins and outs of this stand-out Wellness star pretty well.

I normally just opt to book the Taste of Chiva Som programme, which provides me with my accommodation, three wonderfully-nutritious meals each day, an initial wellness consultation, a daily treatment - normally a Thai massage or an exceptional Invigorating massage, and access to everything which I love about the place; the facilities, (steam rooms, saunas, cold plunge pools, gym), and the plethora of group classes. I slip effortlessly into a routine of Tai Chi at 07h00, then breakfast, Stretching at 09h00, Aqua at 11h00 and a light lunch. The afternoon normally brings another fitness class – Pilates, Toning Ball or Circuit Training, my daily massage treat, some downtime and an early dinner. I have tried and tested this routine, and it works perfectly for me.

This summer though was a little different. In the build-up to travelling to Thailand I had done something to my knee – nothing serious but a bit of a shooting pain whenever I did any exercise or sat still for too long. As I had a lovely stay booked for Chiva Som I thought I would see if anything could be done about it, and so chose to book their Optimal Performance programme, which promised to replenish, rejuvenate and revitalise my physical and mental state.

I met first with my Wellness Advisor and had my already-busy daily schedule stuffed further with things which didn’t sound much fun – amongst them Neuromuscular & Refunctional Exercise, Gyrokinesis & the Neurac Method. With a little early trepidation, what followed was five days of slowly, slowly catchy wellness monkey as, alongside the usual group classes and my daily treatment, I was introduced to the world of physical function & rehabilitation. All this was under the watchful eye of the diminutive Khun Jeep, Chiva Som’s no-nonsense head of physiotherapy, and a proper doyen of all things healthy.

My Bone Density Analysis indicated that there was nothing inherently wrong with me, and two sessions of traditional physiotherapy with Khun Jeep showed weakness around the tendons in my knee.

As the week progressed I learnt that the Neurac Method was nothing to fear, but rather is a method which uses three-dimensional suspension to improve muscle function in a pain-free way, and had me hanging from the ceiling like a bat in a collection of swings and pulleys. I discovered also that the scientific-sounding Neuromuscular Exercise is just a clever combination of stretching and the movements involved in Thai dancing, that Gyrokinesis is a form of exercise which has a bit of everything - gymnastics, Tai Chi & yoga, and that Refunctional Exercise is far removed from ‘normal’ exercise and is instead a series of gentle movements and exercises which has the aims of correcting posture, increasing flexibility and strengthening muscles, (but which still left me panting by the end).

One of the things Chiva Som does so well, (which some others sadly do not), is to make sure that all their team and departments are singing from the same hymn sheet, so that everyone is aware of guests’ conditions and needs. This meant that my personal training was tailored exactly for me & my knee, and my deep tissue & vibration massages, (with a hand-held gun), were spot-on.

All too soon though, as is always the case at Chiva Som, my stay had come to an end and, armed with a programme of stretches to continue at home, it was time to leave. Through a combination of innovative exercises, tailored massages and top-class physiotherapy, Khun Jeep and her team had worked their magic, and although I cannot say that my stay had made me feel 10 years younger, (nothing really can once you get to a certain age), I did leave feeling a whole lot better than when I had arrived, with the niggle in my knee long gone. Chiva Som had excelled once again, and proved themselves to still be the Optimal Performer.