Six Senses Integrated Wellness Philosophy

From the food you eat to the way you sleep and the earth beneath your feet, wellness is integrated into your whole Six Senses experience. They aim to enhance every aspect of your experience so you feel immediate, real benefits however long your stay.

HELPING YOU SLEEP WELL

Six Senses vacations are about resting the mind, rejuvenating the body and boosting the immune system. It all starts with a good night’s sleep. They've worked with internationally renowned experts including Sleep Doctor Michael J. Breus to develop a sleep standard to ensure that each day ends in peaceful slumber.

Because the importance of sleep goes way beyond just boosting your mood or banishing under-eye circles, they have brought together some of the best sleeping tools from handmade mattresses, temperature regulating pillows and duvets to organic cotton sheets.

• The Bed

The handmade mattress is made from organic lamb’s wool with coir fibre that comes from a certified organic coconut plantation to ensure unbeatable airflow. The quilted cotton cover is anti-bug/mite/moth/anything creepy-crawly, moisture-wicking and hypoallergenic. The latex layer comes from the only certified organic rubber plantation in the world and provides excellent orthopaedic support.

• Pillows & Duvets

The non-allergenic, organic pillows and duvets are resistant to mites and provide excellent thermal and climatic conditions for sleep. The three-tier chamber prevents flattening so the pillow stays fluffy, providing comfort for better ZZZZs.

• The Linen

The fabrics have been expertly spun into super fine yarns before passing through various finishing processes for superb whiteness and an ultra-smooth touch. The highest quality is ensured from the thread to your bed.

• Sleep Tracking

They can arrange a time to come to your villa and set up a sleep tracker device that sits unobtrusively by the side of your bed and measures your breathing as you go into the different sleep stages. The results of the sleep tracker are analysed during a 10-minute sleep review to pinpoint any changes that may need to be made for the following night. Your first two nights are free!

• Jet Lag App

Jet lag is caused when the sleep-wake and light-dark cycle shift too quickly for the 24-hour circadian clock in the brain to adapt. They offer a mobile app to improve your travelling experience to shift your circadian rhythm through your exposure to light, caffeine and sleep, starting by making some adjustments a few days before you travel. Rated by NASA astronauts, you can apply the same principles next time you travel across time zones.

• Supporting Your Sleep Programme

If you're on their Sleep programme and depending on your specific requirements, they may make a few adjustments. For example, if you tend to get uncomfortably hot, they offer specific linen created from sustainably sourced eucalyptus that regulates core body temperature. They may also change your lighting, offer you a sound therapy machine and provide sleep amenities including pampering products and sleep-inducing snacks and drinks.

HELPING YOU EAT WELL

Eating and vacations go as well together as chilli and chocolate. Their food and drinks philosophy – where food is as nutritious as it is delicious – means you can enjoy both and leave feeling better than when you arrived.

• Natural Ingredients

They choose a cleaner and simpler approach to preparation, focusing on quality, balance and fresh whole food made from scratch. Produce doesn’t come much fresher than their herbs and veggies are grown in their own organic gardens and mushroom huts. In some locations, eggs and milk come from onsite farms.

• Local & Sustainable

Each Six Senses resort is reinforcing its relationships with local farmers, producers and suppliers, who are committed to responsible sourcing, packaging and seasonality. They keep a close eye on what's in your food and where it comes from so you can reconnect with food safe in the knowledge it’s healthy for you and the world around you.

• Less Is More

Their chefs indulge their love for hearty and healthy menus while avoiding the bad stuff such as flavour enhancers and reducing the number of lectins, lactose, gluten and sugar in your food. Glucose is out, vinegar is in!

THERAPEUTIC SPA & WELLNESS PROGRAMMES

Six Senses unite a pioneering spirit with holistic wellness, rejuvenation and beauty treatments that go beyond the ordinary. Put your feet up and worries down as you surrender to the ministrations of expert therapists at any of their resorts.

• Signature Massages

Research shows that massage is good for us and it's one of the most popular treatments at Six Senses too. Their teams of trainers and skilled therapists continuously fine-tune their signature massages to address the most common concerns, while allowing space for each therapeutic spa treatment to be adapted to your specific needs.

Want to release stress and ease muscle tension? Then try their deep tissue massage. If full personalisation is your goal, opt for the holistic massage or tackle stubborn cellulite with their detox massage. For more targeted options, there is the tension soother, relaxed feet or head massage.

What's more, their signature singing bowl ritual is incorporated before and after each treatment to ensure that your body receives a positive healing experience.

• Local Inspiration

They integrate local community knowledge into Six Senses Spa treatments. This brings you a variety of locally-inspired wellness therapies (shhh, often best-kept secrets) which draw upon age-old local traditions, the healing benefits of the surrounding environment, and the indigenous plants and herbs, which are grown on-site and used in home-made organic products. All designed to stimulate, re-energise and restore.

• Alchemy Bar

You can learn to harness the real (super) power of herbs, plants and ingredients at the Alchemy Bar. This is a space dedicated to learning and fun, where skilled spa therapists guide you through a variety of locally sourced ingredients and products in a private or group workshop. You will feel their textures, smell the wonderful aromas and create your scrub, hair or face mask, herbal poultice or steam bundle. You will also learn how to make these wonderful potions and cures to carry on the good work back home.

STAYING HEALTHY WHILE TRAVELLING

One of the most powerful ways to connect with ourselves is by simply moving our feet. It boosts energy levels, reduces stress and improves both physical and mental health. What's more, it makes us feel happier. Research shows that even 20 minutes of exercise can give you mood-boosting benefits for up to 12 hours afterwards.

• Going Beyond The Gym

Things have moved on from sweat, squats and spandex to HIIT, wearables, CrossFit programmes and more. Their science-informed fitness spaces bring together the right balance of cardio equipment and weight machines with pioneering functional and core movement techniques, so you can experience different fitness methods, classes and programmes. They look at your “whole” where body workouts are also in tune with the more mental aspects of wellness such as goal setting.

Don't know where to start? Their personal trainers guide you and tailor the workout specifically to your needs ... and you are encouraged to go at your own pace. Their coaching is designed to be inspiring, enjoyable and personal.

Thrive better in a group of people with a common goal? From circuit training, abs and core sessions to boot camp classes, there are plenty of group workouts for you to join while staying with Six Senses.

Jungle gyms, running trails and workouts on the beach are available if you like to soak up the benefits of the outdoors, boost the levels of Vitamin D or just enjoy the views. Or simply take time out and release some endorphins on a natural trail walk.

• Strike A Pose

Six Senses love yoga! It helps improve posture and flexibility, prevent injuries, boost energy, unlock the mind and sustain balance and harmony when faced with a daily dose of stress. What's more, when we start to feel great and young on the inside, we shine on the outside too.

At Six Senses, you can try yoga at outdoor pavilions and be rewarded with lovely views from every angle (downward dog, triangle, warrior or tree pose). Or add an upside-down dimension to your yoga practice and stimulate the release of happy hormones by giving aerial yoga a whirl. Need some help with sleep? Yoga Nidra aims to induce a deep state of relaxation, reducing your stress levels and improving your ZZZs.

Get ready to strengthen your core with their Pilates classes. Don't be put off when your brows sweat and legs shake: over time, and with a bit of practice, you'll learn all about controlling every inch of your body.

Known as meditation in motion, tai chi focuses on the healing properties of qi (life force). Through gentle movements and focused breathing, the mind becomes relaxed and the body strengthened.

Group and private classes are available across Six Senses resorts.

HELPING YOU BE MINDFUL

Mindfulness cultivates our ability to live in the present, to become more aware, to listen better and to appreciate what we have in life thanks to paying more attention. It's like having a coach who helps you foster a healthier relationship with your feelings and thoughts no matter what comes your way.

• Anytime Anywhere Meditation

We can't argue with our ancestors. For thousands of years, meditation has helped practitioners to effectively fight worry, stress, lack of clarity and more. Modern studies show that regular practice can help you improve concentration skills, find more emotional positivity and gain a calmer way of seeing the true nature of things. It can also alter your epigenome and promote a longer lifespan.

At Six Senses, you can enjoy group meditation classes or private sessions with experienced in-house practitioners. In the short term, it will help you “check-in” and focus. In the long run, it can bring balance and laughter back into your life and help you to reconnect with others and yourself on a more meaningful level.

• Mindfulness Practices

At some of Six Senses' locations, they have incorporated mindfulness practices into their treatment protocols to promote stillness, happiness and wellbeing. You'll be encouraged to set positive intentions through breathing and visualisation techniques while chanting and singing bowls bring your body into harmony with its surroundings.

Six Senses encourage you to practice a moment of beholding, allowing you to experience yourself as you are and find meaning in something that has just happened.

When life is busy, it is not easy to remember that a sense of wonder and awe is essential for leading a passionate life. Six Senses can offer you a little time and space to help you reconnect with your sense of wonder so you can allow yourself to be more playful by asking questions that look for experience.

WELLBEING FOR THE YOUNG

Vacations are a great time away from the routine for youngsters to understand more about what's going on inside them and in the world around them. And who says it can't be fun! Grow With Six Senses incorporates the six dimensions of wellness (social, environmental, physical, spiritual, emotional and intellectual) so kids can reconnect with nature and gain useful life skills through play.

Programmes vary from resort to resort, but the focus is on out-of-the-ordinary experiences: everything from the active (flying yoga, organic gardening, cooking workshops) to the relaxing (spa treatments, simple meditation, singing bowl workshops) and the creative with a local twist (Vietnamese origami, Portuguese tile painting, basic Arabic). It’s an adventure, and as they journey through each activity, they’ll get a new stamp for their personal Six Senses passport.