Indulge in value-added treatments at CHI, The Spa at Shangri-La’s Rasa Sayang Resort and Spa.

Outclassing every other resort on the island, this vast and luxurious establishment feels like something out of a South Sea dream. The newly renovated complex is unpretentiously chic and liveable. Rooms are large and decorated with fine hardwood furniture, and cloud-like white duvets float on the beds; all have balconies and many have sea views.

The exclusive Rasa wing takes high-end to another elevation with its decadent suites – while the rest of the resort welcomes children, this area is adults-only.And did we mention the gardens? Palms, plumeria and bird of paradise create a lush enclave for the winding, partially shaded naturalistic swimming pool. A thin stretch of beach borders the gardens. As you’d expect, the hotel’s Chi Spa is the most posh on Penang Island and is housed in 11 serene villas surrounded by lush plants. There’s a yoga studio with regular yoga and meditation classes as well as a spa shop where you can shop for bath goodies to bring home. There are also tennis courts, a putting green and several restaurants. The service is the perfect balance of professionalism and easygoing friendliness.

CHI, The Spa at Shangri-La draws inspiration from the origins of the Shangri-La legend, a place of personal peace, enchantment and well-being.

Set within a secluded corner of the resort enclosed by soaring centuries-old rain trees and beside a tranquil seashore, CHI, The Spa offers 11 spa villas and a yoga pavilion exuding serenity, peace and solitude.  Decorated in distinctive CHI style, the spa design also incorporates indigenous Malay and Peranakan influences in its rich timber wood flooring and stone walls.  The spa menu includes Chinese and Malay treatments.  Each of the spacious villas is equipped with a private changing room, a treatment room and a private garden, all surrounded by 30 acres of lush gardens.  Outdoor rain showers are available in selected villas.

In traditional Chinese philosophy, “chi” or “Qi” is the universal life force that governs well-being and personal vitality.  For people to maintain good health, it is believed that “chi” must flow freely within the body and, when blocked, “disease” and illness follow.  Movement is therefore a key element in releasing blockages.  Body massage, exercise, stretching, hydrotherapy, and movement of the mind through relaxation and meditation combine to assist the body’s natural renewal and form the basis of the CHI spa philosophy.

LIVE BETTER, LIVE LONGER IN THE HEALING GARDEN OF THE ALGARVE

REJUVENATE AT LONGEVITY MEDICAL SPA BY LA CLINIQUE DE PARIS

LONGEVITY WELLNESS RESORT MONCHIQUE

Relax and Refresh Your Body

Stress isn’t something you have to accept as a part of modern life. We feel it in our bodies, we talk about it with our friends and we blame it for standing in the way of our happiness. But do we do anything about it? In fact, ignoring it can take real toll on your health.

Stress is one of the main factors that drags you down, and you will not fully refreshed until yo have source of it in your life. Stress is a term used to describe the symptoms produced when you are under excessive pressure. To some degree, its true that certain amount of stress is necessary to meet life’s challenge in the modern world,  but too much is harmful and can leave you tired, irritable and tense. Once you understand the psychological effects stress on every part of our body, you will be motivated to stop accepting it as part of life.

During high intensity stress, hormonal changes cause your body concentration to become highly focused.  The symptoms of stress result from high levels of circulating  stress hormones, such as adrenaline, which literally put your system in the state of  ’red alert’ . This results in blood sugar levels rising to provide energy, bowels emptying to make you lighter for running, pupils dilating to help you see better , respiratory rate going up so that more oxygen enters your circulation, pulse and blood pressure increasing so that more oxygen and nutrients flow to important organs and tissues and the circulation decreasing to some parts of the body so that more blood could be diverted to muscles. If you lived in the days of the caveman, the stress response might have saved your life. Changes occurring in the body help primitive man the strength to fight a predator, or flee and escape harmful situations. For the caveman, once the danger was over, the system returned to normal level but nowadays, you rarely need to fight, flee and the effects of stress build up inside you rather than getting burned off through sudden burst of physical activity.

Most of us have our personal way of reacting to stress. Some cry, others overeat, some become irritable and cranky. One of the best way to identify source of stress in your life is keep a stress diary. This involves writing down everything that makes you feel stressed, noting how you respond and how you remedy the situation to help stop the stress returning. Think about your habits and consider if any are making it worse. At the end of the week go back to the diary and try to identify the main sources of stress, how much control you have over them, and steps you can take to reduce their effects.

Exercising is a great stress reliever. Exercise will burn off stress hormones, improve your fitness level, contribute to optimum health and help you feel energized.  Stress can change your breathing patter, use refreshing breathing exercises to refresh your breathing in situation where you feel stresses. For mental focus try yoga practice – 60-90 minutes practice will really make you feel great. A quick and refreshing exercise is a Chinese technique called the inner smile. It takes only few minute and brings rapid relaxation and rejuvenation help leave tension behind.  Try aromatherapy massage as it is a pleasant way of relaxing tense muscles and easing stress and oil can be inhaled to freshen your mind and improve clarity. A number of complimentary therapies can be used for their balancing actions.