Sensorial Sanctuaries

From the iconic to indie, a trip to the region's hautest day spas and beauty salons are sure to enliven spirits and refresh the senses.

- ALLI SIM

Restore the body, revive the senses or revamp your look? Achieve all these at our selection of must-visit day spas and salons, which are located in three of Asia's hottest cities: Singapore, Kuala Lumpur and Bangkok.

As stressors of modern-day life rise, regular self-care sessions seem more of a necessity than a luxury. In 2023, 46 percent of Singaporeans deemed mental health to be our nation's biggest problem, followed by cancer and stress, according to Ipsos' World Mental Health Day study.

Alarmingly, yet unsurprisingly, not only are nine in ten Singaporeans feeling stressed, a recent Cigna Healthcare Vitality Study found that 16 percent considered this stress to be unmanageable.

Aside from fundamental stress management tools, such as fitness and mindfulness, sometimes there's no greater joy than switching off and sinking into a fluffy massage bed for some much-needed tender loving care. A 60-minute massage is unlikely to undo burnout. But there's no denying that there's something healing about touch and carving time that's just for you.

So if a bouncy blowout or fresh set of nails add that extra pep to your step, why not decompress with some spa therapy?

Here are the self-care destinations to visit in 2024.

1. The Spa at The Singapore Edition

38 Cuscaden Road, Singapore 249731

In an ode to our multicultural healing rituals, Singapore's buzziest new spa offers the Serai Massage, a lemongrass-forward massage for releasing stress; the Deep Muscle Massage using warm jade stones to undo deep knots; and Ayurvedic-inspired Shila Abhyanga massage with ginger and black pepper to improve vitality and promote lymph flow.

2. Auriga Spa at Capella

1 The Knolls, Sentosa Island, Singapore 098297