On the second day of what I have taken to calling “well-being bootcamp,” I have already completed three spa treatments and health consultations, and it is not yet lunchtime. If there were such as a thing as winning at wellness, this would be my podium moment.
Except, of course, I am not at bootcamp, and there is no gold medal, but I am winning big in the health and well-being department during my getaway at Rakxa, a restorative luxury retreat in Bangkok designed for guests in need of a mental and physical reset.
Rakxa redefines barefoot luxury with an integrative wellness and health twist, backed by the medical expertise of the acclaimed Bumrungrad International Hospital. Modern science and East-meets-West healing philosophies work hand in hand to unravel the imbalances in your body and design a holistic programme for recovery. Physical, mental, emotional, and nutritional concerns are addressed to bring the mind, body, and spirit into synergy. Here, the resort is akin to a wellness Disneyland—just replace Main Street with lanes lined with tropical Bismarck and Vanuatu fan palms, sun-dappled lawns, decorative waterways, and earth-palette buildings with high ceilings and open designs that bring the outside in. It is blissfully quiet, feels completely remote, and could well be a universe away from the bustling Bangkok megalopolis. (In truth, it is only a 30-minute drive to city centre.)
Fitting, then, that this oasis is hidden in the dense, lush forests of Bang Krachao, in what is nicknamed the “Green Lung” of Bangkok, to reinforce that connection to nature (and cocoon you far away from the rest of the world so you can really focus on yourself and your health during your multi-day programme). Bang Krachao is a man-made development encircled by the Chao Phraya river, a jungled area intended to “eco-fy” a city known for its gridlocks, heavy traffic, and strong reliance on automobiles. Needless to say, the “Green Lung” is a rare sight in Bangkok. A maze of winding roads and twists and turns, past colourful houses of tin-shingled roofs, one unassuming path, shielded by trees and lined by uniform hedges, leads into the Rakxa sanctuary. Luckily, there is no need to memorise the way, as this is where you will spend the coming days immersed in top-notch rejuvenation.
Rakxa recommends extended programmes lasting anywhere from five days up to 14 days, but I am here to do a wellness speed run, squeezing what feels like a week’s worth of treatments into all of two-and-a-half days (not advised but required to placate a busy schedule). It is a sprint rather than a marathon, but Rakxa is health and well-being done thoroughly and efficiently. Go in with an open mind—it is a lot to take in, especially when you are new to learning about your body’s needs. In my case, I am here to combat stress, migraines, and indigestion—nine hours of wellness treatments a day should do the trick.
Upon arrival, after a singing-bowl welcome ceremony, settling into the villa, and taking lunch, I am whisked off to the VitalLife Scientific Wellness Centre do three “tests”—a trio of health assessments to determine your bodily and mental condition, as well as lifestyle habits. Health professionals guide you through the consultations and diagnostic evaluations, and the data is used to inform the integrative treatments that will make up each guest’s personalised Rakxa care regimen, as well as their dining and leisure activities, with the goal of attaining a well-rounded state of balance, or “wholeness,” as the Rakxa literature terms it.
“Health is wealth—that’s our motto,” Wsinee Sukjaroenkraisri, vice president of business strategy and programmes, tells Robb Report Hong Kong in a conversation over tea and light bites at the Rakxa Cha tea lounge. “When you are ill, you go to the hospital, and they treat you based on your illness, and it ends there. But we want to encourage a proactive, preventive approach on how to maintain your health in a holistic way. It’s not only about physical health—for example, what is the condition of your blood, what is your fat percentage, how is your movement? How correctly do you walk and sit? We seek out the root causes and address them in a way that helps to deepen your understanding of your own body and bring about longer-lasting results and lifestyle changes.”
From detox, weight management, gut health, destress, and immunity boosting to rebalancing and mobilisation, not to mention facial and body aesthetic solutions, the packages are comprehensive, and the multitude of therapies within them even more so, but the well-versed specialists knowledgeably guide you through the available options and make recommendations based on your assessment results. As the days pass and guests complete further consultations—such as for functional fitness at the Rakxa Gaya medical gym and traditional Chinese, Thai, and Ayurvedic medicines at the Rakxa Jai holistic medicine centre—your tailored wellness itinerary remains flexible, and your customised schedule of treatments can change to reflect new discoveries and personal needs.
“[Coming to Rakxa] is really like a holiday because you gift this to yourself. Here, you can fully rest, physically and mentally, so you get to feel restored,” says Sukjaroenkraisri.
Meanwhile, Rakxa’s catalogue of well-being experiences reads like a laundry list of ancient healing practices and cutting-edge technological approaches: the shirodhara oil-dripping therapy to soothe the third eye, udvarthanam herbal-powder massage, pranayama breathing exercise, acupuncture and moxibustion, cupping, tui na acupressure massage, ya-pao detoxification therapy, reiki, chakra balancing, tai chi, IV infusion, hormone screening, micronutrient analysis, cryo sauna, whole-body light therapy, hyperbaric chamber session, TeslaFormer chair electromagnetic stimulation, walking-pattern assessment, muscle-function restoration… All this and so much more, in just one place. A chi nei tsang deep abdominal massage feels like getting the devil pressed out of your stomach in favour of better digestion and improved chi energy flow and lymphatic flow to rid the body of toxins, while the intensive three-hour mano maya session alleviates stress and tension with a full-body massage, medical oil bath on the third eye, and singing-bowl meditation. At Gaya, I am put through an hour-long assessment that tests my balance and body composition. Follow that with a foot bath and a face and scalp massage to relax the mind and it is already time for dinner.
Getting across the 80-acre property, made up of medical, fitness, and wellness centres, lobby and tea lounges, a restaurant, and villas, is made easy with a fleet of buggies, with drivers perpetually at the ready, but the best way to leisurely and independently explore the different pockets of Rakxa and get to your various wellness appointments is on two wheels. Bikes are conveniently stationed at the entrance of each villa. In terms of design, timeless, and natural best describe the pool and garden residences. Rakxa consulted medical professionals to oversee the ergonomic design of the space and its functional elements, from the height of the bed to the hypoallergenic bedsheets and cervicalopedic pillows. As part of the resort’s commitment to the community, the décor and artworks are sourced locally.
So much of living well and feeling well comes down to what you take into your body. Food is therefore a vital part of the Rakxa programme, but there is no rabbit food in sight on the menu, which is refreshed daily for lunch and dinner. Unam is the culinary heart of Rakxa, where all meals are served. Underneath a slanted, rattan-woven ceiling and recessed lights, punctuated by oversized hanging-basket pendant lamps, guests can learn just how delicious healthy eating can be without counting calories or pushing around salad leaves. Unam ferments its own yeast and the kombucha is home-brewed, too. All bread is made in-house; Unam’s chefs are magicians with loaves, and every day reveals a different trick. Pine nuts, apricots, cranberries, black sticky rice, and pumpkin seed all find their way into homemade sourdoughs and gluten-free rectangles, to name but a few of the carbohydrate starters.
Organic ingredients from Rakxa’s own farm are fashioned into local fare and international dishes; seafood larb, stir-fried lotus stem with sea bream, crab millefeuille, sunchoke soup, grilled chicken Caesar salad, phad sam horm wok-fried spicy seafood, tuna Niçoise salad, salmon poké, tomato egg drop soup, local-style boiled rice, truffle egg muffins, and chicken khao soi comprise just some of the highlights from the menus. Although the portions and nutritional values are carefully measured and mealtimes are slotted into your schedule like clockwork, rather than feeling deprived, it is an eye-opening experience that reveals how well our bodies can respond to—nay, even function on—three balanced meals a day. No overeating or going hungry here. At this level, service is expectedly impeccable, and so is presentation and flavour. Red meat is eschewed in favour of seafood, greens, and poultry, and the execution of the courses is on par with what a fine-dining restaurant could dish out, both in taste and appearance. House-blended kombuchas and personalised herbal teas are served with the food in place of alcohol. Dining at Unam is simply phenomenal. No part of the experience feels like you are being put on an enforced diet—the food is just that good. It is also clean, light, and healthy by design.
If you have time for tea breaks, take them at Cha, overlooking a lawn that stretches out to the edge of the bendy Chao Phraya river. Woven bamboo, rattan, and linen textiles rule the roost; a reverent display of hand-thrown teapots dominates the entrance, each among the 30 or so ceramic pieces of a unique shape, size, and design. Sip skin-enhancing brews from glassware made of upcycled rice husks, hand-produced locally. Between treatments, meals, and consultations, leisure time can be spent at Jai, where the water facilities make up a veritable temple to hydrotherapy. From the vitality pool, herbal steaming room, and sensorial “experience shower” that mimics effects from nature, such as waterfalls, monsoons, and tropical rain, to the infrared sauna, cold plunge pool, and moon shower, there’s enough to keep one entertained for hours before a wellness session. If a more active programme is what the heart desires, swim laps in the pool by Gaya, or book yourself in for a movement class—will it be yoga, aqua aerobics, or boxing? Pilates, guided suspension sessions, corrective exercises, full-body stretches, and more technical assessments of coordination, metabolic rate, and biomechanics are also on offer.
In a few days, you find yourself using your technological doodads less. You even leave them behind as you explore the property. Your head feels clearer, your limbs lighter. You sleep deeply. Your gut behaves. You feel sated. You’re not going for the snacks. You are more aware of your inner state of being and more mindful about the signals your body gives off.
As with all things, you get as much as you give. Rakxa is not a miracle worker; there’s still a lot of ground each person needs to cover to maintain their health long after their programme ends. But even if your ills cannot be remedied in a multi-day or multi-week programme, what it can do is force-reset your body to a better, healthier state than before, and send you off with a better deeper understanding of your physical and mental needs. All the consultations, treatments, and procedures work together to lull your body into a healthier state of being and set good habits for you to follow as you return to the world, and the holistic mindset that a stay at Rakxa can bring about is just as important to help carry on the best practices for living, eating, and exercising that were established during the programme.
“Getting a chance to rebalance is better than nothing.” Sukjaroenkraisri believes that even after the Rakxa programme comes to an end, “your wellness continues, because you have gained awareness and knowledge” on how to adjust your lifestyle moving forward.
Did three days at Rakxa bring about a complete rethink of how to live life? Have I already packed my bags for the next retreat? Well, not to be dramatic, but it certainly put a lot of proverbial food for thought on the table. Plus, let’s not dismiss holistic and integrative wellness as belief without basis. Even if you poo-poo the notion, there is no denying that the kind of intensive wellness bootcamp that Rakxa specialises in gives us modern-day human beings—usually tired, stressed, and ailing in some shape or form—a much-needed reset from the stressors of daily life. It plucks us from our routine like little orange Google Maps figurines and sets us on a path towards a better, healthier, and more sustainable lifestyle.
I say let that path be the foliaged one that leads to Rakxa.
All images courtesy of Rakxa.
