The Spa Six Senses Sanctuary, Phuket, Thailand: the Aim Detox and De-Stress
After all the craziness of Christmas, I'm ready for a break. And where else but a spa? I love spas. I must have gone to every hotel spa in the world with my former husband, Ronnie, while he was touring with The Rolling Stones, from the Fuki Yaka in Japan and The Wakaya Club & Spa in Fiji, to the Maya Clinic in Austria and Buchinger in Marbella, so I reckon I'm a pretty good judge. When I heard about Six Senses in Phuket, Thailand, I had to go. The last time I was in Thailand was ten years ago with my daughter, Leah, and Kate Moss. This time I'm going with my sister Lize.
DAY ONE
From Bangkok airport, Six Senses is a short hop to Phuket, a quick drive to Aopo Marina and a five-minute boat ride to what is my idea of heaven. The beautiful Six Senses Sanctuary is set in 64 acres of landscaped tropical gardens with stunning views across the Andaman Sea. Our villa — the Retreat on the Hill — must be in the top three places I have ever stayed: there's an infinity pool, yoga room, private steam, sauna, meditation and dining rooms. I could live here.
Lize and I are booked in to see a consultant, who asks what we want from our stay, then works out a schedule accordingly. I want to detox, de-stress and try as many treatments as possible. My body needs a break from the vino. I'm told to avoid coffee and alcohol, and prescribed a one-day fast at the end of the week.
The detox continues at dinner: all the food is organic, and vegetables are locally grown. I start with a beetroot gazpacho and a wonderful fish green curry. The wine here is organic, but I'm on coconut water, vegetable juice and water.
DAY TWO
I intend to rise at 6.30am to do the Jungle Gym workout, but I oversleep. Instead, Lize and I go for breakfast, where I opt for fish broth, much to her horror.
My first treatment of the day is a salt scrub and clay wrap. The products are all natural and it's bliss. Lize goes off to a kinesis class (circuit training), and we meet for Pilates before lunch. There is a raw-food programme at the spa, but you need to have a strong digestion. The naturopath, Ben, lets me off the raw food, advising that blanched vegetables suit me better.
At 4pm, I go for a mountain bike ride with a small group and guide. We cycle down to the beach and the small village, and up into the jungle. It doesn't take long to unwind. We watch the day turn to night by our beautiful pool, with the sea in the background and wonderful rock formations in the distance.
