PART TWO: 2024's Best Treatments

Bangkok, New York, and London closed out last year

Now where were we? Ah yes, a slow start to the year, but then suddenly five treatments in about seven weeks..

8th November: RAKxa Integrative Wellness Resort, Bangkok, Thailand

This is a tough one to write about because I went for five days to RAKxa and tried so many treatments and honestly, the quality of all of them was exceptional. 4000 trees form the backbone of the gardens for this incredibly lush, tropical spa and wellness clinic set just outside Bangkok by the Chao Phraya river. Deepak Chopra once hosted a retreat here, with the river forming the perfect backdrop, free sunrises and sunsets included. The kitchens get most of their vegetables and herbs from the organic gardens. As a vegetarian I am used to being under-served, but the food here was all kinds of deliciousness: tofu, mushrooms, grains reincarnated into that clever kind of vegan cooking that even the carnivores are curious about. The service is so efficient that you barely have to articulate what it is you want. (One example: “I think I might have left my glasses in the restaurant” - within 10 minutes they were back in my room, with me). Riding around on bikes was one of those simple pleasures I’ll never forget. My only regret was there was so much to do that it was tough choosing between lying by the pool and chilling out and trying out all the exceptional treatments on offer. I put duty before pleasure and chose the former, which luckily was also a pleasure.

The treatments were all killer, no filler, and I don’t mean of the injectibles variety, (although I probably could have had those too had I wanted them). The beauty of RAKxa is being able to get everything done in one place - from hyperbaric chambers to IV drips to red light for the whole body. You start with consultations at the Vitalife Clinic, where all the blood tests and fitness tests are carried out, then they build your programme into the full 360, with holistic Ayurvedic, TCM and Thai treatments as well as fitness programmes. At their traditional Jai Wellness centre alone they offer 200 treatments, from energy healing consultations to crystal healing and singing bowls.

If I had to pick just one treatment though? I loved learning how to do Tai Chi, I felt graceful and wobbly at the same time, which forced me to really focus and in so doing, to let go of my chronic anxiety. I enjoyed trying new things, like the Red Cord Suspension machine, which offers a Pilates style resistance via ropes, that are suspended (yes, the name does tend to give it away, and yes, they are red, those ropes), all guided by a therapist.

All the different types of massage were excellent, no dud practitioners offering “firm” pressure that instead turns out to be an irritating dance of the fingertips. The deep tissue massage I had was performed by a physio, and was incredible, but the Thai massage was also unmissable.

Then there was the TCM consultation where a crack in the tongue can reveal poor gut absorption, a white coating means poor digestion, a strong pulse is over-thinking and over-heating, but if your pulse is also slow, that’s a Qi deficiency. How can you resist that? Or indeed any of them.

I can’t choose one. I’m calling RAKxa as a treatment in itself. It is the one for me.

4th December: Orveda Glow is the New Lift 60 minute Facial, Orveda Maison , New York

The devil, as they say, is in the details and this facial got off to a good start, with the consultation done as a relaxing conversation instead of one of those iPad multiple-choice questionnaire moments. A weighted blanket cloaked me throughout the treatment, a comforting counter-point to the noise and stimulation of New York. My favourite thing about this facial was the massage - there was lots of it, and my skin really benefitted, with a great glow once it was all done. The therapist, Jolle, knew I was going out afterwards so she applied the Overnight Reviving mask, promising I would be able to apply make-up straight afterwards, and although I was sceptical, she was right, and there was no bobbling, it acted like a primer. The picture above was taken in the bright lights of the washroom, immediately after the facial, without makeup. A great pre-event treatment.

6th December: Visionary Therapy at Hotel Chelsea, New York

This came highly recommended by several beauty editors at my press launch for Catch Me If I Fall at the Hotel Chelsea, and it did not disappoint. My anxiety was off the charts. Lua Fabbri, their Master Healer picked up on this and set to work in the warm amber rooms of the spa, sunlight streaming through for those last few minutes before it turned to dusk. This is a great one for anyone in need of calm and relaxation, who is looking for something more on the spiritual side rather than a deep pummelling. Which doesn’t make it any the less powerful - Fabbri uses cranial-sacral therapy to get your energy flowing throughout the body, like a wake-up call that leaves you feeling relaxed, however contradictory that sounds. I didn’t have time for the herbal soak in the bath afterwards, but it’s a beautiful spot, with a view over the skyline. New York at its most magical.

16th December: Hair assessment with Annabel Kingsley, trichologist, at Philip Kingsley, Mayfair, London

I have so much to say about this treatment - a check-up for my hair in which my scalp and follicles were examined by Annabel Kingsley, a consultant trichologist and the daughter of the late, great trichologist Philip Kingsley, that I will write in full about it shortly. All I will say is this is one of those treatments that is worth investing in as you get older, because your hair will fall out more and seem less abundant, and a check in every two years or so will allow the trichologists to measure this scientifically. No more imagining there’s more hair in the brush after you’ve brushed it. No more guessing if your hair feels thinner than it used to - they can measure the diameter of each strand and see if it’s become finer over time. And what’s the saying? Forewarned is forearmed. You can then do something about it.

18th December: Hydrafacial at the Taktouk Clinic, Knightsbridge, London

My notes from my visit to the Dr Wassim Taktouk’s clinic are scant, which is the sign of a very good treatment. I was honestly so burnt out the closer we got to Christmas, that I knew I would be asleep as soon as my head was held in my aesthetician Nadia Aminian’s capable hands. With a Hydrafacial, you more or less know what you’re going to get - a machine-led thorough cleanse and extraction, usually some sort of hyaluronic acid-based serum to hydrate - and I am a fan of the radiant glow it achieves. But with Nadia it was an upgrade, lots of massage on the neck and shoulders, lots of LED, plus not only did I leave with really thoroughly cleansed skin, I also got a great tip.

“Do you wear sunscreen every day?” asked Nadia.

“No, not on grey, opaque-sky days like today,” I said. “I know…controversial.”

“Well, here’s one you might want to wear on winter days, as it will also protect your rosacea from windy mornings when you’re out for a jog.”

She handed me a sample of Eucerin 100SPF Actinic Control Fluid and I use it as a barrier cream. It’s great, sinks in really quickly, and unlike some sunscreens which actually seem to inflame my skin and make it bumpy, this one feels lightweight. Clever Nadia, she knows how important it is to believe in what you’re doing - and I believe those windy mornings jogging aren’t doing anything for my rosacea.

My other observation on the clinic is that before I entered the building, I stood in the courtyard for a minute or two looking for the address in my phone. And not one, but two separate people came up to offer me directions. There was something in the way they did so that made me think Taktouk is well-liked by his neighbours, something that was again corroborated when I sat in the waiting room and saw the huge pile of presents under the tree from happy clients. If I was a beauty therapist (and trust me, this is something the world should never have enforced upon it, I would be dreadful) I would want to work here. It felt like a happy place.

Next up: Forever in Blue Jeans