By James Ruggia
Six Senses Hotels Resorts Spas like to define the realm of its expansion as encompassing locations of “incredible natural beauty” around the world. If you could somehow move all of those places together that would be a pretty nice place to live. A hotel and spa management company, Six Senses operates eight resorts and 27 spas under the brands Six Senses, Evason and Six Senses Spas.
Evason resorts operate at the same level of quality as Six Senses resorts but are differentiated by their family orientation. Six Senses Spas operate independently within luxury hotels and in other venues around the world. The company wants to double its locations over the next three years. Between May and July, the company made a lot of headway in opening new resorts and spas and refurbishing one of its most famous existing properties.
Currently, Six Senses operates resorts at Yao Noi and Koh Samui in Thailand, Con Dao and Ninh Van Bay in Vietnam, Qing Cheng Mountain in China, Zighy Bay in Oman and Laamu in the Maldives, and in the Douro Valley in Portugal. The spas are far flung, also including the island of Crete, aboard the Christina O yacht, Bangkok, Gstaad, Qatar and the Etihad airport lounges in Abu Dhabi and Heathrow.
This month has been an especially productive spring and summer for Six Senses. The 113-suite Six Senses Qing Cheng Mountain will open on Aug. 1 adjacent to Dujiangyan’s UNESCO World Heritage site in Sichuan Province less than an hour from Chengdu. The resort is laid out in a village style using distinctive Sichuanese architecture and landscape design. The accommodations range from semi-detached suites in duplex villas with balconies and verandas, to courtyard suites, garden and pool villas as well as two-and four-bedroom villas.
The spa also reflects Sichuanese culture by using locally inspired treatments, therapies and programs that include yoga, tai chi and meditation. The 18,400-square-foot spa is entered via a bridge past waterfalls. Ten treatment rooms have waterfall and garden views.
The 57-key Six Senses Douro Valley, Portugal opens tomorrow on 20 acres in the oldest wine-producing region in the world. The Douro Valley’s legacy as a wine producer has earned it a UNESCO World Heritage rating. The hotel is built in a former 19th-century wine estate. The resort offers rooms, suites and villas with one, two and three bedrooms and a spa that will use such local ingredients as grape and olive oil.
On July 1, the 66-villa Six Senses Samui, which originally opened in 2004, unveiled its new renovations which include new interiors and furnishings with lighter tones conveying a more modern feel. All villa pools have been resurfaced with turquoise tiles, while an additional seven pools have been added to make a grand total 59 villas with private pools plus the main infinity pool. The resort still offers the choice of seven Hideaway Villas that feature spacious lounging decks rather than a private swimming pool.
Next January will see the opening of the Six Senses Zil Pasyon on the private island of Feli
cite in the Seychelles. The resort will have just 28 one-bedroom villas, two two-bedroom villas and a handful of private residences. The spa is being built atop the massive boulders that inhabit the island. It will have five double treatment rooms. Wine tastings and cooking classes will be available as well as fishing, hiking, diving and swimming with the sea turtles. There will also be an indoor screening room and a driving range over the ocean. The Trouloulous Kids’ Villa has a tree house and archeological sandpit.
Six Senses Spas
The Six Senses Spa Muscat opened this month just outside Muscat’s Al Bustan Palace, a Ritz-Carlton managed resort. The spa is built into the cliffs of Oman’s Haijar Mountains and follows the natural progression of the valley. The three-story spa is designed to suggest an ancient Arabian fort. The spa has 17 treatment rooms and such wet facilities as infrared saunas, showers, ice showers, relaxation areas and hammams.
On Mykonos the Belvedere opened a Six Senses this month overlooking Mykonos Town and the Aegean Sea. The design of the spa combines traditional Myconian and modern architecture. The spare whitewashed walls and marble floors of Cycladic design work well with the minimalist influence of modern design. Three treatment rooms, one double and two single, feature steam showers and daybeds as well as separate manicure and a separate pedicure area with seating built into the floor and wall. The spa offers a selection of Six Senses signature massages, body treatments and rituals. Beauty services use local ingredients such as cinnamon leaf and bark oils, honey and the finest sand from the Adriatic Sea.
In May, the Six Senses Spa Marbella opened in Spain’s Puente Romano Beach Resort. Located on the Costa del Sol, the spa was built with natural locally sourced materials by local architects and craftsmen. The spa is comprised of six ground floor treatment rooms; an outdoor area offers three additional treatment rooms overlooking the sea. The wet area has a hydrotherapy pool; a cold plunge pool; heat and ice experience showers with different types of water flow and mood lighting; herbal steam room; sauna and hammam.
Columns and high-arched ceilings evoke a Moorish character complemented by the use of crema marfil stone and screens that filter the sunlight creating reflections in the blue-tiled pool. A selection of Six Senses massages, facials and body treatments, wellness therapies and rituals combine indigenous herbs with sea salt, olive oil and rich minerals to offer authentic Mediterranean experiences.
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