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s an island where sacred ritual is highly respected, Bali is a perfect destination to seek spiritual well-being and balance.

Across the island, spas flourish, offering a range of treatments for the holidaymaker.

And a resort spa — defined as one located within a resort or hotel providing professional spa services, fitness and wellness elements — could be the right answer.

Judy Chapman, an author of four books and curator of Karma Spa, said that based on her experience, resort and prominent spas spend big investments of time and energy in training their staff to become highly skilled professionals.

“The spa and wellness industry is one of the fastest growing industries today and spas that offer quality and results-orientated experience will shine,” she says.

There can be a big variation in what you get from spa to spa, from its fine architectural and interior design which separates one from another to spas that enliven all your senses — with highly skilled and caring therapist ready to find the right treatment.

Quality resort spas usually feature the whole nine yards: everything from a steam room or sauna to the very
latest in advanced beauty treatment technology.

Spa at Four Seasons Resort at Jimbaran Bay
Spa treatment that also comes with great view at the Spa at Four Seasons Resort at Jimbaran Bay, Bali. (Courtesy of Four Seasons Resort Bali)
Water, salt and crystals are a perfect combination to produce negative ions — good for cleansing the soul and detoxing the body. The combination boosts energy and vitality, and leaves you feeling pure all over.

Helen Norman, spa director for both of the Four Seasons Resorts in Bali as well as senior director of spas in the Asia-Pacific, has developed a new concept for Bali spas by bringing together water, minerals and the touch of the Balinese to balance body, mind and spirit.

Three of the signature treatments — Bio-Rhythms, Mimpi Manis and Marine Algae — offer three different kinds of healing; each creates different result.

The treatments come in stages, from deep body purification, body wraps, infusing baths, a relaxing nervous system massage, chakra healing and marma face massage using the power of water, salt and crystals as well as the natural essence of coconut or seaweed to nourish your body.

The spa consists of 11 rooms, hot and cold plunge pools, a sauna, steam room and beauty amenities. There are three outdoor beachfront pavilions — known as bale — to enjoy a nurturing water and wind treatment. There, you can lie back and listen to the soothing sound of waves, trees and singing birds while enjoying the view of Jimbaran Bay.

Norman designed the Water and Wind treatment for those who want to turn their focus inward, to internally reenergize. The treatment induces clarity of thought and intent, balanced emotions and strength in decision making.  

“This treatment allows you to experience niskala. In Balinese culture, this is the unknown energy behind healing with water and learning about breathing and meditation. It is commonly used when making offerings and visiting temples,” she says.

The technique, she says, allows the clients to be refreshed by the pressure the therapist applies in perfect synchronization with the rhythm of the waves.

Beginning this treatment, an ancient Balinese meditation technique, Fourteen Wind meditation, is used. This not only opens the body to be receptive to its own curative power but also to balances emotions. Fourteen Winds is followed with cleansing steps — exfoliation with coconut and pearl creams, remineralizing body wrapping using seaweed and aloe, and internal nourishment by drinking delicious Tamarillo juice.

Kriya Spa at Grand Hyatt Bali

Kriya Spa’s reception area at Grand Hyatt Bali. (Courtesy of Grand Hyatt Bali)
Kriya in sanskrit means ritual of cleansing.

“Cleansing through ritual is figurative so, you are feeling clean or more pure. That is the spa’s concept,” says director of spa and recreation at the Grand Hyatt, Sanjay Khanzode.

Inspired by the Balinese Water Palace, the spa’s has a beautiful, elegant design with stunning pond in tiers surrounded the lobby. The water reflects the sky and the tranquil ambience comes with the soothing mellifluous liquids.

The spa, which its treatment villas designed by a Japanese company Super Potato, sets out a modern look but the Balinese atmosphere is felt all around, including in its every treatments and services, which come directly from the center of traditional holistic inspiration.

The signature treatments — Moksa Kriya with its natural essence of Bali, Nirmala Kriya for detoxifying, Yowanna Kriya for energizing spirit, Aanand Kriya for inner and outer beauty balance and Shakti Kriya for those who want to experience Balinese style healing — are complex and subtle, like nothing you experienced before.

Other interesting treatments include Kriya Aromatherapy for those who want explore their inner sensuality through therapeutic scents.

Kriya Spa focuses to providing a memorable time with skilled therapists putting guests at the center of their attention, with all therapies as a dynamic interchange between client and therapist, from getting the desired treatment to selecting the oils you want to use — from flower-based for deep relaxation, energizing oil made from ginger or kaffir lime and purifying oil based on spices, herbs and eucalyptus.

At the end of the treatment, the therapist sounds a ball — called bola mimpi (dream ball) — all around. The tradition, originated from Klungkung in Bali, is believed to generate a pleasant dream.

Spa at Bulgari

A relaxing treatment at The Spa at The Bulgari Resort Bali. (Courtesy of The Spa at The Bulgari Resort Bali)
Behind its bold Balinese-style buildings, and exquisite Italian feel, lies Spa at Bulgari Resort Bali.

Further down the lanes, an antique yet elegant Javanese joglo traditional house greets those seeking luxurious but personalized treatment.

Here, total immersion is provided in an ambience of a modern spa room that overlooks the vast ocean from the cliff top surrounded by flowering shrubs, spoiling your senses and relaxing the mind.

Plenty of choices are out there, from traditional-inspired treatment to modern ones, like Bulgari Balinese treatment, Ayurvedic influence experience, holistic body massage to yoga.

For couples, the spa even offers a three-hour Bulgari Royal Lulur or Escape for Two treatment.

Its signature hot stone therapy — where heated volcanic basalt is placed on specific energy points or Chakras with a flowing tense and deep massage on your back, face and scalp to dissolve stress and relieve tensions — is one of the many favorites.

The hot stones, along with the warm oil, are believed to let important minerals absorb into your body, nourishing the skin.

In that relaxing moment, it’s a perfect time to feast on breathtaking view of the ocean around for a peace of mind.