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A rejuvenating escape in Bali
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One of the residences at COMO Shambhala Estate, Wanacasa, perched among the verdant green environs and equipped with a private infinity pool. (thejakartapost.com/Novani Nugrahani)
“Sorry, I'm late. I was still finishing my breakfast,” I said to Kasia, a resident yoga instructor at COMO Shambhala Estate in Ubud, Bali, with whom I was to have a private yoga lesson that morning.
“Don't worry. We never encourage rushing here at the estate and you're only five minutes late anyway,” she answered.
Tucked away above the peaceful riverbanks of the Ayung River, among the verdant Begawan village in Bali, COMO Shambhala is more than just a tranquil place to escape the city's hustle and bustle. It also offers guests the chance to recharge and rebalance their body, mind and spirit.
The property itself occupies a 23-acre area on a forest-covered plot of land with a natural spring known as the Source—locally believed to possess healing properties— which streams down and is used in all of the estate’s facilities.
During my three-night stay at COMO Shambhala, I joined the rejuvenation wellness program, which is tailored to rejuvenate mind, body and soul through a combination of beauty and spa treatments complemented by a personal dietary plan created by the resort's resident nutritionist.
The rejuvenation program at the place includes a facial or beauty treatment, a 120-minute body treatment and an hour-long private yoga lesson aside from the various daily schedule of activities that are available to all guests at the property.
To relieve my muscles and relax my body, I joined an aqua therapy session held at the vitality pool one morning. The low-impact activity combines stretching and aerobic movements with a relaxing water-jet massage.
The session started with simple stretching movements inside the pool, guided by an instructor. After several minutes of stretching, the movements switched to more dynamic aerobics.
The movements may seem like easy to do when you look at them from outside the pool. In fact, they actually require balance when performed in the water. The best part is, of course, the water-jet massage sessions afterwards.
The vitality pool where the aqua therapy session took place has different types of water jets that massage your body. The result is a relaxing massage but also a refreshing one because of the activity performed in the pool.
As a part of my rejuvenation program, I also took a Dead Sea mud body therapy session followed by a massage therapy session. Ibu Numa, my therapist that day, is said to have years of experience working in hospitality properties in Malaysia and Dubai prior to joining the resort.
The treatment includes a gentle exfoliating salt scrub followed by a Dead Sea mud wrap that contains olive oil, honey and aloe vera. The mud felt warm on my skin and is renowned for its ability to relieve muscle tension and detoxify the skin. The treatment finished with the relaxing strokes of the massage.
Famished after all the activities, guests can head to the two restaurants on the property, namely the Glow and Kudus House. COMO Shambhala boasts organic and locally sourced food whenever possible as well as a personal dietary plan to accommodate diabetics or people with any type of food intolerance.
I personally enjoyed the variety of fruit and vegetable juices served at the property. All the signature blends tasted heavenly, yet refreshingly healthy as they were made from fresh, pure fruit extracts.
