Spa & wellness A guest may not be immediately forthcoming about
the stresses and strains on the body and mind, but it will show up in a screening. By measuring biomarkers, anything within the body that a person may be trying to hide, may be undiscovered or just misunderstood is all laid out before the spa technician to see. “[Biomarking] has hugely helped us. Because if someone has booked a detox programme, but they’re not sleeping enough, we need to address the sleep first before and then you can do a milder detox,” explains Bjurstam.
Biomarking is a non-invasive analysis that is fast, simple, and often the first step to making long-lasting improvements. Together with monitoring sleep, skin and emotions, a guest’s experience is uniquely personalised as their treatment course is tailored to their requirements, whether that is through massages, LED therapy and IV nutrient drips, detoxifying body work, oxygen altitude-training sessions or diet suggestions, to lifestyle recommendation like hikes and immersion in nature, yoga. “Medically, we’ve been able to do this for years, of course,” notes Bjurstam, “but not in a wellness spa and wellness location of that magnitude.”
Hacking health However, measuring biomarkers is only one element that goes into Six Senses’ overall technical and innovative approach to wellness. It feeds into a huge array of therapies considered under the umbrella term of biohacking. “The biohacking trend is one that we’re seeing right now exploding because people are understanding and seeing the benefits of it,” Bjurstam notes. When we talk about biohacking, it is looking at lifestyle and diet, the little changes that can make a big difference to how the body thinks, feels and reacts. There are no invasive treatments such as gene editing or inserting microchips under the skin. Instead, biohacking employs methods from fields like biology, genetics, neuroscience and nutrition to enhance physical or mental performance and improve overall health and well-being. The RoseBar Longevity programmes available
at the Six Senses Ibiza, for example, offer one, three, or seven-day packages, marketed as ‘highly personalised journeys’. Unlike most traditional spa packages, there is no set menu here, instead the treatment course is bespoke for each guest, informed by comprehensive diagnostic tests that have been interpreted by the team of medical experts. The results are then incorporated into a regime of nutritional support and exercise, considering science alongside spiritual pathways. While no treatment plan is the same, a course may include a functional medicine consultation with a resident doctor, personalised nutrition consultation, training
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or yoga sessions, group meditation, breathwork and energy medicine. Technology is one element of this holistic approach, used at each step to enhance the treatments and improve their accuracy. For example, this could be using the Hypervolt Go, a powerful device that moves to give a portable percussion massage; a Venom Back Wrap, which amplifies the soothing power of heat with compression and vibration to melt away stresses or tension in the core; compression boots; the Vyper Go Roll a percussion device to increase circulation and flexibility; sleep tracking, using wearables such as sleep tracking rings to monitor sleeping patterns, the results of which are analysed and discussed with Six Senses’ experts the following day.
Cold comforts One of the more popular treatments across all of Six Senses properties is photo biomodulation or red light sauna. As Bjurstam explains, this is where you are exposed to red light for at least 20 minutes to increase mitochondrial production, leading to improved physical and cognitive performance. This is due to the direct supply of energy (in the form of light) to mitochondria, the energy batteries of cells, which in turn help to relieve inflammation, stiffness and soreness by increasing blood circulation, delivering more oxygen- rich blood for a faster recovery and increases excretion of metabolic waste products. “The science is very clear on how it works, and what benefits it has – and there’s constantly new scientific research on additional benefits,” adds Bjurstam. Another increasingly popular treatment choice from guests is cryotherapy – indeed, there’s a reason why cultures all over the world for thousands of years have indulged in hot and cold bathing. While hypothermic conditioning, such as saunas or steam treatments, has been a long popular choice to clear toxins and heavy metals like mercury through sweat and to stimulate
Below: While technology within spas and wellness areas is surging in popularity, it is still used alongside more traditional or cultural treatments.
Opening page: Biohacking gadgets such as using vibration and heat- compression packs can help soothe muscles or melt away stress.
Six Senses Spas and Wellness
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