It was when the 32nd, and last, needle was inserted into my skin that I relaxed. An hour earlier, heated glass cups had been suctioned onto my back. In the morning, an IV drip of a mystery fluid had been pumped into my veins. That was before a six-inch plastic hose had been… Well, I’ll save you the details of the 45-minute colonic irrigation treatment. Though I feel like no one really talks about how good you feel with vacuum-cleaned pipes.
“Normally, when people want to reward themselves, they give themselves a holiday,” RAKxa executive Wsinee Sukjaroenkraisri tells me on the first morning. “But sometimes when you go and travel, you come back feeling more tired.”I know what she means. I drink semi-regularly, eat salt and vinegar chips daily and vape when I’m stressed. My ideal holiday involves sinking frozen margaritas on a pool deck by day, and hitting local markets for greasy noodles and ice-cold beers at night. Fun? Yes.
around the computer screen to show me the planner for my stay. It looked just like my iCal at home. Instead of editorial meetings, there are massages. Where there would be an all-hands call, there’s tai chi.“Coming here is about purpose,” Sukjaroenkraisri says. “You set some goals, whether that’s a detox, a rebalancing of the diet or de-stressing. You can come here for gut health. That’s why coming here instead of a normal spa is different. It’s purpose-driven.
The restaurant serves three meals a day. Chefs do not cook “health food” per se, but everything is clean and organic. There is no dairy.