The spa experience is so much more than a massage or a scrub — it’s a way of life. The most memorable spas not only honour the healing wisdoms of their heritage, they draw on their natural surroundings for inspiration. Where else in the world can you immerse yourself at the very source of treatments, modalities, philosophies and wisdoms that have been refined over centuries?

The influences from the East, for example, can increasingly be seen and felt at the most beautiful spas around the globe. From hotel spas, day spas, resorts and destination spas to medical spas and wellness and holistic spas, the choices in Asia are many.

Perhaps this is why the world is intuitively drawn to the East. The Asian spa is part of a global movement to encourage all of us to value not only our earth’s natural elements like water, plants and herbs, but also our own inner glory. No longer do we need to put our health and wellbeing in the power of a select few. The renaissance of Asia’s spas is for everyone.

Architecturally, the spas in Asia are structures of great beauty. They are living temples of the spirit with many of the locations chosen for their sacred history. Imagine sacred temples, monasteries, luxury tents and ancient palaces. In fact, many Asian spa treatments derive from ancient beauty and bathing rituals once practised in royal palaces.

It’s also the geographic closeness of these cultures that flavours the spas here with infinite variety. With Thailand, Maldives, Malaysia, Bali, India and Sri Lanka only a few hours’ flight from each other, it’s no wonder a stay at a destination spa is like immersing yourself in a melting pot of enticing treatments and therapies.

At the newly opened Rasa Sayang Resort & Spa in Penang, Malaysia, for example, the CHI Spa is designed like a Tibetan temple, surrounded by stupas and decorations reminiscent of ancient temples, and inside you can immerse yourself in the Himalayan culture via a range of treatments. Treatments here rely on the wisdoms of the Himalayan region blended with indigenous Malay healing.

Many of us who have spent time in Bali would have come across the mandi lulur on spa menus. This traditional beauty ritual was once reserved for royal brides in Central Java where for 40 days leading up to the marriage ceremony, brides-to-be were scrubbed and bathed in local plants and flowers. Starting with a body exfoliation made with turmeric root, the sequence includes a cooling yoghurt application with the finale a beautiful bath in a pool of warm water and floating flowers.

The common philosophy of all Asian treatments is this: When our whole body is rested, true healing can begin. Detoxification. Preventive medicine and healing. As the marriage between traditional, allopathic and alternative medicine deepens and health becomes the new wealth, the world is looking east for knowledge.

Asian treatments are far more than pampering and pots of dripping oil. They are designed to cleanse and balance the senses that refine our perception of the world. The treatments work deeply to restore harmony in the body and revive its natural healing system.

Where else do you find a doctor who is a yoga teacher, spiritual teacher, physician, astronomer and astrologer all wrapped up in one? We still have much to learn from the Ayurvedic and traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) doctors, and spas provide the vehicle for their knowledge to be experienced and embraced.