Can three days at a spa resort really improve your health and longevity?

I am horizontal, face-up on a massage table as a smiling Thai nurse practitioner presses firmly on my abdomen and enthusiastically encourages me to fart.

This mortifying experience, known as Goy Mod Look treatment, is an ancient Thai healing remedy for perimenopausal women. It seems a lot is stored in the abdomen, and it’s not all just hot air.

Treatments under way at Layan Life.

I’m at Layan Life, a new medical spa and wellness centre in Phuket, set within the lush grounds of Anantara Layan Phuket Resort. The 1767-square-metre centre was recently opened in response to the growing demand for highly personalised, targeted wellness and longevity programs that go far beyond a massage and a juice cleanse.

The interest in wellness continues to grow and those with longer life expectancy and disposable incomes increasingly have an appetite for biohacking tools, health testing and disease prevention. Luxe retreats from Costa Rica to Koh Samui are swapping margaritas by the pool for whole-body cryotherapy sessions and cognitive health boosters.

During a pre-arrival intake Zoom call with a Layan Life representative, I spell out what I’m interested in doing for my three-day retreat (deep rest, practical tools for long-term wellness, diagnostic tests) and what is a hard pass: no over-scheduling or early mornings, no vague warnings about unspecified toxins, no colonic irrigation, and definitely no zip-lining at the resort’s adventure zone. The therapist graciously makes a few notes and adjusts my schedule.

Immersion in a plunge pool.

I can’t think of any nation in the world more qualified than Thailand, the Land of Smiles, to dish out advice on how to live a healthy, harmonious life. It’s long been my happy place, a destination I escape to again and again for healing massages, restorative meals and the soothing effect of a “no worries” culture.

What Layan Life does well is blend traditional Thai medicine with Western medical technology, all in one place. I have the option to consult experts in everything from assisted stretching to tai chi, Thai herbal tinctures to intravenous vitamin concoctions, 3D scanner posture analysis and hyperbaric oxygen therapy. I can book a physio session or Botox shots, get a top-to-toe scrub, have my chakras balanced and test for heavy metal imbalances, all on the same day.

In between appointments, I rest and swim in my deluxe pool villa until it’s time to hop in a golf buggy and be ferried back up the hill for another treatment.

Sunset at the Layan Beach House.

Evenings are spent enjoying excellent cuisine at the resort’s restaurants. There are special wellness menus available (gluten-free, dairy-free, superfood-rich), but no food police and nobody raises an eyebrow if I choose to order from the regular menu of fresh and delicious salads, noodles and curries. It’s up to me, as is the Thai way.

Did three days and nights at Layan Life significantly change my health metrics or longevity outlook? Of course not, there is no silver bullet for optimal health. What it did was arm me with some valuable diagnostic insights and areas for improvement.

I check out and head home reminded that the age-old foundations of wellness and vitality – quality rest, movement, deep breathing, nutrition, hydration, social connection – have been there all along.

THE DETAILS

WELLNESS
Layan Life by Anantara, located at Anantara Layan Phuket Resort, offers multi-day health and wellness packages, from THB40,920 ($1945). Guests of the resort can also book a la carte treatments and classes, including massages, Pilates, cryotherapy and Muay Thai boxing. See layanlifephuket.com

STAY
The luxury accommodation options at Anantara Layan Phuket Resort, include 30 suites, 46 pool villas and 15 pool residences. Rooms start from THB8800 ($418) a night. Accessible rooms are available in each category. See anantara.com

FLY
Jetstar flies non-stop from Sydney and Melbourne to Phuket, several times a week. See jetstar.com

VISA
Australian tourists can get a visa exemption for up to 60 days on arrival in Thailand. Your passport must be valid for more than six months. Visitors must complete a Thailand Digital Arrival Card (TDAC) within the three days preceding their arrival in Thailand. See tdac.immigration.go.th

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