Conde Nast Traveller - Four Seasons Resort Bali at Sayan: A Jungly Window Into Indigenous Wisdom

Bali's spirituality runs deep - it even has a National Day of Silence, Nyepi, when residents stop and give thanks to Mother Earth. For all the island's hustle and bustle, tranquillity is still attainable, especially in the forested hills 20 minutes west of Ubud, where, for 26 years, Sayan's Four Seasons Resort, a sanctuary of rice terraces ensconced in lush jungle by the Ayung River, has drawn a crowd for its stupendous setting. The recently upgraded Sacred River Spa integrates ancient wisdom with cutting-edge wellbeing practices. At its philosophical heart lies the seven chakras, which "regulate the flow between our inner essence and the energies around us," explains director Luisa Anderson, before she invites me to take an Air Nap. Cocooned in a silk hammock suspended from the bamboo ceiling, "I'm soothed by the rush of the adjacent river and the whispered wisdoms from resident wellness mentor, Ibu Pera, who sends me into a deep theta state somewhere between daydreaming and drifting off". Fera, a former Buddhist nun who studied the Dharma in monasteries across Asia, gives daily meditation classes and life talks designed to awaken "the greater peace inherent within us all". This notion of working from within informs every treatment, including the quartz crystal singing bowls that begin and conclude all sessions. Tuned to 432 Hz - the Earth's natural vibration - they are a biohack that helps us connect to self and surroundings. Nature's rhythms are forcefully felt in this valley. Six signature rituals embrace Indigenous wisdoms, including restu bumi, a spiritual cleansing involving local instruments, herbs and a warm gemstone massage using Synthesis Organics, a plant-based skincare range. The experience leaves me with a delicious restfulness and deepening curiosity about Bal's ancient traditions.

SARAH SIESE 

Healing Holidays (healingholidays.com/condenast) can arrange a seven-night stay from £2,399 per person sharing, including transfers, B&B, access to the spa and group activities

Thank you Sarah Siese heavenonearth.co.uk for this beautiful review in Conde Naste Traveller of some the treatments we co-created with @chandikalulu in her reimagining of the gorgeous spa at Four Seasons Bali.