The lights dim to a calming shade of blue. Before me is a curvilinear pathway I must walk. Soothing music wraps around me as the first burst of moisture descends from the ceiling. Any stress that had been lingering has just melted away as I take my first step forward into relaxation in the Rainforest Experience room at Banyan Tree Spa Dubai.
Looking resplendent on the ground floor of the luscious Banyan Tree Dubai, tucked away from the lively restaurants and gorgeous al fresco venues, Banyan Tree Spa Dubai welcomes you into a world of tranquillity. Having revealed a new look in October, the venue is all about earthy tones and natural textures that draw inspiration from Dubai’s desert landscape. There are seven private ensuite treatment rooms featuring Jacuzzis and showers alongside vitality pools, heated loungers and the signature Rainforest Experience Room. A Banyan Tree Gallery hosts a plethora of the brand’s luxury skincare products that espouse eco-friendly practices, using 95 per cent natural ingredients and packaged in bottles, made from PET recycled plastic, that can be purchased at the end of your experience.
Treatments are curated around the Banyan Group’s ‘8 Pillars of Wellbeing’: connection, growth, groundedness, nourishment, rest, movement, practice and mindfulness. Signature treatments include the Arabian Harmony Escape Experience that blends ancient Asian healing techniques with Arabian traditions for a blissful 150-minute session that include the I-Dome treatment, body scrub, classic Thai massage and express facial. For those searching for the best of Eastern and Western techniques, indulge in the Royal Banyan treatment that features a body scrub, herbal pouch massage, jade face massage and herbal bath. For me, it’s the Rainforest Experience followed by a classic 60-minute massage.
After completing the standard formalities on an iPad and savouring my cup of ginger tea, Dila leads me to the Rainforest Experience room. A private and personalised hydrothermal journey, I have the entire place to myself for the next 60 minutes. There’s a series of steam rooms, saunas, themed showers, Jacuzzis and jets to revitalise and rejuvenate my weary body. The highlight is undoubtedly the Rainforest Trail that sees soothing, yet invigorating rain showers fall upon me at each interval, differing in intensity and temperature. It is simply a must experience!
Once dried off, my therapist Dila collects me once again, and we head for the Clove treatment room for my massage. With the air filled with the gentle chimes of Asian music, I quickly change into a soft and stylish robe, replete with Banyan Tree markings and take my seat for a green tea and honey foot scrub. Ready for the massage — I selected the black pepper and lavender oil — Dila gets to work ironing out those knots from my shoulders and back. The 60 minutes pass by in an instant and the soft ‘ding’ of the gong announces that it is time to wake up. I redress and spend my final moments in the serene relaxation room, where I nibble on dried fruits and nuts and sip on some more ginger tea.
A sanctuary of pure pleasure, Banyan Tree Spa Dubai lives up to the brand’s storied reputation when it comes to spa and wellness. From its peaceful interiors to its exceptional experiences based on age-old Thai traditions of relaxation, guests are guaranteed an enchanting spa journey that will have them in a state of reverie long after they have left. As for me, I will almost certainly be booking another Rainforest Experience when I’m next in need of serious reinvigoration.
