Bill Bensley’s luxury tented resort to include signature lunar phase wellness treatments
Capella Ubud, Bali, a luxury tented retreat, is set to open on Friday 29th June. Designed by architect Bill Bensley, the resort is nestled between the rainforest, rice paddy fields and the sacred Wos River, in the Balinese artist village of Keliki, and has been inspired by the early European settlers from the 1800s, as a tribute to their spirit of adventure.
The resort’s 22 one-bedroom tented retreats and one two-bedroom lodge are designed to allow guests to enjoy the essence of Bali’s natural surroundings.
Capella Ubud’s Auriga Spa concept was originally developed several years ago by Sylvia Sepielli and Raison d’Etre, and focuses on healing experiences using 100 per cent natural and organic products and inspired by local culture and heritage.
The spa includes three luxury spa tents and also features private sound healing sessions led by a certified Tama-Do sound and colour therapist.
The Auriga Wellness programme features pampering and treatments drawing on the varying energies of the lunar cycle. Treatments are based on Balinese and Hindu traditions, with signature treatments dedicated to the phases of the moon.
“Our setting is fused within the tranquillity of the rainforest, reflecting the sanctuary of privacy and luxury that we will offer every guest,” said Simon Dornan, general manager. “The same is created within our wellness and spa programme with specific techniques, products and scents for each moon phase. The New Moon means a time for renewal and introspection, so for example, we offer a revitalizing seaweed and eucalyptus salt scrub, a seaweed wrap concluding with a full body massage of rosemary and eucalyptus oils. The Full Moon inspires traditional remedies said to boost health and vitality, puts the properties of the rose at the centre of treatments.”
The Auriga Wellness programme is designed to nurture the mind, body and spirit, offering activities mixing aerial yoga workouts, personal training, TRX, Pilates, Barre-based classes, Balinese dance-inspired classes, rainforest and rice paddy trekking, jungle boot camps and community-based and cultural experiences including boreh making – the tradition of creating a centuries old healing recipe of herbs and exotic spices used to revive the body as a mask and scrub.
“The guest experience commences before our guests leave home, with our Personal Assistants reaching out to obtain their preferences and desires for their upcoming stay with us, ensuring that we have everything arranged just the way they like it,” said Dronan. “An experience at Capella Ubud, Bali will be a close-to-nature, under-canvas experience and an enriching journey for the mind, body and soul with our diverse wellness programming that is complemented by a team of highly qualified therapists and wellness experts as well as the renowned refined and highly personalised service of Capella hotels.”
Another signature wellness experience is the “24-Hours Confined to Quarters” programme, which allows guests to disconnect from their devices, connect to nature and reconnect with a loved one while being pampered from head to toe. ‘Confined to Quarters’ includes an Auriga moon treatment, yoga sessions, raw detox lunches and a camp roast dinner hosted by the chef with a camp ambassador tending to their every wish, in the privacy of the guest’s tented retreat and its immediate surroundings. The programme concludes with a signature bedtime ritual followed by a spiritual purification ritual and “jamu” (a turmeric elixir), the following morning.
Other wellness experiences can include the spiritual treatment of a water purification ritual where a guest is blessed by a local priest in the ancient spring of The Beji, situated in the near the sacred Wos river at Capella Ubud, Bali, sound healing, chakra balancing and Tai Chi.
Set on four hectares 20 minutes north of Ubud, the retreat also features The Cistern, an outdoor rainforest pool.
Capella Ubud Bali Bill Bensley Auriga wellness spa tented luxuryBIG unveils Eve Music Hall as Croatia venue nears completion
Bob Rogers hands BRC to long-serving leadership team
Wellness care hospital opens in Vilnius with innovative spa and hospitality concept
Universal and Puy du Fou projects point to rise of Oxford–Cambridge corridor
A proposed Puy du Fou development near Bicester and Universal Destinations and Experiences’ planned resort in Bedford are emerging as part of a wider transformation of the Oxford–Cambridge Growth Corridor into a major centre for UK leisure and tourism investment.
For years, the corridor has been associated primarily with science, technology, housing and university-led economic growth. However, the clustering of large-scale visitor attraction projects along the
All-inclusive eco-wellness development Auko to open near Vietnam’s Son Doong caves
Shedd Aquarium upgrades its visitor experience with new Immersion Theater
Shedd Aquarium has opened the Immersion Theater developed in partnership with SimEx-Iwerks, as part of a wider strategy to enhance the guest experience and create additional revenue opportunities.
The attraction has transformed the aquarium’s Phelps Auditorium into a multi-sensory venue combining panoramic projection, environmental effects and interactive technology.
A new pre-show area allows visitors to engage with augmented reality marine animals before entering the
Mandarin Oriental announces standalone Mansions-branded residences for Abu Dhabi
MCR is planning a luxury hotel for London's BT Tower
Joy as a radical act: Yinka Ilori launches solo exhibition celebrating the rebellious power of spreading happiness
Work gets underway on Madrid's €800 million leisure complex
Work is underway in Madrid on one of Europe’s most significant multi-functional complexes, combining sport, entertainment, culture and education.
The €800 million initiative to regenerate the former Olympic Aquatic Centre in the north-east of the city, next to the Riyadh Air Metropolitano stadium, is being led by Barsento – a joint venture between Live Nation Entertainment, Oak View Group and Atlético de Madrid. The project will
Therme Manchester reveals 90:90 strategy – 90 per cent of the UK population within a 90-minute drive of a Therme
Four Seasons’ Naples Beach Club opens 2,800sq m Sanctuary spa inspired by indigenous Calusa people
Orient Express Corinthian to host Ocean Rebirth wellness retreat in collaboration with Guerlain
Famed London nightclub, Tramp, launches Tramp Health
First look: Miraval opens on the Red Sea in Saudi Arabia
Hainan Science Museum by Ma Yansong, opens in China
A new science museum has opened to the public in Haikou after attracting more than 350,000 visitors during a four-month soft opening period.
Designed by Ma Yansong and his practice MAD Architects, the Hainan Science Museum is located on the edge of Wuyuan River National Wetland Park and has already recorded peak attendance of more than 5,800 visitors in a single day.
Commissioned by
Zannier Île De Bendor launches with design by Hardel Le Bihan Architectes
Sæl Spa readies for launch in London: “a modern British sanctuary”
Immersive art bathhouse Submersive announces debut location in Austin
Construction begins on regenerative wellness destination The Shenandoah Nature Resort
Royal Caribbean reveals record-breaking cruise ship
V&A East opens in London
David Geffen galleries open at LACMA
New venue The Lands by Capella includes a longevity centre to complement sister hotel Capella Sydney
World of Frozen launches at Disneyland Paris
Pical Resort by Valamar reveals first Croatian spa under the ESPA brand
Mandarin Oriental creates end-to-end Egyptian journey with two new hotels and first-ever luxury river cruise
Designers Mendil + Meyer launch new division called Lām Concepts for strategic wellness projects
Wilderness Bisate in Rwanda reveals brand’s second Sanctuary spa
4a Architekten shares details of wellness extension at Salinarium Bad Dürkheim Thermal Spa
Designed to restore neglected land and renew the identity of Iraq’s capital city, Baghdad Sustainable Forests promises a new way of living surrounded by nature. Gensler’s Ian Mulcahay tells us why he thinks the project could become a model for the repair and enhancement of urban centres




















