Elixir tastings, ‘Magic Peat’: details revealed on upcoming Floating Spa at 800-year-old Monkey Island
Set in a traditional riverboat on the River Thames, the hotly anticipated Floating Spa at the Monkey Island Estate in Bray-on-Thames, England, is set to open in February 2019.
Part of YTL Hotels – whose spa team includes Lai-Ping Chik, Sylvia Sepielli and Melissa Mettler – Monkey Island Estate is set across seven acres and will consist of 38 bedrooms and three deluxe suites, all designed by New York-based Champalimaud Design.
The Floating Spa will be based completely on the water, on a bespoke crafted barge with three treatment rooms, an airy and bright wheelhouse reception and an Elixir Bar, all moored on the banks of the island.
“The hotel will have all the trappings of a fine English country hotel – kitchen gardens, beehives, the lot. I felt there was one missing element...the River Thames,” Mettler told Spa Business. “The spa will bring to life the spirit of adventure on this great river. Poems, stories and the power of the river will feed our offering...and it all happens on a bespoke wide-beam river boat.”
The The Floating Spa experience will be peppered with touch points that celebrate the power of water, taking guests on holistic voyages through the history of the island and the River Thames.
The history of Monkey Island dates back 800 years, when it was founded by monks, and all treatments and experiences have been choreographed to fit the setting and concept.
As such, the Floating Spa signature treatment will be The Monks Elixir – Botany and Beauty. The treatment will begin with an ‘Elixir Tasting’ of one of the monk-brewed ancient herbal tonics: Chartreuse, D.O.M Benedictine or Frangelico. Following this traditional sensory ritual, guests will indulge in a full body massage with house-cured herbal oil and essential oils, further enhanced by herbal packs placed on the joint to relieve stiffness and improve mobility.
The spa team – which is behind YTL’s Spa Village concept – was determined to root the spa in the history of the island and the surrounding nature, and has partnered with British spa brand Moss of the Isles to create bespoke treatments designed to tap into nature’s most potent and nourishing elements to create powerhouse formulas that transform, heal and rejuvenate skin.
From the Floating Massage, which mirrors the hypnotic effect of rocking on water, to the Garden Herbs and Magic Peat, which reflects the lush and fertile grounds of Monkey Island, these signature treatments use natural and hand-crafted products, including unique ingredients such as moss, peat, rosemary, and horse chestnut.
Additionally, the Floating Spa will be working with ISUN Alive & Ageless skincare – high-performance integrity products all hand-made from wildcrafted, organic, and natural ingredients – to offer both massages and rejuvenating facials.
In true Spa Village style, the spa experience will not be limited to treatments in the Floating Spa. Special touchpoints and surprises for guests will ensure that visits to the Floating Spa are all-encompassing and holistic.
The Experimental Teahouse will grow medicinal plants and herbs that will be used at the on-board Elixir Bar, based on the Worshipful Society of Apothecaries’ barge that traded along the Thames in the 1700s, and guests will be encouraged to sample house-cured elixirs to suit their needs, many of these taken from ancient recipes brewed by the original Monks of Monkey Island.
Organic British products, traditional pastilles, and even chocolate meditation sessions, will all comprise to ensure the Floating Spa experience is as intriguing and unique as Monkey Island itself.
Floating Spa Monkey Island Estate YTL Hotels London River Thames floating barge spa wellness Sylvia Sepielli Melissa Mettler Lai-Ping ChikYTL expands Asian spa resort portfolio with Ritz-Carlton on Koh Samui
YTL Hotels expanding luxury portfolio
EPR Architects and Champalimaud Design New York create Gainsborough Bath Spa
YTL Hotels takes charge of Thermae Bath Spa
First new thermal spa hotel for Bath as YTL announces The Gainsborough
YTL to open Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur
YTL to open Borneo spa resort in July
YTL to develop new spa hotel in Bath
FEATURE: Top Team – YTL Hotels
BIG 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
