Rest and restoration awaits at Rakxa Integrative Wellness

Combining medical science and ancient healing techniques, Rakxa Integrative Wellness is setting a new standard for health resorts. Zaneta Cheng explores the restorative haven on the outskirts of Bangkok and returns lighter, happier and more well rested than ever 

I don’t know about you but in the mornings when I wake up and check my phone, my stomach does a few flips before I’m even out of bed. Between emails and WhatsApp messages sent in the middle of the night and push notifications telling me of some disaster or other happening in the world, sleep is constantly fitful and my cortisol levels, with their many telltale signs such as bloating and a fluttering heartbeat, are consistently high. So it was a-no brainer when I was filling out my booking forms for Rakxa Integrative Wellness that I would choose De-Stress among the 10 available programmes. 

I’m not entirely sure what to expect. Bangkok is certainly not the first place to come to mind when choosing a wellness retreat – between the traffic and the bustling city life, where is there even the space for it? But as soon as I arrive at Suvarnabhumi Airport and get through baggage claim, I’m whisked by car 45 minutes outside of the city to Bang Krachao, also referred to as Bangkok’s green lung, where I’m greeted at a pavilion overlooking a calm, glinting lake. There are trees all around as I’m checked in with a glass of jasmine tea and a singing bowl ceremony.

A buggy comes to take me to my Pool Villa to quickly change before I head to lunch and begin an afternoon of meetings with my wellness consultant and doctor. I don’t expect much from lunch given that wellness resorts usually limit calorie intake, which Rakxa also does at 1,500 calories per day, and health food tends to taste as such wherever one goes. 

So I’m more than pleasantly surprised when I’m told that I’ll be served a three-course Thai lunch comprising pomelo seafood salad, with plump grilled scallop and squid among a medley of sesame seeds and chillies, a main dish of grilled tiger prawn with bok choi and other garden greens which I learn come from the property’s own organic garden, and a dessert of pea flower pudding in coconut milk. Every mouthful is flavourful and clean, and frankly does not taste vaguely of health food. Each meal is also accompanied by a house-made kombucha and jasmine-infused water to ensure good gut health. 

Next I take a bike ride around the property before my consultation. The resort is flanked by the Chao Praya River and the man-made lake around which the property is built. There are 60 villas, 40 of which are garden villas and 20 of which are pool villas. Each is spacious with a bed overlooking the pool or offering a garden view, and behind is a vast stone-clad bathroom, with Toto toilets, shower and bathtub. Each villa also comes with a pantry stocked daily with fresh fruit, juice shots and teas, and depending on the package, allows for a set amount of laundry items. Within the villas, you can’t see much beyond the garden as the foliage creates very cosy and secure fortification from the public spaces. 

Once outside, there are winding paths flanked by jungle palms and frangipani that take you past the villas and into the main complexes. There’s Rakxa Gaya, the gym; the main building which houses the restaurant Unam; the consultation wing; Rakxa Chai, the dedicated tea house; and a shop. Across the way is VitalLife, the scientific wellness clinic managed by Bumrungrad International Hospital headquartered in Bangkok’s city centre, and further along from that, across a bridge, is Rakxa Jai, the largest building housing the resort’s holistic wellness centre. 

Between my consultant and doctor appointments, a programme is tailored to my specific concerns, which, influenced by the Netflix documentary Hack Your Health: The Secrets of Your Gut, are primarily related to my gut biome and sleep. I’m afraid of needles, so we swap out acupuncture for a special Thai medicinal treatment that targets the womb and blood circulation. Over six days, my schedule is primarily split into exercise at Rakxa Gaya or VitalLife treatments like the hyperbaric oxygen chamber or infrared light, followed by treatments such as Chi Nei Tsang, a targeted massage for the stomach and internal organs to treat stress and stagnancy that’s collected in the abdomen. 

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After two hours of consultations, my first treatment eases me into the programme with a full-body aromatherapy massage, which starts with a singing bowl meditation. It’s a wonder that I’m still awake when the therapist begins to work her magic on my plane-weary muscles after letting the vibrations of the singing bowl pulse through my body. Afterwards, I’m led up to the relaxation room for some hydration as I watch the sunset over the lake and the Lego-sized outline of Bangkok’s skyscrapers while lounging on a daybed in front of floor- to-ceiling windows. 

Dinner is Western fare and begins with cold-brew tea, the flavour of which changes daily. There’s a starter of pan-seared prawn with raw zucchini spaghetti, followed by cauliflower soup. A main course of seared fish with mixed vegetables is next and the meal ends with a lychee panna cotta with hot tea, concocted based on my specific concerns, which over the week are either calming for sleep or soothing for digestion. 

Truth be told, I did wonder if six days in solitude, eating and existing on my own, would be a little anxiety-inducing in and of itself. But it just so happens that each day I wake up looking forward to meals, from a spread of wellness-specific (think chia pudding and avocado toast) and local (think warming rice soup) breakfasts, to each delicious local delicacy at lunch (my favourite being a spicy seafood curry that I ask the kitchen to up the chilli flakes for) and my hearty dinners, all of which look and taste Michelin-quality.  

Because everything is so considered, even eating bread in somewhat indulgent amounts seems acceptable because there’s always one sourdough option and one gluten-free option that comes in a riot of colours each day, which I use to mop up the rich, dense balsamic vinegar and oil that accompanies it. 

I can’t speak for other schedules but mine specifically allows for an hour between mealtimes and the next activity. Some mornings I mosey next door to Rakxa Gaya, where my package includes a physical assessment test, personal corrective training, full-body stretching (which ended up being an all-time favourite) and tai chi alongside the unlimited daily group classes that all guests can sign up for during their stay. I add a personal Pilates session because, as it turns out, when you have a whole day of relaxation ahead of you, an hour or two of exercise each morning is really quite fun. Not to mention that I learn from my personal trainer that all the exercises and activities included in my plan have been designed to not produce cortisol. 

Other mornings, I walk across to VitalLife. The whole setup feels familiar because Bumrungrad International Hospital has been a go-to for many Hong Kong folk to get their full-body check-ups for as long as I can remember. Upon arrival, my blood pressure and oxygen levels are marked down before I’m taken for my treatments. I find out that I love the hyperbaric oxygen chamber because it feels good and my oxygen levels actually go up from 96% one morning to 98% the next. 

I’m not keen on cryotherapy, which some consider a one-person dance party. It does seem fun until I realise I’m not cut out for frigid climes. The team is understanding and I’m led instead to Whole Body Light Therapy, a warm pod that emits infrared light, which suits me much more. There are also hormone tests, immunity IV drips and laser therapy among the range of science- driven treatments, the most famous of them, the DNA blood test, which I’m too scared to do because – needles. This doesn’t stop others I know who have been to Rakxa and rave about the benefits of the test, which range from understanding what supplements to take to what tweaks to make to meals and what lifestyle changes to make. 

The afternoon is without a question my favourite part of each day because I cycle over to Rakxa Jai, say hi to one of the friendly lizards that live in the lake, and know that if I’m early, I get to take a dip in the hydrotherapy pools on the building’s second floor. Then it’s either Mindfulness Meditation with Rakxa’s in-house Ayurvedic doctor, or Angel Stone Healing or a special traditional Thai treatment for the scalp and migraines. Each treatment, while relaxing in and of itself, is also geared toward my sleep and gut concerns. Any changes or updates to my itinerary are sent to me via the Rakxa concierge service over WhatsApp. 

At the end of each day, I call a buggy or cycle back to my villa and begin a nighttime routine of evening herbal tea and a hot bath. Thanks to this and copious amounts of regular water, kombucha, cold brews and jasmine-infused water, I’m very well hydrated. The quiet calm of evenings at Rakxa and an extensive pillow menu – from a small buckwheat pillow to memory foam support – make for night after night of increasingly deep sleep. 

It’s important to bear in mind that mine is but one of the many programmes available. Within three broad categories of Weight Control & Detox, Rebalance Body & Mind and Well-Being & Recovery are Detox, Gut Health, Mobilisation, De-Stress, Weight Management, Immunity Booster and Discover Rakxa – ranging from three to 14 nights with programmes to suit the proclivities of everyone on a sliding scale from medical to more holistic spa wellness. 

While some might think three days is more than enough for a reset – and I initially counted myself in this boat – by the end of the six days, all I wanted was to stay for longer because at Rakxa, the living is slow but each day is substantial. And, despite eating each meal with the utmost enthusiasm and even licking my plates clean, I lost three pounds! 

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