It’s 6:12pm on a Friday, and I’m doing yoga at a beach club in Phuket. This is not my usual scene.
At this hour, I’m typically (1) frantically catching up on deadlines behind a screen or (2) out for dinner and drinks with friends. So why am I here, holding a shaky warrior pose, breathing in the sea breeze like someone who meditates regularly?
I’m in Thailand with Banyan Tree Phuket for Global Wellness Day, exploring its Wellbeing Sanctuary programme—a restorative retreat designed to harmonise mind, body, and soul.
And no, it’s nothing like The White Lotus (though the scenery is just as cinematic). The drama here is entirely internal: slowing down, tuning in, and (literally) learning to breathe a little better.
The experience builds on the success of Banyan Tree’s Connections initiative launched earlier this year, now expanded into Interconnected Wellbeing Journeys. It’s a holistic offering that spans spa rituals, mindful movement, and deeply personal guidance—all set against the lush backdrop of Phuket’s tropical coastline.
Let’s be clear: I’m not the type who thrives in wellness settings. I have zero yoga skills, an aversion to green juice (or really, green anything), and the fitness level of someone who once nearly passed out during a Muay Thai class.
But as I was gently reminded by the Banyan Tree team over a surprisingly delicious, non-detox lunch, this wasn’t about chasing perfection or enlightenment. The programme is called wellbeing, not wellness, because it’s not about strict rules or suffering through kale juice. It’s about doing what makes you feel good.
The transformation begins the moment you arrive. Guests enrolled in the Wellbeing Sanctuary programme stay in a private villa, complete with its own pool and a curated array of wellness amenities.
Each day starts with a balanced breakfast, followed by a mid-afternoon nutrition platter (on one occasion, a staff member rang my doorbell, headed to the back of his buggy cart, and started hacking open a fresh coconut), and ends with a rest ritual turn-down service: think DIY face steams with citrus slices or homemade scrubs made from honey, turmeric, and brown sugar. My bathroom felt like a boutique spa.
The wellness programmes are specially curated. On my first day, I met with wellbeing practitioner and restorative yoga instructor Gabrielle Mendoza—whom Banyan Tree had flown in for this media stay. During our one-on-one consultation, we discussed stress, sleep, and my general (lack of) balance. She gently suggested that my key focus during this trip should be rest.
That decision shaped the rest of my stay. At the spa, my therapist noted my recommended ritual and ushered me into a “Rest & Relaxation” session—beginning with a 30-minute sound bath and breathwork session, followed by a 60-minute deep tissue massage that worked out every knot in my deadline-tight shoulders. I nearly floated out after.
But the experience goes beyond massages. Banyan Tree’s wellbeing philosophy is built on eight pillars—rest, nourishment, movement, mindfulness, connection, growth, practice, and groundedness—and there’s something for everyone in its daily group activities and workshops.
There’s Conscious Grounding, where you’re encouraged to take off your shoes and walk on grass to feel connected to the Earth while meditating.
There are also workshops in reflexology, where you’re taught how to use wood therapy tools to apply pressure to specific points on the feet, hands, or ears, believed to correspond to various organs and systems in the body. And there’s a gua sha session, where you learn more about the traditional Chinese medicine technique of scraping the skin with a smooth-edged tool to boost circulation.
While the workshops during my stay were specially curated for Global Wellness Day and the media trip, the resort offers a wide selection year-round for guests to join as they please—from gentle yoga and core Pilates to ocean breath meditation, HIIT, and yes, even Muay Thai.
A multipurpose space is available for group classes and wellbeing workshops, and dedicated wellbeing hosts are on hand throughout your stay to recommend experiences or provide private sessions. At the end of the retreat, you even receive a personalised guide to support your continued wellbeing journey beyond the resort.
Of course, no conversation about wellbeing is complete without mentioning food. Let’s be real—I was fully prepared to eat like a rabbit for the week. But the culinary experiences were anything but restrictive.
At Hōjō, Banyan Tree’s Japanese restaurant, lunch featured fresh sashimi and light, crispy tempura. Dinner at Saffron—their flagship Thai fine dining spot—was an elegant reimagining of local flavours, full of depth and flair. You could also opt for a candlelit dinner cruise aboard the Mekhala, floating across the lagoon under the stars. Or, if you prefer to dine in, there’s always a Phuketian seafood BBQ grilled outside your villa and served al fresco. Rabbit food? Nowhere in sight.
The Wellbeing Sanctuary programme is currently available at Banyan Tree Phuket and Banyan Tree Vabbinfaru, with launches coming soon in Mayakoba and Anji. You can add it on to any reservation, and tailor your own retreat—from spiritual awakening to low-key recharge.
Banyan Tree’s Visiting Practitioners Programme is also worth noting. The lineup features globally renowned wellness experts who offer personalised sessions in healing and mindfulness. This year, the line-up includes Wim Hof Method instructor Laura Hof, sound healer Harriet Emily, and my very own guide, Gabrielle Mendoza.
If The White Lotus was a fever dream of chaos and confession, then Banyan Tree Phuket’s Wellbeing Sanctuary is its soulful counterpoint: calm, clear, and just what your body has been asking for. The only thing that was murdered were the knots in my shoulders.
If you’re craving something deeper than a vacation—something that allows you to reset and reflect—the Banyan Tree Wellbeing Sanctuary might just be the place. You don’t need to be a yogi or wellness expert. You just need to show up. I did. And by the end, I didn’t want to leave.
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