HOLISTIC SERENITY

Walk, sleep, and spa on water at these three ultra-luxe resorts in the Maldives.
by Paul Rubio
The interior of a salt room in a spa. The room has a serene and calming ambiance with dim lighting and walls made of salt bricks. There are several illuminated salt crystals on display. In the center of the room, there is a comfortable reclining chair with a blanket and a pillow.

Kudadoo Maldives Private Island

On this castaway dreamland every morsel, drink, and service is included in the nightly rate, so you can revel in days of unlimited spa and beauty treatments, private fitness training sessions, and vinyasa and hatha yoga classes. You name the location for everything: in the comfort of your overwater villa, on the beach, or in the personality-driven spaces of the resort’s main overwater pavilion, dubbed The Retreat. Train hardcore and/or treat yourself as often as you’d like; there are no restrictions. In fact, an entire team of spa therapists, personal trainers, yoga instructors, and meditation gurus stand at your beck and call—at no extra charge—to fulfill your wellness wishes and meet your goals, big and small.

Between the two levels of The Retreat, discover Sulha Spa, which houses the first and only Himalayan salt room in the Maldives, a sprawling steam room embellished with twinkling lights, a Finnish sauna, a colossal gym, and two overwater treatment rooms. Also, find Kudadoo’s ocean-fronting restaurant, where book-length menus feature items catering to all dietary preferences. The 21-page breakfast menu, for example, begins with a list of 24 seasonal fruits—from the familiar to the exotic—to be mixed, matched, and plated to your liking. You can flip to pages of fresh juice and smoothie options, egg creations, superfood-driven delights, and healthy pan-Asian specialties, among others. kudadoo.com

The Ritz Carlton Spa in the Maldives. A circular structure in the ocean surrounded by other indivudal structures floating over water.

The Ritz-Carlton Maldives, Fari Islands

If a circle symbolizes wholeness, then the Ritz-Carlton’s freshman Maldives property is stunningly complete thanks to a contemporary design of 100 circular wooden villas; a colossal, 360-degree Eau infinity pool; and a nine-room, ring-shaped overwater spa.

Spherical villas feed off the presence and beauty of water’s abundance, each with an oversized, in-room soaking tub and integrated sundeck flanked by a curvaceous infinity pool. At the floating Ritz-Carlton Spa, nods to the Chinese philosophy of yin-and-yang energies abound. In dimly lit, timber treatment rooms, skilled therapists perform hours-long journeys, many developed in partnership with British-based Bamford Wellness Spa. The 180-minute Maldivian Signature Rejuvenation begins with a coconut scrub exfoliation, followed by a full-body massage with warm coconut oil and a coconut milk bath. Alternatively, opt for the 90-minute, deep-penetrating full-body Bamboo Massage, during which heated bamboo sticks are used to relieve muscle tension and stimulate blood circulation. ritzcarlton.com

A stunning tropical island resort in the Maldives with pristine white sand beaches and crystal clear turquoise waters. The resort features overwater bungalows and villas with private pools, surrounded by lush greenery and palm trees.

Velaa Private Island Maldives

Stay among 43 villas or the island’s private four-bedroom residence and access multiple areas dedicated to health and well-being throughout your visit. At the two-story overwater spa, marvel the ocean blues from the cantilevered Jacuzzi or through portholes found below the face cradles in the six double-treatment villas. Choose from an array of traditional, Asian, and Ayurvedic massages, facial treatments using products by Dr. Burgener Switzerland, plus scrubs and wraps using coveted Japanese organic skincare range Kotoshina. Après spa, embark on a coed hot and cold hydrotherapy circuit underscored by the only snow room in the entire Maldives.

Inland among the island’s jungle foliage, the Velaa Wellbeing Village features an open-air yoga pavilion with a Pilates studio below, the clean-eating Faiy restaurant (which translates to “leaf” in the local Dhivehi language), and Eveylaa Wellbeing, a complex for engaging in traditional Ayurvedic healing (other than massage) and developing holistic wellness plans for on-island stays. In-residence practitioners plus internationally acclaimed visiting experts can develop bespoke programs based on personal goals.

Nearby, Velaa’s newly refreshed gym is the closest it gets to Equinox in the Indian Ocean. Find three separate glass-encased rooms, one dedicated to weight and strength training, the next exclusively for cardio, and the other for the likes of HIIT, kickboxing, TRX suspension training, and toning with battle ropes. velaaprivateisland.com