Barefoot luxury hotel and wellness brand Soneva has concocted a new spa and wellness concept combining ancient healing wisdom with modern science.

Named Soneva Soul, the launch is guided by the principle of ‘lifestyle evolution’ and sees wellness teams tailor personalised care plans to help guests realise their potential and achieve long-term wellness goals.

It's been rolled out at the brand’s two existing locations in the Maldives and its Thailand destination. The brand new Soneva Soul spa at the recently refurbished Soneva Jani resort represents the concept’s flagship.

In future, it will also grow to encompass a range of branded wellness and lifestyle retail products.

The Soneva Soul philosophy is evident throughout the resorts and informs the design and operation of Soneva’s spas, wellness programming and cuisine.

The new treatment menus at each Soneva Soul spa unites traditional wellness philosophies – such as Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, herbalism and medicinal mushrooms – with cutting-edge methodologies and therapeutic biomodulation, including heart rate variability testing, platelet-rich plasma therapy, nutrient IV therapy, cryotherapy, ozone therapy and hyperbaric oxygen therapy.

As part of the new concept, each spa now features an in-house Ayurvedic doctor, Traditional Chinese Medicine practitioner, integrative medicine doctor and highly-trained therapists.

Each of these resident teams will soon be complemented by a network of international visiting wellness practitioners, selected for their expertise across a full spectrum of wellness practices, healing, fitness and spirituality.

Working in partnership with each guest, the team will curate a wellness journey that supports every aspect of their life. This includes rest, recovery and regeneration as well as detoxification, movement and optimisation.

“Wellness permeates all that we do at Soneva,” says Sonu Shivdasani, CEO and co-founder of Soneva.

“Soneva Soul is the culmination of everything we’ve learned since we launched our first resort spa in the Maldives at Soneva Fushi in 1995.

"Much like Soneva, at Soneva Soul we’re pioneering an approach that combines apparent opposites to offer our guests a transformative and personalised wellbeing experience.”

In the long term, Soneva will expand the concept by working with like-minded partners to launch wellness destinations across the world.

Soneva Soul spa programme pathways on offer also focus on movement, sleep, yoga and meditation.

Led by master fitness trainers and bodywork specialists, the Soneva Soul Movement Programme balances functional gym-based fitness, with natural free movement techniques and experiential fitness, surrounded by nature – such as jungle gyms and deep-water aquatic fitness sessions.

Yoga, Pranayama breathing and meditation programmes reinforce the link between mind, body and soul, with one-on-one and group sessions with resident yoga masters and renowned visiting experts.

More about Soneva

Developed by Eva and Sonu Shivdasani, Soneva’s philosophy is SLOW LIFE – sustainable, local, organic, wellness, learning, inspiring, fun experiences.

The Shivdasanis also developed the Six Senses Resorts and Spas brand, which was sold to private equity group Pegasus in 2012 and then subsequently signed over to IHG Hotels & Resorts in 2019 for US$300m.