5 Singapore hotels ramping up their wellness offerings

As we enter the Year of the Snake, the one travel trend that continues to be on an upwards swing is wellness. Whether that means biohacking and new technologies or simply switching off and setting boundaries when it comes to work and screen time, we continue to find new ways to look after (and pamper) ourselves.

In Singapore, hotels are constantly innovating to find new ways for their guests to relax and unwind. Even those who might lack the space for onsite wellness facilities are doing interesting things to overcome this, such as forming partnerships with wellness companies. At the same time, larger hotels with spas on site are evolving to include more fitness and even medically driven options for their guests.

These five hotels are helping guests find their balance through treatments, facilities and partnerships that are bound to make the start of this year healthy and fulfilling.

With a tranquil location alongside the river, the InterContinental Singapore Robertson Quay is a modern retreat from the city with guest rooms offering plenty of natural light and modern amenities. While guests can make use of the outdoor swimming pool and well-appointed gym, the hotel also offers a partnership with nearby Arctic Fitness, which combines a mix of unique modalities under one room, ranging from reformer Pilates to ice baths and a Traditional Swedish sauna. At Arctic Fitness, hotel guests can enjoy 20 percent off day passes and four-credit trial packs. They can also get 10 percent off at Freedom Yoga (also nearby) and make use of the complimentary, premium access to the MindFi app, which offers guided meditation exercises that you can practice in the privacy of your own room. “We’ve observed that our residents value the convenience and flexibility of the on-demand wellness solutions,” says general manager Keiran Quinn. “Options such as drop-in class passes and mobile apps allow moments of activity or mindfulness throughout the day and aligns with their lifestyles (and their body clocks) given many of our guests are stopping off from long-haul destinations.”

A 19th century remittance house lovingly restored and transformed into a 48-key boutique hotel, 21 Carpenter is designed as a sanctuary near the Lion City’s central business district. Carefully combining elements of its past with modern amenities for comfort, the rooms are divided into Heritage and Urban categories so that guests can choose what element of the city they wish to experience. All guests at 21 Carpenter get complimentary access to Trapeze Rec. Club, a homegrown wellness company whose flagship is a short 15-minute walk or five-minute bike ride (the hotel is happy to provide the wheels) from the hotel. This partnership is in line with the hotel’s goal to offer a well-rounded, holistic experience for guests, who can partake in Trapeze Rec. Club’s yoga classes, practise Muay Thai or simply use their recovery facilities.

This iconic hotel with pride of place on Orchard Road recently opened its doors last year after a two-year renovation. One of their focal points has been to position the hotel as a wellness hub in the middle of Singapore’s busiest shopping district. Damai Spa & Fitness Centre is located on the fourth floor and offers state-of-the-art facilities and extensive hydro-thermal facilities including an infrared sauna and jacuzzi. The spa recently launched their Grand Vitality Fitness and Wellness Membership, which gives guests access to the outdoor wellness pool and holistic classes led by wellness experts. In addition to yoga and Pilates, HIIT and breathwork, members will get access to the exclusive MBT (Mind Body Therapy) wall, the only one of its kind in Singapore, which is designed to create better mind-body awareness and support recovery. It also includes 15 percent off dining at Oasis, Pete’s Place and StraitsKitchen, as well as six guest passes so you can share the experience with friends. Memberships start from $380+.

A homecoming of sorts for the Singaporean brand, COMO Metropolitan is the company’s first hotel in Singapore, having opened in Bali, the Maldives, Thailand and beyond. It also houses their famed wellness centre, COMO Shambhala, which was first opened in 1997 on Orchard Road. Now incorporated into the hotel’s facilities (but happy to welcome outside guests), the spa is a tranquil space that offers a mix of treatments and facilities focused on health and performance. In addition to spa treatments, ice baths and hyperbaric chambers, guests can also use the red-light therapy room in the gym for yoga and cycling, as well as take part in yoga and Pilates classes. To complete the experience, consider their Cleanse programmes, one for beginner clients and one for the advanced, that include a tailored menu from Como Shambhala Kitchen as well as two InBody assessments, a four-week workout plan and a breathwork card. The programmes start at $1,650.

When Four Seasons Singapore renovated in 2018, they designated their third floor for all their wellness facilities. Besides a beautiful boutique spa that uses award-winning brand Subtle Energies’ products in treatments that are inspired by Asian remedies, it also houses possibly one of Asia’s prettiest gyms, as well as the new Chi Longevity, a medically licensed facility that focuses on medicine and treatments designed to slow down biological ageing. It uses a multidisciplinary approach and evidence-based medicine to create personalised and structured programmes for guests to optimise their health. The clinic runs specialised programmes to help with issues such as gut health, sleep and stress, and blood sugar analysis with their basic, flagship programme, Vital Start, starting at $4,250 for a two-hour session that includes body composition analysis, cognitive testing and a blood test panel, among others.