32 TRAVEL+LEISURE | JUNE 2020
ROBB AARON GORDON/COURTESY OF FOUR SEASONS RESORTS LANAI
From top: The
Sensei by Nobu
restaurant, the
chef’s first health-
conscious outpost;
a yoga session in
the dedicated
pavilion.perfect location for it. After a four-year,
$75 million renovation, the gleaming 96-room
retreat was unveiled in November. With starting
rates around $3,000—meals, activities, and air
transfers included—it banks on clients willing to
splurge on a different kind of Hawaiian getaway.
Wellness the Sensei way is the opposite of an
ascetic medi-spa: its low-key mantra is “Move,
Nourish, Rest.” This philosophy is put into
practice by each guest’s wellness guide, who
tailors a plan based on the latest research and
input from advanced-degree-bearing experts.
At just 3,100 residents, Lanai is so small that
there’s no direct flight from the mainland, so—in
true Four Seasons fashion—the cosseting began
when I landed in Honolulu. There, I was
whisked via limo to a private lounge before
boarding a zippy eight-seat turboprop.
Thrillingly, I was the sole passenger for the
15-minute flight from Oahu. I snapped a photo
and sent it to my parents.
After checking in to my light-suffused room,
done up in white with a balcony facing the
orchid-bedecked grounds, I headed to the Sync
Room for a health assessment with Kelly
LaLonde, a cheerful, self-assured woman with
an easy laugh who was to be my Sensei guide.
“We just want you to tune in to you,” cooed the
white-clad LaLonde, who previously calmed
stressed-out employees at Google’s L.A. office.
(Like many of the 20 experts on staff, LaLonde
has a master’s degree—in her case, in sports
science.) She ran a series of tests, from 10-year
heart-disease risk evaluation to the Functional
Movement Assessment, which measures
balance and mobility. She asked about myintentions—How do I define wellness?—then
walked me through my schedule: a whirlwind of
meditation, yoga, cardio, massage, and sessions
with various experts, all of whom check in with
Dr. Agus weekly to fine-tune their programs.
My first consultation was with Marcus
Washington, a psychologist who used to counsel
military vets. As we sat in a bougainvillea-
draped enclave, I told him how I toggle
constantly between worrying about my young
daughter and my elderly parents. Washington
listened intently, nodding and gently probing
further. He coached me on acceptance and
shared tactics to help me stop brooding and feel
more in control. Yoga with Anne van Valkenburg
was similarly rigorous, and my nutrition
consultation with the cerebral, funny Quentin
Nichols was a wide-ranging symposium on anti-
inflammatory foods, the benefits of zinc, andTAL0620_E_Lanai.indd 32 FINAL 4/21/20 7:40 PM