Yachting’s reputation for sinful bliss is getting a makeover thanks to the
rising trend in healing holidays. Risa Merl explores how superyachts
are doubling up as bespoke wellness retreats for charter guestswell-adjusted
here is a growing challenge
to champagne soaked
parties on board, decadent
meals and white glove
service. According to the
Global Wellness Institute,
wellness travel is expected
to rake in $800 billion per
year by 2020, and charters are getting in on
the action: after all, a yacht is a ready-made
luxurious wellness retreat. This new breed of
charter goes way beyond yoga on the sundeck
or the chef blitzing up some fresh fruit for your
morning smoothie. We investigate the cutting
edge of health on the high seas.
Complete package
Charter companies now ofer bespoke services
that bring the retreat experience into the
privacy of a yacht. Edmiston has partnered with
Pure Balance Retreats, whose founder Woody
Edmiston (brother of Edmiston’s chief
executive Jamie Edmiston) was part of the
physiotherapy team for GBR’s 2001/2 America’s
Cup campaign. Pure Balance ofers a thorough
initial “discovery session” – conducted
in-person, via Skype or over email – to pinpoint
your wellness needs. The company then sends
a pro team to you anywhere in the world to
deliver its Genesis Programme regime.
“It’s an introduction to sustainable well-being
catered to the individual client, encompassing
mind, body and spirit without the woo-woo,”
explains Woody. So far the company has
created retreats on yachts in the
Mediterranean, Caribbean and Bali.
“We have a long-held belief that yachts are
the perfect place to rest mind and body,” says
Charlie Carvales, a broker with Edmiston.
“As knowledge and sophistication in wellness
have developed, we wanted to ensure we could
ofer our clients the same level of health and
well-being they would enjoy at home and
perhaps even introduce people to a few
new experiences.”Beat the lag
The downside of travelling halfway around the
world to an epic charter destination is the jet lag
that goes along with it. But what if you could
start recovery the moment you step on board? It
will soon be possible to readjust your circadian
rhythms in a specially designed “jet lag cabin”,
like the one being developed by Oceanco’s
Innovation Lab in conjunction with Temeloy
Advanced Lighting. “With the use of the proper
light at the proper times, we can actually reset
our body clocks,” explains Tiphaine Treins of
Temeloy. The cabin is a dedicated space where
blue light is delivered at ideal times in order to
overcome jet lag. “Oceanco has yet to install a
‘jet lag’ cabin on a yacht, but with the trendtowards health and wellness and luxury spas
aboard yachts, it is only a matter of time,” says
Paris Baloumis of Oceanco.
Until jet lag cabins are available, experiential
showers and baths with targeted light therapy- which give of specific lights to afect brain
chemicals linked to mood – are an efective way
to help your body adjust to the time diference.
Charter yacht Sherakhan has experiential
bathtubs that are lit from the inside with
colour-changing lights. “The entire space could
be described as an ‘experiential spa’, with the
illuminated tubs, and a range of therapeutic
heat – including hot and cold-water
experiences, steam and sauna areas – but the
lighting really gives the whole area an aspect of
restoration,” says Tom DeBuse of Y.CO.
Stafing up
“I have one client who always travels with a
masseuse, yoga instructor and beauty stylist,”
says Jim Webster of Webster Associates.
“I think it’s definitely becoming more popular,
but there are a lot of crew dynamics to consider- for instance, where do they sleep? And do they
eat with crew or guests? I’ve had the situation
where they ate with crew, but slept in guest
cabins.” The allocation of a guest cabin for
additional wellness staf must be taken into
consideration. “It has to be understood from
the start they will take a guest spot in the
PHOTOGRAPHY: JONATHAN GLYNN-SMITH126