Working out in a suitable environment helps relieve the pain. The subterranean wellness centre at FAIRMONT ISTANBUL, above, is a case in point. It is clinical but stylish. Black and white and that’s that. The equipment, Technogym of course, all works. And the ‘outdoor’ offerings give plenty of variety.
Gyms at THE GREENWICH NEW YORK – black and red – and most W HOTELS also stand out for ambience thanks to design. RITZ-CARLTON MILLENIA SINGAPORE, ground floor, RITZ-CARLTON HONG KONG, 117th floor, and SIX SENSES ZIGHBY BAY, ground floor by a herb garden (as at CAPELLA SINGAPORE) all have ambience enhanced by views.
And then, switching more to wellness. JUMEIRAH MUSCAT BAY has a warmed table for post-spa. EQUINOX NEW YORK’s spa has a wave table that, Girlahead is assured, uses quantum harmonics to slow brain waves down to meditative- or sleep-like state, giving the equivalent of three hours’ sleep in 30 minutes (for optimal relaxation you lie down with headphones and an eye-mask).
And at ROSEWOOD HONG KONG you walk a few steps from the spa to a delightful light-airy café – or a couple of hundred steps to that unbeatable retail emporium, K11. At FOUR SEASONS HAMPSHIRE a few steps takes you to a quintessentially-English walled garden, or five hundred steps to the equestrian centre. Ambience adds a lot.
