Going on a wellness retreat is a welcome recharge for the mind and body, writes Aznim Ruhana Md Yusup.
THE Orchard Wellness and Health Resort is a sprawling hideaway in Melaka, almost in the middle of nowhere. This provides calm and seclusion to its visitors while the grounds and facilities are a source of fascination and activity.
I have come to The Orchard to try out its wellness programme and I am looking forward to relaxing with a massage or two.
But guests can also come to “detox” or lose weight with The Orchard’s tailor-made programmes under the care of founder Datin Dr SJ Jong.
“They can stay for a minimum of three nights and we will cater to all their needs. They can choose to lose weight through diet and exercise, where we will provide low-calorie meals and a personal trainer. Or they can undergo treatment using our special machines that melt or eliminate fat cells in specific areas.
“If they want to detox, we can do a colonic cleanse. We also have a salt room, an ice bath and a wide selection of treatments with traditional elements such as ayurveda and Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM),” explains Dr Jong.
There is a large swimming pool which guests can use to swim but it is also utilised for water aerobics. It’s a gentler way of exercising as being underwater puts less strain on the joints. This is suitable for older adults or people recovering from certain injuries, says Dr Jong.
SOAK IT IN
Guests undergoing the wellness package are served special meals at the in-house restaurant.
While other guests can help themselves to white rice and pasta at the buffet table, I am served a light soup. This is followed by fish and salad. I end my meal with local fruits for dessert.
Dr Jong tells me the resort practices the farm- to-table philosophy. The large compound means they have space to grow vegetables and keep animals such as chicken for meat and eggs.
Having said that, my special wellness meals consist of salmon and tuna, and salads that include strawberry and blueberry.
Soon after lunch, I head to the spa for my first massage. I choose the house signature massage, which is a blend of Hawaiian Lomi-lomi and Japanese Shiatsu techniques, “a holistic treatment for those who seek deep tissue pressure that work on stiff muscles to enhance circulation, restore muscle tone and improve vitality.”
My massage therapist Sari is from Bali, Indonesia and she has years of experience under her belt. Her deft hands soon put me at ease as she works her magic from toe to head in 90 minutes.
Once done, I wash off the sweet-smelling massage oil and head to the jacuzzi.
There are no other guests around so it’s quite a treat to soak in there by myself while looking at the courtyard garden.
WALK IN THE PARK
The next morning, photographer Khairunisah Lokman and I go for a walk around The Orchard’s fruit farm with the spa’s Ayurveda expert Nithin, who is also the resort’s yoga teacher.
He explains that his techniques are different than what we usually see in regular gyms, having learned the craft from his village elders in India.
For him, yoga is not about getting to certain positions, as these are only a means to an end. The real purpose of the complicated moves is to defeat our self-doubt of whether we can achieve them.
In short, it’s more philosophical than athletic and I would love to see him in class. Sadly, I do not have the time.
Meanwhile, our 2.5km walk around parts of the 67-hectare farm proceeds without a hitch. The trail is mostly on brick or gravel and occasionally hilly, with great views all around. While we enjoy walking at a relaxed pace, other guests jog or ride on mountain bikes.
Although this is not the season for durian, rambutan or mangosteen, we still get to enjoy other fruits, including mulberry and fresh tamarind. We stop to feed the goats while trying to entice the deer to come closer, but they are not interested.
I also notice the canopy walk, where guests are equipped with helmets and strapped to a safety harness as they try to get over various obstacles up among the trees.
I am told that wellness guests don’t usually partake in this activity as it is too intense and vigorous. But I can see how it would be a fun activity for those with friends or colleagues on team-building trips.
The last treatment of my stay is the Ayurveda body massage. I am fuzzy on the philosophy of Ayurveda but I am happy enough to be coated and rubbed with coconut oil. I admit it is a strange sensation to have coconut oil trickling down on my forehead, but it’s enjoyable nevertheless.