Getting Started
Going to live in a new residence can be a significant phase in a person’s life. It often means leaving a place of familiarity, comfort and perhaps even friends and family. On the other hand, moving also means that you are moving towards something while simultaneously moving away from something else. Moving to or visiting a luxury residence can be a unique experience for many people. While one might be in awe of marble, grand staircases, elevators and libraries in a single property, it is essential to see whether wellness has also been incorporated into a luxury residence’s design.
Some aspects pertaining to wellness are what facilities facilitate wellness and which are more common than others. This article will explore these aspects in a more refined manner. It’s also important to consider the actual definition of luxury: Sumptuous or extremely comfortable living or surroundings. (The Free Dictionary, n.d.) What might some consider a luxurious residence, and how much of a role does wellness play in its design? Let’s take a look.
Orchard Recovery Center
If you’ve ever felt ‘under the weather’ in terms of well-being and you need a place to detox, whether it be mental, physical or spiritual, you might find yourself in a luxury rehab centre. Located on Bowen Island in Vancouver, BC, this place offers treatment for all kinds of addictions and looks at mental health issues as well. It also doesn’t hurt to be surrounded by lush scenery and have access to “Psychiatrists, doctors, nurses, and licensed addiction counsellors.” (RehabPath, n.d.)
This place is meant for individuals who may need more than a trip to a day spa or massage parlour to balance their alternative health needs. So how much does it cost to get healing in an environment filled with nature that provides 12-step, holistic and evidence-based treatments such as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy? Three options are available for 10, 28, or 42 days, ranging from $10,000, $18,750, and $ 23,900 (RehabPath, n.d.).
Villa Lena
Sometimes, it’s not an addiction that needs to be addressed and remedied but a healthy addiction that requires the right environment that stems from a natural talent. Take writing, for example; many luxurious residences offer 1-6 month stays for creative individuals to come, relax and focus solely on their craft with no distractions, including a castle! (Last minute writing tips to help you win Nanowrimo – from a castle! 2016)
Villa Lena can be found in Tuscany, Florence, Italy and boasts surroundings worthy of a set in a romance movie; lush vineyards and beautiful olive groves encapsulate this stunning 19th-century luxury residence that once belonged to an aristocratic family. The Villa Lena Foundation welcomes and attracts artists from all over the world, doubles as a luxury hotel and can house up to 74 guests. Designers, artists, writers and creatives can come and focus on what they do best (Dobson, n.d.).
Its refreshing design is due to the ingenuity of Lena Evstafieva, who works as an art consultant, her husband, musician Jérôme Hadey and a friend named Lionel Bensemoun. They intended to create a space where artists could flock, engage in escapism, get VERY creative…and, based on Villa Lena’s design, spend time in yoga studios, swim in outdoor pools revealing a panoramic view of Tuscany countryside, and bathe in ostentatiously large bathtubs with tiles of marble accompanying each relaxed, pampered, waltzing footstep (Dobson, n.d.).
If that weren’t enough, there are plenty of activities to help foster wellness in this villa surrounded by local agritourism, including flower picking, Osteria San Michele, a restaurant that gets the food straight from the farm and vineyards for a truly organic experience and unique workshops like how to make perfume (Dobson, n.d.). Some guests’ artwork made during their stay may also be permanent decorative pieces on display (Villa Lena Foundation, n.d.).
Alta Sanctuary
Sometimes, getting away can be taken to different extremes, such as a luxury Sanctuary residence in a tree…in the Amazon Rainforest. “110 ft. above the rainforest canopy.” (Alta Sanctuary, n.d.) The world’s worries will fall far below the strangler fig and ancient host tree that serves as the foundation for this Treehouse of Treehouses. The main selling point is the unparalleled canopy vista of an Amazon Rainforest Paradise. Beyond that, amenities for “well-being” include hot and cold water, solar power electricity, a bed, a bug net, a shower, a mini fridge, air conditioning and a 360 view. (Alta Sanctuary, n.d.)
To wake up to sunbeams piercing the canopy and be greeted by vibrant colours and sounds of nature that offer a perspective elusive to even the greatest of explorers must do something for the soul’s wellness.
Sanctuary Lodge: A Belmond Hotel Macchu Picchu
Well, suppose you are not captivated by the idea of being ten 10-minute walk away from the verdant Macchu Picchu Citadel and do not reach a deep sense of spiritual fulfillment by standing at the height of one of the world’s seven wonders. In that case, there are always the Orchid gardens and the vast variety of lurid flowers behind the main building. This lofty sanctuary embodies the concept of wellness, relaxation and repose.
References:
Alta Sanctuary. (n.d.). Alta Sanctuary. [online] Available at: https://www.altasanctuary.com/a/treehouse [Accessed 16 Mar. 2024].
www.belmond.com. (n.d.). Belmond Sanctuary Lodge, Machu Picchu | Machu Picchu Hotel. [online] Available at: https://www.belmond.com/hotels/south-america/peru/machu-picchu/belmond-sanctuary-lodge/about.
Dobson, J. (n.d.). Inside Villa Lena: A Luxury Hotel And Artist Retreat In Tuscany. [online] Forbes. Available at: https://www.forbes.com/sites/jimdobson/2023/05/28/inside-villa-lena-an-artsy-retreat-in-the-heart-of-tuscany/?sh=36f777d47933 [Accessed 16 Mar. 2024].
The Free Dictionary. (n.d.). luxury. [online] Available at: https://www.thefreedictionary.com/luxury.
RehabPath. (n.d.). 11 Best Luxury Rehab Centres in Canada of 2024. [online] Available at: https://recovery.com/canada/luxury [Accessed 16 Mar. 2024].
Villa Lena Foundation. (n.d.). The Villa Lena Foundation. [online] Available at: https://www.villa-lena.org/the-villa-lena-foundation [Accessed 16 Mar. 2024].
www.youtube.com. (n.d.). Last minute writing tips to help you win Nanowrimo – from a castle! [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z1pXFrf2Dgo [Accessed 16 Mar. 2024].
www.youtube.com. (n.d.). Your Gateway to the Inca Empire | Sanctuary Lodge | Belmond. [online] Available at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jp-mG5GYe7Y [Accessed 16 Mar. 2024].
