RAKxa, a new fully integrative wellness and medical retreat will open in Thailand in December 2020, as a result of a three-way partnership between Thai-based M.K. Real Estate Development, VitalLife Scientific Wellness Clinic and Minor Hotels Group, which will manage the resort.

Set in Bangkok’s ‘Green Lung’, a protected jungle-clad island on the Chao Phraya River, RAKxa will deliver tailored wellness programmes designed by medical doctors combining advanced medical treatments with traditional holistic therapies.

The destination will be home to a VitalLife Scientific Wellness Clinic, a subsidiary of the renowned Bumrungrad International Hospital in Thailand, which will provide world-class pre-diagnostic medical analysis supervised by internationally trained doctors

It will also house a two-level 3,636sq m holistic wellness centre – called RAKxa Jai – where treatments will span Traditional Thai Medicine (TTM), Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM), Ayurvedic treatments and energy healing practices.

Completing the wellness journey will be a high-tech medical gym with Olympic athlete training equipment and world-class physiotherapists and physiologists on-site, along with an anti-inflammatory food philosophy, an organic garden and a menu of workshops and activities.

This retreat will be the first of its kind in Thailand and promises a fully transformative experience through personalised three- to 14-day programmes using a blend of cutting-edge medical technology and traditional holistic wellness.

10 programmes will be on offer, including Gut Health, De-Stress, Detox, Weight Management, Mobilisation, Facial Solution, Body Solution, Facial and Body Solution, Immunity Booster and a Discover RAKxa programme.

Each day of the packages have been curated with a combination of specialised holistic and scientific treatments along with a carefully planned diet plan and activity schedule designed to restore and reform, creating optimum results.

Medical testing will be used by physicians to help decipher a blueprint of guest’s health before prescribing a suggested course of action. Health and wellness director, Shekhar Malkotia explained the process.

“Programmes will begin with us assessing and analysing guests’ current condition, using information and scientific proof from VitalLife’s testing.

“Then, we’ll consult with guests and work together to customise and guide them through their bespoke treatment plan based on the results of the medical analysis. Once the programme is completed, guests will leave with new knowledge on how to prepare for and live a healthy life, meaning they can continue the good habits they learned with us beyond their stay.”

Dusadee Tancharoen, RAKxa's MD, commented: "RAKxa offers a sanctuary, somewhere immersed in nature that fully combines alternative and complementary medicine with Western modern science and gives our guests a fully transformative wellness experience which we’re all very much in need of at this moment in time.”

Medical wellness

VitalLife will host pre-diagnosis testing using DNA tests, epigenetics, hormone analysis, micronutrient testing, preventative cancer screening, gut microbiome testing and inflammation assessments, administered by internationally trained medical doctors.

The clinic will be home to an array of modern technologies such as light therapy, IV nutrient therapy, cryosauna, infrared sauna and hormone replacement therapy.

In addition, it will use anti-ageing technology, rejuvenation, positive lifestyle regimens and personalised holistic medicine designed to restore guests to optimal health.

Holistic wellnessCompleted with 43 treatment rooms, RAKxa Jai is being designed as a cosy urban retreat, with two steamrooms, an infrared sauna, cold plunge pool and vitality pool, along with two experience showers, heated loungers and benches.

The spa has selected the indigenous Thai brand, Patom Organic, to supply treatments, as well as Comfort Zone and men’s skincare brand, HOMMAGE.

Accommodation

Located within a lush and expansive botanical garden, RAKxa will be separated from the rest of Bangkok by a winding river, acting as a retreat from busy urban life.

The 62-key resort will feature 40 Garden Villas, 20 Pool Villas and two Residences, which will all be launched on a phased basis.

The entire RAKxa concept has been designed with sustainability at its core, with the realisation of the project involving the planting of thousands of local trees and flowers, soil regeneration, and waste clearance, as well as supporting local farmers and gardeners in organic farming methods.