Bali Hotel Spas in Nusa Dua, Benoa, Uluwatu

Let's start in the south, in the manicured, tourism enclave of Nusa Dua where everything looks like the drive into town from Singapore's Changi Airport. The Nusa Dua Beach Hotel & Spa, one of the first occupants along this strip runs the custom-built Nusa Dua Spa. Set aside from the main resort in a deep salmon-pink villa, this nice spa features a lap pool, treatment rooms and spa packages starting at US$75 for a two-and-a-half-hour traditional coconut scrub or Javanese "lulur" followed by a Balinese facial treatment. Javanese Lulur, a turmeric and sandalwood exfoliation, can be had on its own as well, along with aromatic and, yes, jetlag, massages.
Conrad Bali beachside massage pavilion




Next door, The Westin Resort (formerly the convention hotel Sheraton Nusa Indah) has a Westin Spa. The sprawling Sheraton Laguna Nusa Dua with its vast swimmable lagoons and greenery has spa facilities while the swish Grand Hyatt offers spa treatments and facilities are being ramped up while serious seaweed and scraping goes on at the dedicated and attractive Spa at Bali Hyatt in Sanur. (Grand Hyatt Bali is showcased in our exclusive Top Asian Hotels Collection, featuring the best Asian hotels, resorts and spas in a printable A4 page with stunning visuals.)The Spa at Bali Hyatt is set in thatched villas with "villa treatments" like Surya Cooling (which can include two persons for just over two hours). The cooling package is a skin special and includes a cucumber mask and lavender bath. Natural Langsing at just over US$200 for two includes an aromatic sauna, crystal mineral body scrub and sea mud body wraps.

The Spanish-run Melia Bali Villas & Spa Resort is unfussy and welcoming with a separate villa section. Set in 25 generous acres, the Melia Bali has just launched its new worldwide Yhi Spa brand and offers more than a fair bit of wellness indulgence with extensive treatment menus. The Balinese spa is set in gardens where you can also pursue yoga. There are single and double rooms with outdoor baths and showers for couples. The renamed Ayodya Resort Bali (formerly the breakaway Bali Hilton International) and its exclusive Ayodya Palace wing, is crammed with all manner of striking statuary depicting scenes from the Hindu epic, the Ramayana. Apart from its 300m beachfront and luxurious Ayodya Palace villa and suites complex, the resort has a spa facility with treatment suites and rooms.

Bordering the Hilton is the Bali Golf & Country Club which manages the swank self-contained The Villas at Bali Golf and Country Club with its Spa and massage treatments. (The Villas at Bali Golf and Country Club are showcased in our exclusive Top Asian Hotels Collection, featuring the best Asian hotels, resorts and spas in a printable A4 page with stunning visuals.)Perched on a low promontory, The Balé is a beige limestone villa hideaway. This Lifestyle Retreats property features an intimate and secluded spa. Try the 120-minute “Tropical Romantic Ritual”. The spa offers holistic treatments (and a spa restaurant) with yoga, meditation and a range of other "body, mind and spirit" options. Among the offerings are a Healing Hot Stones Massage (wherein heated volcanic stones are placed over the body) and assorted coconut and seaweed body scrubs, maska and marine bubble baths. Men can ask for a strong coffee - not to sip, but to apply. The Coffee Ritual involves espresso massage oil, a cappuccino body scrub and a latte body lotion. Yes, you can have some coffee later too.

Continuing up the rise, following the coast, is the Sekar Nusa Resort. Like the Balé, this charming little place is on a hill, away from the beach. The unassuming Sekar Nusa Spa does Tradional Balinese Massage going up to The Best of Sekar Nusa (around US$65, 180 minutes) which involves an aromatherapy footbath, body wash, coffee or corn body scrub, flower bath, facial and massage. A five minute drive on, set in pristine isolation is the Nikko Bali Resort & Spa. This nice hotel-style resort features a fun beach area set beneath vertiginous cliffs. There is a Mandara Spa here and eight oceanfront spa villas. Last, but certainly not least, is the attractive Spa at Club Med, in its own private setting with extensive treatments, attentive service and a choice of open-air or aircon treatment rooms. French-run Club Med tends to be an all-in experience with accommodation, meals and activities.



East and north of Nusa Dua, heading into the Benoa peninsula, there are two properties with excellent spa facilities - the new Conrad Bali and the Grand Mirage Bali - with the latter boasting the first Thalasso Spa, utilising seawater, on the island. The Conrad Bali is intriguingly zen, with minimalist lines, sweeping ocean views and fine swimming pools. Its Jiwa Spa does a range of treatments. Conrad's signature Ocean Flow Massage runs rippling acupressure over the body with a pinch of aromatherapy while the Inner Radiance realigns the body's natural energy channels. A speciality is the 1,000 Petal Flower Bath (yes, there's space for water too) which can be enjoyed in your own bath with some fragrant essential oils on the side. And if you're still peckish and light calories are not for you, head down to Eight Degrees and order pizza by the metre. Now that's a meal. A stylish option in Uluwatu, a 15-minute drive from Nusa, is the Blue Point Bay Villas & Spa, a Japanese-owned complex with private villas set on the cliff, each with a pool and stunning views to boot. There two main swimming pools and a dedicated spa.The chic new Bulgari Resort Bali offers leggy models, glitterati, beautiful people, hangers-on and a stunning Spa - a traditional ensemble complete with hand-carved teakwood doors at the entrance. It will cost an arm and a leg of course, but then, trained therapists are on hand to massage your limbs back to top working order.

The quiet western coast of Jimbaran, south of the bay sweeping up to the airport, hosts three top-drawer properties - Intercontinental Resort Bali, Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay, and The Ritz-Carlton Bali Resort & Spa - all armed with enough essential oils and exotic spa menus to keep your midlife crisis at bay for years. The Ritz features its own 22,000sq metre hydrotherapy Thalasso & Spa which is almost a resort within a resort. If this place were any bigger, it would mint its own currency and hand out passports. Amidst the gardens and water-features, are the spa villas, a spa suite and a 650sq metre "aquatonic' pool. Don't ask me what that means. The water flows and swirls in varying temperatures while jets and hidden currents massage and relax. And at the all new Bulgari Resort Bali (you'll be excused for calling it Bvlgari Resort Bali) a breezy oceanfront spa promises all the allure and pampering of a true-blue designer resort. This is a swish offering in a compact cliffside all-villa resort with HUGE views of the sea in all directions.



The beachfront Intercontinental Resort Bali has gone through a thorough facelift. It is a sprawling child-friendly place with crisp business flourishes and smart 52sq m Club InterContinental rooms. For pampering head for the Uluwatu Spa or the more secluded Uluwatu Villa Retreat where traditional Balinese remedies await. All spa products are locally produced from natural ingredients. The two-hour Harmony Experience offers Bali spice body mask, a flower splash and pressure point massage. The Ultimate Discovery (my dear Christopher Columbus, look what you missed) offers pampering for 240 minutes with foot bath and scrub, reflexology, scalp treatment, Javanese Lulur, aromatherapy and body lotion massage. For the lazy or bone-weary, there's an extensive inroom massage menu including Traditional Balinese and Foot Reflexology. Believe me, it's worth it, and more.

The Four Seasons Resort Bali at Jimbaran Bay is quite a mouthful but jaws do tend to drop once introduced to this villa property cascading down a hillside overlooking the bay. Lots of walking needed here and buggy rides are the answer. The Spa at Jimbaran Bay is near the sea and utilises sea-salt crystals, seaweed and natural ingredients. Guests tend to start off with a relaxing rain shower before heading on for a three-hour Sea Mint Detoxifying Ritual, the Papaya Hibiscus Sugar Scrub or one of the many exotic menus on offer. The Sea Mint therapy involves foaming skin exfoliation with sand, sea salt and minerals followed by an ice-cold mint mousse and tangerine scalp massage. Hmm. Mind if I lick it off for you? The Sea Mint will set you back around US$200 while the Hibiscus Sugar Scrub is a trifling US$75. If you'd rather be outdoors, book a massage in one of the seafront balés.

Farther away in a generous private estate is the Ritz-Carlton Bali Resort & Spa. This is a stately structure stepping down in levels past the gorgeous pool and down to the beach. The special feature of the dedicated set-apart spa is its Thalasso seawater therapy. In fact there is so much inviting water bubbling around the place it is hard not to leap right in. In addition to the mineral-rich waters, there's Aquatonic pools with powerful pulsing water jets ensuring your daily fill of salts and amino acids. Nice. Signature packages include Cinta Abadi - "Eternal Love" at US$240 per couple, Balinese Thalasso Experience and the 75-minute Marine Slimming at US$115 per person. To ensure eternal love you'll get a flower petal foot wash, an aromatic petal massage, a Javanese Lulur or Boreh and a skin-soothing milk bath.