Escape to a rainforest spa that’s 30 minutes from the CBD – yet feels worlds away

Phone notifications that don’t stop. A calendar that constantly fills itself. The exhaustion of being reachable at all hours but still feeling behind. For most of us, switching off has become a skill we’ve forgotten, and what our bodies and minds usually ask for is a genuine pause. 

And more often than not, the instinct is to book a flight, but a pause is closer than you’d think: it’s 30 minutes away from the CBD – at the Banyan Tree Spa.

Their Royal Banyan, a 150-minute signature ritual, was recognised as the Best Spa Retreat Experience at this year’s Her World Spa and Hair Awards – and it’s easy to understand why once you experience it.

Drawing on Asia’s time-honoured healing traditions and guided by Banyan Tree’s Eight Pillars of Well-being – rest, nourishment, connection, movement, mindfulness, growth, groundedness and practice – every therapist undergoes 650 hours of training, so the hands at work from your scalp to your toes are as skilled as they are intuitive. 

A ritual steeped in tradition

Spa Awards reviewer Vanessa Chia, who arrived for her treatment tired and stressed due to deadlines and constant travelling, appreciated that “the room felt nice and welcoming.” 

The treatment begins with a Coriander Cucumber Cleanse to refresh and soften the skin, followed by breathing exercises to ease the body into stillness. 

A full-body scrub comes next, which Vanessa notes was “super gentle, so it didn’t feel uncomfortable”, before a rinse in the shower prepares you for the highlight of the experience: the massage.

There’s no choice of massage oils here, because the treatment centres on the herbal pouch. That pouch – filled with warmed medicinal herbs and dipped in sesame oil – is then rhythmically pressed and worked along the body in the Royal Banyan Herbal Pouch Massage, a technique rooted in traditional Asian healing. “My tight knots succumbed to the masseuse’s hands in no time,” says Vanessa.

The treatment closes with a Jade Facial Massage using a cooling gua sha-style tool alongside skilled hand movements. The result? Reduced puffiness, a visible calm, and – in Vanessa’s words – “a soft glow, thanks to the boost in circulation.”

Post-treatment, a selection of yoghurt, granola, dried fruits and nuts are served alongside a choice of teas that Vanessa could take her time to enjoy. 

She admits the distance to Mandai gives her pause – but only until she remembers how she felt leaving. “It was a nice me-time getaway, especially as Mandai feels quite far removed from the stress and urbanity of the city.” 

Book your appointment at Banyan Tree Spa Mandai Rainforest Resort