From Qi Gong to ice baths and even medical-adjacent consultations, wellness resorts in Indonesia are tailoring progammes to corporates under stress. Photo Credit: iStock/primipil
Burnout and growing stressors in an increasingly uncertain world are pushing planners to design events that translate into tangible business value, such as improved collaboration, fewer lost workdays and better job satisfaction.
In Indonesia, resorts with deep roots in wellness therapies are catering to corporate groups whether through custom incentive programmes or meeting add-ons.
Restorative incentives
The 69-villa Banyan Tree Bintan overlooking the South China Sea is suitable for restorative company retreats and incentive trips, while its wellness programmes may also serve as components of larger meetings programme.
Ilyas Yacob, sales manager, Banyan Tree Bintan shares: “We’ve hosted management kick-off meetings and retreats for clients from industries such as tech, banking and manufacturing, where we’ve incorporated wellness-based activities into their programme. This could look like yoga in the morning, followed by a massage, a healthy lunch with food grown on the property, and nature walks, to create a holistic experience for them.”
Planners can customise wellbeing journeys grounded in the brand’s ‘8 Pillars of Wellbeing’, combining yoga, breathwork, sound-healing and spa therapies, with facilitated reflection sessions, wellness workshops and mindfulness practices.
Get moving
At Desa Potato Head Bali, wellness programmes, guided by its ‘Merasa’ (to feel) philosophy, blend movement, mindfulness and community-building.
Delegates can begin the day with an ‘Under the Rising Sun’ sunrise meditation that combines breathwork, stretching and Qi Gong movements to awaken their energy, complete with a jamu shot for an immunity boost.
Planners can choose from a range of wellness activities to plug-and-play into their itineraries, ranging from high intensity workouts and neighbourhood runs, to Balinese incense-making workshops, traditional Indonesian therapies and short energy-activating rituals to help participants stay sharp throughout the day.
For added rejuvenation, there are targeted IV treatments to recharge and detoxify the body, as well as Balinese healing rituals to help release mental and physical energy blockages.
For plant-focussed offerings, the destination resort houses (farm)acy, a plant-powered apothecary dedicated to self-care rituals, workshops and Ayurvedic consultations.
Nutrition and health
For a more in-depth approach to health and wellness, planners can tap on the expertise of Jitendra Pokhriyal at The Westin Resort Nusa Dua Bali. The resort’s resident wellness ambassador – who has a Ph.D. in Clinical Nutrition and Human Metabolism – is trained in yoga, meditation, ayurveda, and naturopathy.
He works with groups to curate programmes tailored to specific goals and conducts personalised health consultations with body composition scans, as well as recovery and pain management therapies.
Guests can participate in guided yoga, meditation, Tai Chi and Qi Gong sessions, alongside more specialised experiences like ice baths, aura cleansing and chakra balancing and sound bathing rituals.
Power walks, group runs, bike tours and ping pong contests can easily be planned as fun team-bonding activities, together with other pursuits that delegates can explore in their free time, such as stand-up paddle-boarding.