Interview with Kamalaya, Wellness Sanctuary and Holistic Spa
We have connected with Kamalaya, a Wellness Sanctuary and Holistic Spa Resort on the tropical island of Koh Samui, Thailand for some time. Recently, we interviewed one of the owners, Karina Stewart, and the director of communications, Donna Wells, on what makes Kamalaya a dream holistic wellness holiday destination.
The idea behind Kamalaya is that by the time you leave, you'll be happy, healthy and relaxed, but internally you'll have something to take away with you. All the other spas out there had better sit up and take notice, because this is where the industry needs to be.
- Tiffany Darke, The Sunday Times, UK
1. Could you briefly introduce Kamalaya? What is the concept of Kamalaya?
The synergy of place, people, and holistic wellness offerings is the foundation of the Kamalaya concept; the goal is reconnection. At Kamalaya, our aim is to reconnect our guests with life’s potential through a deeper connection with self, nature and people.
The Place. Connect with nature, the elements and the universal energies. Kamalaya rests on a very special piece of land on beautiful stretch of Koh Samui’s south-eastern coastline. At the heart of Kamalaya is a cave temple, once used by Buddhist monks as a place of meditative retreat. The tradition of these monks continues at Kamalaya and adds an aura of spiritual and sacred energy to the physical beauty of the land. Kamalaya was carefully designed to embrace the diverse natural elements of the landscape, to bring guests into intimate contact with these elements and the healing power of nature.
The People. Kamalaya was created as an inspiring place to regain a sense of community and belonging through one-on-one connection with Kamalaya hosts, wellness specialists and visiting healers as well as the group dynamic of retreats, events and interactions with other guests. From the General Manager to the therapists and the gardeners, all Kamalaya hosts are given the freedom and encouragement to connect with guests in a natural, meaningful and spontaneous way.
The Holistic Wellness. Connect body, mind and spirit. Kamalaya integrates holistic medicine traditions from East and West to offer a menu of over 70 therapies and treatments. The menu includes Ayurveda, Traditional Chinese Medicine, Naturopathy and Homeopathy, emotional and spiritual healing and other holistic services such as cranio-sacral therapy and sound healing. Optional daily classes are open to all guests in holistic fitness practices that range from Pilates, yoga, chi gong and meditation to adventure hikes and core fitness classes. The Kamalaya wellness experience goes beyond treatments and activities to include delicious fusion cuisine, wellness programs, group retreats and opportunities to work with visiting international healers and teachers.
Individually, these three pillars are rich with possibilities for healing and self discovery, but the synergy of all three creates a powerful holistic blend that inspires people to embrace life’s potential.
2. We understand that Kamalaya has positioned itself as "at the forefront of the (r)evolution in the wellness sector". How are you different from other resorts?
The intention at Kamalaya is to provide a seamless experience for guests, with no boundaries so they can experience wellness beyond their treatment at the Wellness Centre. The holistic wellness services are at the core of the Kamalaya experience and accommodation and other facilities are natural extensions and expressions of our concept and vision. This is quite a different concept to most spa resorts.
Where some wellness retreats pride themselves on being ‘exclusive’, at Kamalaya we strive to be ‘inclusive’. We try to make the Kamalaya experience accessible to as many as possible. We don’t insist that guests commit to a Wellness Program, allowing them to stay for any length of time drawing only on the wellness benefits of complimentary offerings like initial Wellness Consultation, holistic activity classes and the extraordinarily healing environment. We open our doors to the community for concerts and exhibitions in our art gallery, allow them to book Wellness treatments and appointments with visiting ‘healers in residence’, and participate in our holistic activities.
Kamalaya takes a refreshingly liberating humanistic approach to wellness, and we have a deep respect for the guests’ innate wisdom. With the absence of strict controls, rigid rules and ‘we know best’ attitude, our guests are able to let go of their own control habits and open up to change, transformation and a deeper self awareness. Guidance, encouragement, advice and inspiration are always on offer but our guests are the drivers of their own experience.
Kamalaya does not follow trends or try to mimic other wellness facilities. What we do is based on research and experience, driven by the passion and experience of our team, and by their individual growth and development. Importantly, we are also driven by the relationships we form with our guests and the understandings that come from connecting with them.
Our interest in not so much in driving the industry forward, but inspiring our hosts and our guests to grow as individuals; to live more joyful, vibrant and fulfilling lives and to discover within themselves the possibilities for healing and transformation. We did not set out to change the world; we set out to help people enrich themselves, in their way and in their own time.
3. We understand that the founders of Kamalaya come from very interesting backgrounds. Could you share more about this?
Kamalaya was co-founded by my husband John Stewart and me. The idea for Kamalaya was inspired by the years John spent devoted to a life of service and spiritual studies in the Himalaya and my commitment to Asian medical and philosophical traditions. John and I met in 1982. At the time, John was living a yogi life under the guidance of his mentor in the Himalaya. I took a one year sabbatical from studies at Princeton University to immerse myself in a mediation retreat under the tutelage of the same Himalayan yogi master. Conceived more than ten years before its eventual opening, Kamalaya was originally intended for a site in the Himalaya. A serendipitous visit to Koh Samui in 2000, led to the discovery of the very special piece of land on which Kamalaya was eventually built.
John was introduced to Asian philosophy and spirituality at the age of fifteen. He spent 16 years of his early adult life in the jungles of northern India, as a yogi with philosophical and spiritual training from his mentor. In the early years, he lived under the guidance of his teacher in a cave beside a Himalayan river, and later he helped to build and develop Himalayan communities. Many years spent in a traditional yogi lifestyle taught him the values of truth, simplicity, love and sanatana (eternal) dharma, in addition to patience and discipline.
A regular visitor to Thailand since 1977, John returned to Thailand in 2000 with health problems. He was drawn by the healing nature of Koh Samui, and stayed three months to rest and regain his health under my care and with the help of local herbs. During this time, he was shown the piece of land on which Kamalaya was eventually built. Back then, it was a tropical jungle terrain, and while the natural environment appealed to John it was the monks’ cave that drew him to this land as the ideal place to create Kamalaya.
John continues to guide the development of Kamalaya’s vision and services in his role as Chairman, through an operational management team responsible for its implementation.
As for me, I have twenty-two years of experience in the study and practice of diverse Asian healing and spiritual traditions.
My academic background includes a Master’s degree in Traditional Chinese Medicine from Yo San University in California, with internships in Japan and China. Earlier studies include a B.A. from Princeton University in cultural anthropology and Asian religions. I have also studied structural therapies such as Hellerwork and Cranial-Sacral Manipulation, yoga and Taoist philosophy and practice.
Prior to Kamalaya, I founded a health centre in Kathmandu, Nepal, where for seven years I practiced Oriental Medicine and produced a range of Chinese herbal products. Following this period I collaborated on a research project in California with Dr. James Dahlgran and Dr. Maoshing Ni to develop and test medical detoxification protocols combining modern medicine, Traditional Chinese medicine and Naturopathy. I also designed and directed a medical detoxification program at the Hall Centre and facilitated ‘Awakening’ retreats in several cities, which focussed on cellular detoxification and purification practices from both Eastern and Western traditions.
In my role as Wellness Director, I am responsible for the development of Kamalaya’s integral health programs as well as the overall strategic brand and concept development.
4. What are the unique services offered at Kamalaya?
There is not a service offered at Kamalaya that doesn’t exist elsewhere. What is unique about Kamalaya, however, is that we have brought various healing aspects together and integrated them in a truly holistic and intrinsically Kamalaya way.
Kamalaya’s focus is not on individual services, but on how the different treatments, therapies, activities, environmental aspects, cuisine and people come together to create a synergistic wellness experience. In other words, it’s not the services that are unique, but the way they are blended and ultimately ‘cooked’. The principle of synergy is an essential part of the Kamalaya concept and is at the heart of the alchemistic Kamalaya experience.
5. What kind of visitors are you targeting at?
There is not one particular type of visitor that we are targeting. We are here for people that are looking to enhance their life experience, whether that be physically, spiritually, emotionally or any combination of the three. This goes back to one of our operational philosophies of being inclusive rather than exclusive. Our guests come from all walks of life, from countries across the globe. While they may come with a particular health or wellness goal in mind, many of them are also, either consciously or unconsciously, searching for something deeper. Each guest experiences Kamalaya in their own way, but what many people share when they leave us is the sense that they are searching less and finding more.
The beauty of Kamalaya is that it has a broad appeal because we don’t impose our beliefs on our guests. Instead of rules and regulations, Kamalaya offers guidance, choice and encouragement. And instead of avoidance and escape, Kamalaya helps people reconnect with themselves and the world around them.
6. Could you tell us more about the monk's cave in the Kamalaya compound?
At the heart of Kamalaya is a cave once inhabited and used by Buddhist monks as a place of meditation and spiritual retreat. Today, the cave serves as a powerful place of quiet retreat for Kamalaya guests and staff and continues to be visited by Buddhist monks.
Monks that previously stayed in the cave as a place of sanctuary include:
Arjan Daeng (1889-1976), was a Buddhist sage renowned for his knowledge of healing plants and his ability to communicate with other life forms, including the cobras that shared his living space. He is remembered for his talks on universal compassion and his exemplary teachings of self-discipline, simplicity, patience, and his kindness to all beings.
Arjan Pet, "Diamond Teacher", a great reformer of Thai Buddhism.
Arjan Mahasumreong, the most recent monk to inhabit the cave at Kamalaya, made renovations and added the still-existing skylight. A great scholar, he translated many original Pali texts into the Thai language.
7. How have you planned the architecture to harness nature's healing power?
The overall architectural concept of Kamalaya is a reflection of its wellness concept; that a connection to nature is a vital, nurturing element integral to one’s overall health and wellbeing.
Kamalaya’s design was created with a reverence for its landscape. Rather than destroying the land’s natural elements to make way for construction, the buildings were designed to incorporate these aspects as key architectural features.
Robert Powell, artist and architect of Kamalaya, has created a community of individual structures that naturally embraces the surrounding landscape. His design approach takes advantage of the land’s special qualities, not imposing on the setting but rather enhancing and directing attention to the features of the landscape.
Care was taken to preserve the natural environment, from the transplanting of over 150 trees removed for building, to the implementation of an eco-friendly water purification system. The resulting “Spirit of Place” communicates a connection to nature, the elements, and the environment.
8. Could you tell us more about the team (other than the founders) that make up Kamalaya?
When John and I first envisioned Kamalaya, our dream was to create a place that would benefit the people who worked there as much as it would the guests who visited. The Kamalaya team is so much more than people doing specific jobs; it is people connecting with other people and along the way deepening their own self awareness and enriching their lives.
This aspect of the Kamalaya vision continues to manifest and there are stories of team members being drawn to Kamalaya through unusual or synchronistic circumstances and experiencing transformation as a result. Others team members experience Kamalaya through a sense of belonging or familiarity.
Kamalaya investor and Managing Director, Marc-Antoine Cornaz, began working with John and I in the year that we found the land. A graduate of Swiss hotel training with a MBA and years of entrepreneurial business experience, Marc was drawn to Kamalaya’s unique approach of marrying business with spirituality. After first meeting with John and I, he not only grasped the concept but was fascinated by the idea of doing business in a new way, a way that was holistic, organic and alive. Marc’s journey with Kamalaya continues to be transformational, on both a personal and professional level.
Having three owners – John, me and Marc – in key roles means there is very little distance between the creative energy of Kamalaya and the team of hosts who are in contact with the guests, allowing for a very high degree of ‘oneness’, personal touch and organic innovation.
Essentially, the Kamalaya team concept is about the collective spirit of the group and how together they can enrich, inspire and support each other as well as the guests who visit.
9. What is the most interesting event that has transpired at Kamalaya?
Interesting events transpire at Kamalaya every day. They are the magical moments in which hosts and guests discover something new within themselves and that lead to personal transformation and deeper self awareness.
In terms of group events, one of the most memorable and inspiring was the ‘Fearless Simplicity’ retreat, with Tsokyni Rinpoche III. This has been one of our most well attended retreats to date, and many of the guests reported a powerful awakening that revealed a new and more expansive way of living in the world. For me personally, it was quite a profound experience.
10. What is the one compelling reason why anyone interested in a holistic holiday should choose Kamalaya as their next destination?
In the words of John: “Kamalaya offers a welcoming and nurturing environment, so that people can feel immediately safe and inspired to let go of old habits, drop the armour, while at the same time feel comfortable and at ease, like they are in a magical little village. Guests are invited to enter the silence and peace of Kamalaya and in doing so, rediscover the path to their own heart.”
Kamalaya offers the space, time, support and inspiration to truly embrace life’s potential.
11. What are your future plans?
The vision for Kamalaya has unfolded in an organic and holistic way. It is very important that future growth continues in this way, so that Kamalaya naturally extends beyond what it is, overflowing from the fullness rather than adding on new aspects and trying to make them fit.
Our current plans include expanding the Wellness centre and bringing in more practitioners and therapists, developing our food and beverage menus, attracting more leaders to run group retreats and developing resources that will allow us to continue to inspire our guests after they leave Kamalaya.
For more information on Kamalaya and their packages, please check out www.kamalaya.com
About Kamalaya
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Kamalaya is a Wellness Sanctuary and Holistic Spa Resort on the tropical island of Koh Samui, Thailand. Its integral concept is Holistic Wellness. Its location, facilities, programs, retreats, cuisine, and Kamalaya's Team together create a synergy of nurturing for your whole being.
Centred around a monk's cave that once served Buddhist monks as a place of meditation and spiritual retreat, Kamalaya's essence is expressed in its name, 'Lotus (kamal) Realm (alaya)', an ancient symbol for the growth and unfolding of the human spirit. Kamalaya is a place where you can discover your Self, within a sanctuary of natural beauty, health specialists, and inspired teachers. Kamalaya honors the sacredness of solitude, and shares the joy of community. |