Est magazine issue 18

six Senses laamu Arriving at our last destination, Six Senses Laamu, felt like coming home. This was my third vacation at a Six Senses Resort and with that came a comforting familiarity.

Our wonderful butler escorted us to our family pool villa via the alfresco ice cream parlour featuring over 40 flavours of homemade ice cream and sorbet.

Did I mention it was all for free? Admittedly this did become a frequent stop for us during our five-night stay.

The resort has a total of 97 overwater and land villas that have been carefully designed to complement the natural beauty of the island. It only took one moment inside our private hideaway before I had officially fallen in love with our surroundings. A private pool, secluded access to the beach, a treetop deck and an open-air bathroom made it a sanctuary like none other.

The combined experiences of wading through salt water, walking barefoot, enjoying great food, laughing endlessly, meditating daily, practicing yoga and indulging in massages undoubtedly helped to heal my mind, body and soul. For my final spa treatment before leaving the Maldives, I wanted to experience the most divine ancient Ayurvedic ritual of Shirodhara that claims to both heal and later mind and body combined.

After a full body massage a steady flow of warm oil was poured onto my forehead in order to stimulate the pituitary gland (or the “third eye�) while I drifted off into a deep meditative state. At Six Senses Laamu, the treatment continued with a full body scrub, steam sauna and an outdoor shower after which I felt profoundly relaxed and mentally clear.