The Wellness Trip That *Actually* Changed How I Felt

I’ve done wellness hotels before, but this was different.

I’ve done wellness hotels before, and they’re relaxing, but most of the time you leave feeling good for about 48 hours before real life kicks back in…

Thailand felt very different.

Over the past few years, wellness on social media has become increasingly polished, branded, and performative. Everyone is selling optimisation now. But my recent trip to Thailand, split between RXV Wellness Village and RAKxa Wellness & Medical Retreat, reminded me what wellness is actually supposed to feel like: slower, softer, more human.

And surprisingly, a lot more fun.

RXV Wellness Village: the softer side of wellness

RXV Wellness Village was the first stop, and immediately it felt different to the ultra-clinical wellness spaces you often find.

Set amongst tropical greenery just outside Bangkok, the whole place has a much more grounded energy. Less polished luxury, more calm immersion. Nobody’s trying too hard. There’s no pressure to optimise every second of the day. Instead, the experience gently pulls you into a different rhythm.

Mornings started with pure calm. We ate long, slow breakfasts by the river surrounded by trees, with food that somehow managed to feel both healthy and genuinely delicious. Everything felt fresh, colourful, and nourishing without being overly “wellness”. Within about ten minutes of arriving, my nervous system genuinely felt calmer.

One afternoon we did Tai Chi surrounded by trees while the heat slowly softened into evening, and it ended up being one of my favourite moments of the trip. It sounds simple, but there’s something about slowing your body down in that environment that completely resets your nervous system.

One of the things I loved most about RXV was how connected it felt to Thai culture itself. We did A Thai cooking class where everything was incredibly fresh and simple, making Pad Thai which was DELICIOUS! We also visited a local organic market trying lots of different foods and drinks, which made the whole experience feel that much more wonderful.

The treatments were also much cooler than your standard spa menu.

I had mineral testing done, which gave a much deeper understanding of what my body was lacking and where my energy levels were sitting. It made the whole experience feel more personalized rather than generic wellness. We also had one to one pilates sessions, access to a fully kitted out gym and a sound healing session which I always find hugely beneficial. I always leave feeling MUCH lighter, possibly to do with the fact nobody from the outside world could get in touch with me for the hour and I can actually just sit with my thoughts and allow the sounds to vibrate through me, the wonderful teacher also showed me how to use the sound bowls afterwards which was a real highlight for me.

The hydrotherapy sessions became one of my favourite parts of the entire trip. You move through different pools, temperatures, and water pressures in this incredibly serene environment that somehow leaves your body feeling both relaxed and re-energised at the same time! This was part of our daily schedule, and im so grateful that it was.

The acupuncture treatments were another standout. They felt deeply calming and restorative, especially combined with the slower pace of the retreat itself. Then there was the traditional Thai belly massage, which was unlike anything I’d tried before. It focuses heavily on digestion and energy flow through the abdomen, and afterwards I genuinely felt lighter and less sluggish.

I also tried oxygen therapy, which gave me this weirdly clear-headed, energised feeling afterwards, especially after travelling.

It was one of those experiences that stays with you long after you leave. The team were also just incredible and I have to shout them out, we couldn’t have been more grateful for their close attentiveness, kindness and how much they taught us. When Steph and I left we kept saying to each other how much we missed them, we still do now!

RAKxa: where luxury meets actual results

If RXV felt softer and more lifestyle-led, RAKxa Wellness & Medical Retreat felt like stepping into the future of wellness.

You arrive and immediately undergo diagnostics: blood work, body composition analysis, movement screenings. Normally this kind of thing can feel cold or overwhelming, but here it somehow doesn’t. Everything is incredibly personalised without losing that sense of calm.

The entire experience is built around what your body actually needs.

One day might include physio, IV drips, hydrotherapy, and acupuncture. Another could involve breathwork, movement sessions, and traditional Thai healing practices. Nothing feels random or trend-led. Every treatment feels connected to a wider goal.

Then there was the Ya Pao fire belly treatment, which honestly sounds more intimidating than it is. Rooted in traditional Thai medicine, it focuses on the stomach area using heat and herbal oils to stimulate digestion and circulation. There’s this deep warmth that spreads through your core, and afterwards I genuinely felt lighter, less bloated, and calmer physically.

And then there was the food.

So much wellness food feels restrictive or joyless, but at RAKxa everything felt nourishing without trying to punish you. Fresh broths, beautifully prepared vegetables, healing Thai flavours, and meals that somehow managed to feel both comforting and restorative at the same time.

I also tried a crystal healing treatment which, if I’m honest, I went into slightly sceptical about, but ended up finding incredibly calming. The whole experience felt deeply grounding and meditative, and combined with the slower pace of the retreat, it left me feeling emotionally lighter afterwards.

Then there was the full body scrub, which felt like a complete reset physically. Using traditional exfoliating techniques and mineral-rich products, it genuinely felt like it stripped away layers of stress, travel, and exhaustion. Afterwards my skin felt unbelievably soft, but more than that, I felt cleansed in a much deeper way, lighter both physically and mentally.

By the end of the stay, there was this overwhelming feeling of being reset from the inside out, calmer, clearer, and somehow more connected to my body again.

The thing I didn’t expect

The biggest surprise of the whole trip wasn’t the treatments or even how physically good I felt afterwards.

It was how mentally quiet I became.

Somewhere between the Tai Chi, the herbal treatments, the humid evenings, and not constantly looking at my phone, I realised how overstimulated I’d been before arriving.

By the end of the trip, everything felt slower in the best possible way. My sleep improved massively. My body felt lighter. Even my thoughts felt less frantic.

And unlike a lot of wellness experiences, it didn’t feel performative or overly branded. It felt genuine.

That’s probably the magic of Thailand. Wellness there isn’t treated as a luxury trend, it’s woven much more naturally into daily life, into food, movement, healing, and rest.

I left feeling less interested in “optimising” myself and more interested in creating space to actually feel good.

Which, in the end, is probably the whole point.

RXV WELLNESS VILLAGE:

https://rxvwellness.com

RAKxa:

https://rakxawellness.com