The New York Post almost lost me in May.<\/p>\n
I was lying in a treatment room at the newly-opened Meraki Wellness<\/a> on Grand Cayman, getting a massage so relaxing I dozed off for a few minutes, and I thought, What if I just\u2026 stay here? No one can make me go home.<\/p>\n How I\u2019d support myself in the Cayman Islands? No clue. And realistically, I wouldn\u2019t be getting the luxe spa treatment every day. But who needs realism? I was in a spa so gorgeous that I wanted to beg the co-founders to make over my apartment, so who could help but fantasize a bit?<\/p>\n Meraki Wellness recently opened on Grand Cayman. The 16,000-square-foot spa is certainly luxurious \u2014 and features a beautiful Himalayan salt water pool (pictured). Meraki Wellness\/John Athimaritis<\/p>\n Meraki is 16,000 square feet of pure zen. There\u2019s none of that dark, moody stuff \u2014 no squinting to find your way, no too-loud forest sounds. It\u2019s\u00a0light, airy and colorful, filled with curved lines and a sunburst motif. The hallways are designed to make you feel like you\u2019re floating through fluffy clouds.<\/p>\n Peter and Shula Clarke, who co-founded and designed Meraki Wellness, were already retired in Mallorca when they were asked to take on this new project \u2014 so to get back to work, it had to be worth it.<\/p>\n \u201cWe only wanted to come out of retirement if we were going to actually do something very significant in our industry,\u201d Peter told The Post. \u201cWe didn\u2019t just want to do a regular spa. We\u2019ve always been at the forefront of what we\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhat Meraki means [in Greek] is you do what you do with love and passion, a piece of your soul in your work \u2014 and that isn\u2019t just our name, that is our philosophy,\u201d Shula added.<\/p>\n Peter said that it\u2019s apparent in the \u201cexceptional detail\u201d they bring to \u201cevery single touch point\u201d \u2014 and it\u2019s certainly easy to see in the luxe amenities.<\/p>\n Hydrotherapy Odyssey<\/p>\n This isn\u2019t some packed bathhouse contrast therapy. Peter describes the Hydrotherapy Odyssey as \u201ca very special place doesn\u2019t exist anywhere else in the world\u201d \u2014 and I certainly haven\u2019t experienced anything like it.<\/p>\n Their hydrotherapy circut is guided by a spa butler and includes a panoramic sauna (pictured), rain showers and a snow room with real snow. Meraki Wellness\/John Athimaritis<\/p>\n Meraki\u2019s hydrotherapy ritual is led by a \u201cspa butler\u201d who takes you through each of the steps, furnishing you with face sprays and healthy shots in between.<\/p>\n It kicks off with a stint in their beautiful panoramic sauna \u2014 the biggest in the Caribbean \u2014 with a sunny island view. That\u2019s followed by a rinse under cold rain showers, then a sweat in the steam room (or \u201ccaldarium\u201d).<\/p>\n Back to chilly in the cold plunge, warm again under the \u201cAquamoon\u201d showers, and finally freezing in their snow room, which gets filled daily with actual snow (don\u2019t worry \u2014 you can keep on your slippers and there\u2019s a blanket to sit on) and has the swirling Northern Lights on the ceiling.<\/p>\n Peter and Shula Clarke came out of retirment to co-found and designed Meraki Wellness. Meraki Wellness\/John Athimaritis<\/p>\n All of this is obviously very relaxing \u2014\u00a0but it\u2019s got science-backed health benefits too. Studies show sauna is good for immunity<\/a>, sleep<\/a>, heart health<\/a> and weight management<\/a>, while contrast therapy can help with physical recovery and inflammation.<\/p>\n The cherry on top of the journey is the tepidarium, a warm pool filled with Himalayan salt water where you can lounge and dip for hours. This was one of the most stunning rooms of the whole spa, with marble floors, greenery on the walls and a geometric ceiling design. Peter said that some guests have been convinced that the pictures they\u2019d seen of the place must be AI \u2014 until they saw it in person.<\/p>\n Treatments<\/p>\n Meraki has multiple treatment rooms for facials, tech like Emface and Lyma lasers, and, of course, massages. <\/p>\n Treatments include massages and facials. Some of the rooms have steam rooms and tubs for bathing rituals. Meraki Wellness\/John Athimaritis<\/p>\n I got their signature massage \u2014\u00a0you know, the one that had me thinking of quitting my job and moving to the Caribbean \u2014 but they have others designed for different goals, including sleep and energy.<\/p>\n Some of the rooms, where you can also get dry brushing or a mud wrap, have steam rooms and tubs for bathing rituals.<\/p>\n And when you\u2019re all done? Your spa butler will bring you to one of the five lounges, where you can also order champagne, caviar or lunch.<\/p>\n There\u2019s a designated room for hammam, where guests are scrubbed, massaged and moisturized. Meraki Wellness\/John Athimaritis<\/p>\n Hammam<\/p>\n Getting clean has never been so relaxing \u2014\u00a0not even in a dark shower<\/a>.<\/p>\n Everything\u2019s heated in this room, from the floor to the giant stone slab you lay on while your attendant takes you through the 90-minute hammam ritual. That includes a steam to open up your pores, scrubbing, mineral mud, and lots and lots of foam poured over your body. <\/p>\n Between each step, water cascades slowly over you from head to toe. So you\u2019re not just getting fresh new skin \u2014 you\u2019re also getting a bit of a vagus nerve reset<\/a>.<\/p>\n For more pampering, there\u2019s a salon with manicures and pedcures (pictured), as well as a barber. Meraki Wellness\/John Athimaritis<\/p>\n Beauty and grooming <\/p>\n Nothing says wellness like being pampered \u2014\u00a0and for many, that includes a bit of beautifying. Meraki\u2019s Butterfly Room has lavish manis and pedis, with techs trained by celeb manicurist Jenni Draper (who\u2019s worked with Keira Knightley, Lupita Nyong\u2019o and Cate Blanchett). <\/p>\n Plus, keeping hands and feet healthy is more essential than people realize. \u201cWe pretty much take them for granted,\u201d Shula said. \u201cBut can you just imagine life without them? Pretty impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n They also offer waxing and brow tinting, hairstyling, and a barber (by Truefitt & Hill, which has served the British Royal family, Winston Churchill and Frank Sinatra) for cuts and shaves.<\/p>\n In addition to the caf\u00e9, Plant & Tonic, guests can get food delivered to them in relaxation rooms by spa butlers. Meraki Wellness\/John Athimaritis<\/p>\n Caf\u00e9<\/p>\n Healthy \u2014 but not boring \u2014 food is on the menu at their caf\u00e9, Plant & Tonic. Think build-your-own toasts and yogurts, colorful salads, lean protein, fresh juices \u2014\u00a0and even cocktails if you\u2019re in the mood.<\/p>\n Longevity <\/p>\n Something else that makes Meraki different from a traditional spa is that it\u2019s not just about relaxing \u2014 though make no mistake, you will be relaxed. But overall health and wellbeing are the ultimate goal.<\/p>\n That\u2019s why they also have a fitness room (outfitted with high-end Technogym equipment and a personal trainer) and offer longevity screenings.<\/p>\n In Greek, Meraki means putting love and soul into what you do \u2014 and Shula Clarke said \u201cthat isn\u2019t just our name, that is our philosophy.\u201d Meraki Wellness\/John Athimaritis<\/p>\n The screenings evaluate biomarkers like metabolic health, heart health, immunity and stress, and the results can be used to design programs to improve your metrics. <\/p>\n The idea is that being healthy isn\u2019t just about eating a good diet and working out, but also incorporating good recovery practices. That\u2019s certainly becoming a larger focus among those chasing longevity and healthspan, from New Yorkers dropping $100,000 a year on wellness clubs<\/a> to fitness fans installing saunas and cold plunges in their homes<\/a>.<\/p>\n For some lucky Grand Cayman residents, this is, actually, part of their homes: The spa is an amenity for residents of The Watermark next door, where homes have sold for up to $40 million. <\/p>\n But for everyone else, Meraki can be a special escape \u2014 one that was just a 4 hour flight on Cayman Airways away from New York City. And if you need to give yourself permission to indulge in a blissful spa day, you can rest easy that it is, truly, good for your health.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The New York Post almost lost me in May. 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