Suffering from post-pandemic anxiety? Try a sound bath in Phuket

Moments of calm and balance look different for everyone: a candle-lit bubble bath; a regular round of golf; weekly yin yoga; a long getaway to a tropical island for some sun, sea and sound therapy. That last one feels particularly tempting after a pandemic, doesn’t it?

Long before Hollywood celebrities brought it into the mainstream, sound bathing, aka sound healing or sound therapy, an ancient practice of meditation and healing, was well-documented throughout world history. About 40,000 years ago, Aboriginal Australians developed the didgeridoo, a vibrating wind instrument, for ceremonies and healing rituals. Ancient Greeks believed in the power of music to treat ailments, while ancient Tibetans formulated sound bathing as a meditative practice. Age-old yogic traditions, widely practiced today, apply chanting and instruments to open chakras, awaken consciousness, induce relaxation and stimulate healing. Examples abound, across cultures, continents and time, of sound being used to promote health and wellbeing.

The effects and benefits of sound therapy are well-documented, and both anecdotal evidence and studies published by the American National Institute of Health point to the positive effects produced by sound waves generated during sound baths. Without getting too technical, a sound bath involves immersion in resonating vibrations of sound. A typical session will have you lying flat on your back as instruments — such as Tibetan singing bowls, quartz crystal bowls, gongs, bells and handpans — are played, generating various sound wave frequencies, all of which have different effects on brain activity. Overall the goal is to allow the brain, and thus the body, to achieve a more relaxed state. The meditative effect has been shown to diffuse pain and impact the immune and inflammatory response. It’s also been shown to manage anxiety, stress, fatigue, insomnia, mood, blood pressure and a host of other somatic and psychological symptoms.

Over the past several years, sound bathing’s popularity has surged around the world, and in Phuket, a favorite leisure destination for its beaches and overall relaxing vibe, luxury wellness retreats have been quick to add sound bathing to their spa offerings. 

The Banyan Tree Veya Phuket, for instance, a 23-villa resort in Laguna, offers the Veya Wellness Experience, which includes complimentary sound bathing group classes, guided by a veteran practitioner (a private session for two costs THB 6,000).  “Highly resonant sound frequencies induce profound relaxation of both sides of the brain. You can feel the frequency of the sounds in the core of your body, as you relax into a deeply meditative state,” explains Kim Weller, the resort’s acting head of Spa and Wellbeing. “Relief from anxiety and stress on all levels, improved elimination of toxins from the body and better energy flow are among some of the many benefits of this healing modality.”

Over at the Rosewood Phuket, meanwhile, the resort’s Asaya Wellness Facility offers wellness experiences, against the backdrop of exquisite Emerald Bay. During their sound therapy, Tibetan singing bowls are placed on and around your body, allowing you to feel the sound vibrations, as well as hear them. A half-hour therapy starts from THB 2,850.

“For even 30 minutes, sound therapy can be transformative, if you are willing to let go of outside stresses and absorb the energy that surrounds you,” says Khun Nut, a wellness practitioner at the resort. “Guests have left this therapy with a sense of pure peace, feeling replenished in the mind, body and soul.”

Apart from the resorts, independent studios offer sound bathing experiences.  Jungala is a small studio in Rawai that offers hour-long Himalayan singing bowl healing (from THB350), chakra balancing and training courses. Purple Lotus Holistic Healing practices crystal bowl and handpan meditation at their studio in Cherngtalay (from THB700), as well as outdoor group classes at Phuket Nature Elephant Reserve in Thalang. 

For a sound bath on demand, Handpan Asia brings private sound healing to wherever you reside in Phuket. Seyfettin Eren, founder of Handpan Asia,“Handpans have been called the holy grail of sound therapy healing, largely due to their superb resonance and full sound, emanating in all directions.” A large hollow steel pan is placed on your body and played like a drum, creating soothing sounds and tension-easing vibrations. 

The thought of an hour in a sound bath, followed by a leisurely afternoon on a Phuket beach, sounds absolutely blissful.

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