Anecdotally, of the delicate nature of such readings as body fat percentage, Murphy recalls a time that the language barrier was such that her spa coordinator told her that she was “too fat.” As these readings are designed to inform subsequent conscriptions for lifestyle changes, there can also be an awkward moment if all of your readings come back in the desirable range. At a clinic in Switzerland, a staff member drew a blank with Murphy in all ranges but one. “Living between Maui and Colorado, I get a lot of sun,” she says, “and he said I had the skin of someone much older.” His recommendation? “Slugging,” she says. “He told me to slather a lot of vaseline on my face every night, and that that’s what he does.”
Yoga
Piper Ratliff (Sarah Catherine Hook) finds her morning assignment in yoga—alongside a middle-aged admirer one mat in front. Yoga is a staple of almost any wellness program, as low-impact, mindful exercise. If Murphy has one critique of the general approach, it’s the placement of guests of all experience levels in the same class: “Sometimes, I look at the people who have put themselves in the back and want to give them adjustments myself.” A favorite yoga program of hers is at Sensei Porcupine Creek, which boasted a contraption that resembled a wooden ladder that could be used to traction the body and correct posture for those of all skills.
Sensory deprivation station
Lochlan (Sam Nivola), the youngest member of the Ratliff clan, spends the start of his first full day at The White Lotus sealed within a sensory deprivation tank. Sensory deprivation tanks, enclosed pods filled halfway in water in which wellness seekers can float undisturbed, are used to treat stress and encourage deep sleep. While Yagoda has never ventured inside such a contraption—“too spooky”—Murphy is a fan, saying, “I actually find it very relaxing. As long as you aren’t claustrophobic, I recommend it.” Taking it a step further, Murphy also recommends jumping in a hyperbaric oxygen chamber whenever and wherever it’s available. She says, “At Six Senses Ibiza, I used it every day and it made me so relaxed. I slept so well every night.”
A gentleman’s facial
Chelsea and Rick are a couple in a relationship that’s very visibly defined by an age gap. Rick is older, and Chelsea tells him sternly, “Rick, the lady in the airport thought you were my dad, okay, you should get a gentleman’s facial.” The adoption of this terminology by many IRL spa illustrates the wider shift towards marketing more wellness offerings specifically towards men. And while men may generally have some different concerns that a facial can treat, namely shaving’s irritation of the skin, the treatments are much the same as the original counterpart, focusing on hydration, exfoliation, and extraction. This writer always goes for the signature facial despite being himself a gentleman, for example. Yagoda says, “This is funny because a bunch of marketing people got together in a room and were like, ‘Men aren’t spending enough money at the spa, we have to come up with a rebrand so men don’t think it’s effeminate to take care of their skin.’”
Stress management meditation
Chelsea follows this up by reading off the spa menu to Rick, “Stress management meditation with Dr. Amrita! Yeah, you need this, you need to sort your shit out. You’ve got issues.” This is the same Dr. Amrita who we see at the episode’s start, when the shots ring out. Meditation, of course, is widely celebrated for its stress-relieving, mind-clearing, sleep-aiding effects, and it’s not unusual for a spa to name it after one of these goals. Yagoda adds sound baths to the mix, saying, “Meditation, sound baths, all of that are amazing, and I’m so glad I’m seeing it more and more—it’s pretty much a given at any luxury property. In the past year, sound bath meditations [wherein soothing sound waves offer a touch of stimulation so that the mind doesn’t wander so easily] have surged in popularity, and it’s a much more standard offering, while previously it had been pretty fringe. At Hacienda AltaGracia in Costa Rica, I did a river bathing treatment that’s probably the highlight of my life.”
