I was checking my mail while waking up in the fluffy bed in my beach villa at Hurawalhi Maldives when the news came that Hurawalhi had won Romantic Hotel/Resort of the Year at the AsiaSpa Awards in Hong Kong the previous night.

As a long-time judge for these annual regional awards, I‘d been invited to the awards party in Hong Kong but had told them I’d be in Maldives that week. So it was a happy coincidence to hear the good news while I was there. And yes, I totally agree with the accolade!

This gorgeous island resort really is a fabulous romantic destination, starting with the views of turquoise blue sea combined with one-of-a-kind experiences like the amazing 5.8 underwater restaurant and the private sandbank island where guests can have picnics, private dining, and weddings in the middle of the ocean.

One of the must-do offerings here is the resort’s Duniye Spa, perched over crystal clear water with outdoor balconies looking onto the horizon.   The resort’s private sand bank gleams white in the distance and the sea shimmers in graduating shades of blue as far as the eye can see.

I was lucky to have time for two spa treatments during my stay. The first was the 90-minute Heaven on Earth Signature Treatment, starting with a revitalizing foot therapy treatment, and a facial, followed by a sound healing session with Tibetan singing bowls.  I’m no stranger to sound healing or Tibetan singing bowls, and was happy to find this unique, beautiful therapy out here in the middle of nowhere on this remote island in the Maldives.

Sound healing works on the body the same way a tuning fork tunes musical instruments. Our bodies vibrate with energy and when we are ill, stressed or depressed our energy and therefore our body’s vibes are lowered.

Tibetan singing bowls create powerful, high frequency vibrations which can in turn raise your body’s vibrations,  thus changing your energy and making you feel uplifted, relaxed, and more balanced mentally and emotionally.

As the therapist circled me with a singing bowl, while another bowl hummed on my abdomen, I could feel the vibrations resonate on my body. And since I love all things Himalayan, I always find the hum of Tibetan bowls deeply soothing.

We were invited to a special spa lunch in the Tree Top Tranquility Lounge above the spa lobby.   Expecting a light “spa meal”, we were pleasantly surprised by the four-course feast of big heaping dishes that kept arriving, and we rolled out of there extremely well fed.

The next day I had the two-hour Maldivian Island Paradise Signature Treatment, with a freshly ground coconut-vanilla body polish to smooth dry skin, followed by a coconut hair mask and Indian head massage using warm rosemary-infused coconut oil. As a herbal remedy, Rosemary is known for its healing powers to stimulate mental clarity.

This head massage was my favourite part of the treatment. The warm oil and scalp massage was so relaxing that I dozed off and didn’t wake up till the end of the treatment. Later that day I noticed a new life to my hair, which now hung down in smooth, gleaming sheet.  Whoa! It never looked like this at home!

For the rest of my stay I let my hair down and amused myself tossing it back and forth, watching it swish around like a shiny curtain. This is a great treatment to moisturize and rejuvenate the hair after the beating it gets from the all the sun and sea water during snorkeling.

Duniye Spa looks unassuming with its raw wood surfaces and unfussy décor, but spa-goers will discover that the simplicity allows the focus to be on the important stuff – the stunning scenery and the spa treatments.

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Have you had a sound healing session before? How was your experience?