A Complete Review Of Phuket Cleanse - Thailand's Leading Wellness Retreat
No words can describe how magical Phuket Cleanse is. If you’ve been watching my stories throughout my 10-day stay at Phuket Cleanse, there’s no doubt that you too felt that magic through your phone screens. I will try my best to explain what makes this place so very special, although I don’t think I’ll be able to do it justice. It’s one of those places that you just have to experience for yourself!
Less than an hour from Phuket airport, tucked away on a private property with 18 rooms, lies this little slice of heaven on earth. Run by the hands-on owners Stanton and Melanie, Phuket Cleanse is an all-inclusive wellness retreat that offers a plethora of activities including strength training, Muay Thai, kick boxing cardio, beach boot camp, TRX, HIIT, circuits, functional fitness, body weight classes, power walking, hiking, swimming, aqua aerobics, several types of yoga such as aerial, hot and yin, flexibility sessions and Pilates. And that’s just the fitness part. Phuket Cleanse also has a big focus on mindset, breath work, self development, education and recovery work, so there’s meditation classes, cooking courses, recovery sessions, 4x weekly massages, goal setting sessions and much more on offer. In fact, they have the most all-inclusive offerings of any health and wellness retreat in all of Asia. There are no “hidden” expenses and the price you pay includes everything you could possibly want or need during your stay.
If you are after a relaxing holiday by the pool, then Phuket Cleanse is probably not for you. I mean, you could just chill by the pool if you wanted to as all classes are voluntary and you can design your own schedule as you please, but trust me, you will get FOMO because the schedule is too good to pass on.
Here’s a breakdown of a typical day at Phuket Cleanse
6am - Big Buddha Hike
7:30am - Breakfast
10am - Muay Thai Cardio
11:15am - Ice Bath + Steam Room
12pm - Lunch
1pm - Breathing 101 Workshop
2:15pm - Strength Workout
3:30pm - Talk: Emotional Resilience
5:30pm - Sunset Beach Chillout
6:30pm - Dinner
8pm - In-Room Massage
9:30 - Sleep
Doesn’t that sound dreamy? Personally, I loved having the ability to set my own schedule and just go with the flow with how I’m feeling each day. As you can imagine, I jam-packed my schedule for the most part and did at least two or three workouts per day, but I did have a couple more relaxing days where I “only” did stretchy yoga classes, long recovery ice baths, booked in for an additional facial or massage and was in bed by 9pm. When I first came to Phuket Cleanse in 2015, I only came for 5 days and didn’t feel like I had enough time to incorporate a chill day, but since I stayed longer this time I didn’t mind having some more quit days.
Another thing that I love about the schedule is that you are bound to find activities that you have never done before. This trip, I made a point to push myself out of my comfort zone and try a variety of things that I wouldn’t normally do or struggle with. This meant I did a dancing class (I suck at dancing!), I joined morning a Tai Chi class and I did lot of swimming (something that I’ve always struggled with). The swimming especially pushed me out of my comfort zone, as I’ve never been particularly good at this. And so I joined one of the swim classes, added an extra private swim class with Aoife and even went for a 1 ½ km sunrise ocean swim, which is the longest I’ve ever swam in my life! Regardless of where you are in your health, wellness and fitness journey, you will hands down experience something new and challenging at Phuket Cleanse.
Apart from the weekly schedule which is all in-inclusive, there is also a host of additional treatments, coaching sessions and other services that you can book in at an additional cost. Have a look here if you’re interested to find out more, the list is extensive.
Some personal schedule favourites of mine included:
Sunrise Big Buddha hike - There’s just something so magical about waking up before everyone else and starting the day with a workout. You can take it easy and chit chat with people on your way up and then take the truck back down, or if you’re crazy like me you can endeavour to run the 4km up and down.
Strength workout with Eric - Eric is an incredible strength coach with vast knowledge where you are bound to learn a thing or two about your squat, deadlift or bench press technique. I’ve been doing strength training for years, and yet I learnt so many new things about my body and technique in his classes.
Muay Thai class - If you’re after a really authentic Muay Thai class, look no further. The teachers don’t speak a word of English and you just have to go along with the flow as they push you to your limits. Be prepared to sweat like you never have before.
5 senses meditation experience - This is one of the best meditation I have ever done. It’s a 1 ½ hour long meditation that happens once a week after dinner, and includes sound, smell, touch, sight and even taste. As you are lying down supported with cushions, props and blankets, there are people massaging you, walking around with lavender or palo santo and creating beautiful sounds with Tibetan singing bowls and other instruments. Feel free to follow along the visualisations or simply doze off after some time.
Deep stretch yoga class - Phuket Cleanse has a variety of slow yoga classes such as Yin, Ariel Yin and Hippy Deep Stretch. With all the intense workouts you’ll be doing, you definitely don’t want to be skipping this.
Sunrise ocean swim - I think this has got to be one of my all-time favourite activities. Soft pastel coloured skies, calm water, nobody at the beach, just you and the ocean. The swim back and forth at Naiharn beach is about 1 ½ km’s, and you can take plenty of breaks if you need to.
HIIT & Breathwork class - As you know I’m a sucker for all type of HIIT workouts. I especially appreciated this class for it’s combination of intense workout with focus on one’s breathing technique.
4 x weekly massages - Need I say more?
Daily ice baths and steam room - I did it every single day, either solo or in company with someone to distract myself from the cold.
As a side note: If you are keen to explore the island during your stay, you will also have the chance to go on several local excursions, boat trips and night markets. I didn’t do any of these this time around, but they sure are lovely to explore.
Food
Phuket Cleanse sure knows how to celebrate good food. Whilst the food is incredibly healthy, I promise you that your taste buds won’t be disappointed and that your body will love you for it. The menu is organic, sustainably sourced and mostly plant-based, with the option to have eggs and fish if you like. On a typical day, breakfast includes an assortment of fresh juices, organic eggs, chia pudding and a serving of tropical fruits. On some days there even is buckwheat protein pancakes! Lunch and dinner is served buffet style, and themed according to different cuisines - Thai style, Indian inspired, Mediterranean etc. There’s even Taco Tuesday. Throughout the day, you always have the option to have additional juices and protein smoothies to up your protein consumption and stay hydrated. One thing is for sure - you’ll be eating something new every single day and surely won’t get bored of what’s on offer.
On weekends, all solids are removed in replacement of delicious soups, juices, wellness shots and teas. Don’t panic though - if you absolutely don’t want to, you can continue eating solids and make the detox-ers jealous with your delicious meals. I personally love a good liquid cleanse and always gain so much energy and clarity from it, so I loved these weekend cleanses.
I think it’s important to point that the kitchen staff is incredibly accommodating and will do their best to tailor to your specific needs. You can literally walk into the kitchen any time throughout the day and just have a chat to the team there. If you ask nicely, they will even give you the recipe for dishes that you took a particular liking to. You can also learn how to make the food at home in the numerous cooking classes that Phuket Cleanse has on offer.
Lastly, the highlight of meal time is that everyone sits together at one long communal table. As the retreat is small and there’s only ever 30 or so people at a time, meals are a great opportunity to get to know your fellow retreaters. The people you get to meet at Phuket Cleanse is what makes this place so special, which brings me to my next point…
People
The moment I arrived at Phuket Cleanse, I was welcomed with open arms and lavished with smiles from all the staff and all the other guests. One thing you have to know about PC is that it’s super communal - you eat together, work out together, meditate together, share personal stories, and maybe even cry together (I did, numerous times) - so don’t expect an exclusive and lush getaway with lots of solo time. Despite the age differences (approx 18 to 65), different walks of life, varying fitness levels and individual health goals, the group creates a real comradery that is unparalleled and makes this place so special. A lot of people also come to work on their mental health rather than their physical health, and the schedule, staff and guests at PC make this retreat the perfect place for deep inner work and emotional healing.
As I came by myself this time around, I spent a lot of time with the other guests and as such met some incredibly people. If you are thinking of coming here solo, I honestly can’t recommend it highly enough. In fact, I think there’s more people that come by themselves than with others.
Lastly, I think the biggest testament for Phuket Cleanse is the sheer amount of people that are repeat guests. I’ve met people that have been 3, 4, 5 and even over 10 times. Stanton was telling me that during the peak season, almost 90% of guests are repeat customers! If that doesn’t speak for itself…
On a personal level, I felt like I truly reconnected with myself during this trip and felt so refreshed, energised, inspired and realigned. This is honestly the best I have felt all of 2019. I can’t thank everyone enough - Mel and Stanton, the entire PC staff and all the incredibly inspiring people that I had the chance to meet - for this truly incredible trip. You taught me more than you know.