A clean passport of health

The world of men's wellness is booming, but can be a scary place for the uninitiated. The best solution is a holiday health spa, preferably in the sun

- Mark Hedges

IT was the best of times, it was the worst of times. What the Dickens was I doing at a health spa? What seemed improbable at best became inexorable when I married Rachel last year. In contrast to me, Mrs Hedges has an exemplary lifestyle—my children joke that she will live to be 150—and is a connoisseur of all things mindful, body and spirit.

I think taking her fishing for our honeymoon may have influenced the reason that I found myself at Chiva-Som in Thailand, where she had been five years ago. The last time I had been to Thailand was 28 years before that and much of Bangkok has changed out of all recognition. There is a newish airport, ever more skyscrapers and giant flyovers that criss-cross the metropolis. One thing, however, hasn’t changed, the Mandarin Oriental Hotel. It remains sublime, an oasis of calm that has set the standard as one of the greatest hotels in the world. Dinner on the balcony by the bustling Chao Phraya River brings together all the skills of this great culinary nation. My favourite place to eat was on the far bank opposite the hotel, to which its staff delivered us after a short ferry ride and where the hotel chefs produced the finest Thai meal I have ever tasted.

Conversely, Chiva-Som was uncharted territory. I had no idea what to expect and was frankly nervous as we sat and discussed with the staff our current health and habits. Mine felt like a confession, but nobody raised an eyebrow. Below, pods of koi carp lounged in the water as we sipped tea. The fish helped, but I don’t like tea.