SANGHA Retreat is a fully immersive health and wellness sanctuary in Suzhou, China.

Located in China’s historically rich city of Suzhou, which is approximately an hour and a half from Shanghai, SANGHA Retreat is a state-of-the-art, fully immersive health and wellness sanctuary that combines Eastern wisdom with the finest methods and technological advances of Western science.

OCTAVE Institute is a platform designed to help people find harmony, clarity, and a new level of consciousness and freedom. It consists of SANGHA Retreat; The VILLAGE, a live-work-learn community for executive retreats, conferences, and more; The LIVING ROOM, an urban support center in Shanghai; and AITIA, which powers the communal programs at OCTAVE Institute.

The 47-acre retreat is situated on a serene peninsula that overlooks Yangcheng Lake, and offers overnight accommodation in luxurious and modern suites and villas. Each stay at SANGHA Retreat includes full access to the onsite THOUGHT FOR FOOD Restaurant and THOUGHT FOR FOOD Market, a 7,500-square-foot dining, shopping, and experiential event space inspired by the world’s most acclaimed international markets and eateries.

Guests also receive access to the Fitness Center, as well as use of AT ONE Healing Spa’s indoor pool and the heated outdoor aquatonic therapy pool and sauna. The AT ONE Clinic is home to a team of physicians, nutritionists, life coaches, and other wellness experts as part of a customized wellness plan, which is developed to determine each guest’s optimal diet, treatments, and activities. Guests can participate in one-on-one consultations, in-depth educational sessions, informal workshops, and more to aid them on their holistic wellness journey.

For those seeking additional relaxation and self-care, AT ONE Healing Spa is the ultimate sanctuary that combines natural elements such as water, light, heat, and sound with state-of-the-art wellness technology to optimize mind, body, and spiritual balance. The menu features a variety of beauty and body treatments, along with traditional therapies designed to restore and rejuvenate.

We spoke with Fred Tsao, Founder of SANGHA Retreat by OCTAVE Institute, who shared insider tips, favorite spa treatments, and more.

AT ONE Spa’s swimming and hydrothermal pool.

Why You’ll Love It: The 65,000-square-foot AT ONE Healing Spa optimizes mind, body, and spiritual balance through treatments designed to restore and rejuvenate. Natural elements such as water, light, heat, sound, and energy are combined with state-of-the-art wellness technology to provide a holistic healing experience. The design is at once welcoming, luxurious, and understated—perfectly arranged to inspire harmony and relaxation. Explore the exquisite menu of beauty treatments, massages, scrubs, wraps, and traditional therapies, as well as the tempting array of facilities on offer.

Key Features: We offer world-class spa facilities, including a Rhassoul clay chamber, traditional Hammam, Watsu water therapy, flotation pool, infrared sauna, cold plunge pool, ice fountain, Himalayan salt cave, and a tropical shower. Highlights include:

Himalayan Salt Cave. The positive effects of a maritime climate, especially that of the Dead Sea, have long been medically proven to promote healing. Ionized air stabilizes and regenerates your body, helping to restore inner balance. Internal organs perform better, resulting in more efficient cell metabolism and energy production. Helps to clear the lungs, improve breathing, reduce inflammation and allergies such as hay fever, treat asthmatic conditions, plus many skin problems from eczema to psoriasis.
Flotation Pool Therapy. For an ultimate relaxation experience, float in a purpose-designed private pool that is a natural therapy for managing stress, deepening meditation, and self-awareness, relaxing and exploring the mind. Therapy through the release of essential endorphins and neurochemicals, the benefits of this healing environment include relieving chronic physical pain, reducing anxiety, regenerating energy, and improving focus. This has become popular with subliminal programming in fitness and sports virtual training, as well as those who seek to overcome negative conditioning through positive affirmation, enhancing self-confidence, and performance.
Cold Plunge Pools. Plunge pools are best used after a hot bath or sauna to invigorate and support the detox process. Boosts circulation and overall energy, bringing blood to the brain and skin’s surface, creating a revitalizing sense of relaxation. Make sure you get your head and shoulders under the water for maximum benefit.

Snacks Served: We serve three different kind of Ayurvedic tea, and we make our own seasonal spa dessert created by our traditional Chinese medicine doctor.

Bonus: AT ONE Healing Spa is more than a spa. Our professional nutritionist, psychologist, and Ayurvedic therapy doctor are providing full function well-being to our guests.

Insider’s Tip: Try the Natura Bissé Oxygen Bubble Pure Air Treatment. This facial service is offered in the world’s first 99.995% pure oxygen spa space. The pure air maximizes deep penetration of the skin, which firms and remodels with contouring techniques. It uses three types of collagen for triple density and a heating gel that stimulates microcirculation. 20 minutes in the ‘Bubble’ is equivalent to eight hours of sleep.

Signature Treatment: The Wu Xin (5 Elements) Massage. Traditional Chinese wisdom states that our body is composed by the five elements—water, fire, earth, wood, and gold—and each element runs through a different energy channel. Through circular thumb pressure in ascending and descending motion, we will help to stimulate all channels. Depending on the season, one of those five tends to be blocked and will be primarily addressed to balance your whole body and energy level.

Splurge/Unique Treatment: The Sound Healing Meditation. Our sound healing instructor and aromatherapist work together to provide a unique and memorable spa journey for our guests. It’s a unique spa treatment to find your inner peace. The 360° arch design of the natural crystal meditation dome pools all energy into your body. Sound healing therapy with the traditional aroma massage treatment makes immersive mindfulness meditation and helps you release stress from the inside out.

Guests can also enjoy a relaxing sound healing meditation in the sound healing dome.

Featured Products: Universally recognized for ground-breaking technology in results-driven skincare and world-class spa treatments, Natura Bissé embodies the artisan craft of true luxury.

8 by Octave is our own brand of spa products. These unique 8 by Octave oils are blended with organic ingredients with pure essential oils and enriching base oils. They are aligned with the eight Trigrams of the I Ching (The Book of Changes) in character, purpose, and name. The knowledge and use of classical aromatherapy is the bedrock of these restorative blends. These aromatherapy oil remedies will reflect the energy of those Trigrams to help create therapeutic changes to redress the balance in body, mind, and spirit.

For more information, visit the website and follow them on Instagram: @sangharetreatbyoctaveinstitute

[Images courtesy of SANGHA Retreat]