A former Buddhist nun leads ‘the Sacred nap’ experience at this luxe retreat by one of the world’s best known hotel brands.BENJAMEN JUDD
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The Sacred Nap experience at Four Seasons Sayan in Ubud, Bali.
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5:00amJanuary 01, 2026.
Updated 6:27amJanuary 01, 2026
As the inflatable raft I’m sitting in drifts down Bali’s Ayung River, it’s almost impossible not to think of HBO’s knockout satire The White Lotus. The show has turned Four Seasons resorts into backdrops for modern fables on society’s flaws. Now I’m en route to one of them: Four Seasons Sayan, tucked away in Ubud’s emerald hills.
Fortunately, that’s where the similarities end. There are no strung-out heiresses or Sicilian standoffs here. Just two hours of gliding beneath a cathedral of vines, past the occasional fisherman and shrines puffing out incense. There are moments when the raft spins slightly, throwing me off balance before settling again. It’s a preview, perhaps, of my pending stay.
When the craft finally slides to a stop at the resort’s riverside pool, I’m greeted with cold towels and coconut water as the sound of gamelan echoes across the valley. A path winds up through lawn and rice gardens to the resort’s elliptical lotus pond bridge, which hovers in the sky like a giant halo. Designed in 1992 by architect John Heah, the structure resembles a rice bowl, or perhaps an offering, suspended above the river. From here, guests descend into the beating heart of the property: the Sacred River Spa.
Four Seasons Sayan in Ubud, Bali.
After an extensive renovation in late 2024, the facility’s new layout features seven private villas named after Balinese elements, each with hand-chiselled stone bathtubs and massage beds warmed by infrared heat. Treatments begin and end with the sound of quartz singing bowls tuned to 432Hz, said to align with the Earth’s natural frequency. Music, comprising Solfeggio frequencies layered with field recordings of the river, is calibrated to keep guests attuned to something soft and slow. Even skincare is “energised”, using Byron Bay-based beauty brand Synthesis, which promises products harmonised to hold more “life force”.
These details are central to the resort’s philosophy, says Luisa Anderson, regional spa director for Four Seasons. Apparently, there are few places in Bali where the invisible energies are as powerful as here in the Ayung River basin. If Sayan has a distinct mood, Anderson says, it’s because of these unseen forces, which in Balinese culture are called niskala.
“I don’t know if it’s as simple as the geography, the way the river curves around and what energy lines are underneath here. Apparently, there’s quite a lot. Or whether it’s the concentration of the prayers and ceremonies in this area of Bali.”
Villa at Four Seasons Sayan in Ubud, Bali.
On the first afternoon, I surrender to one of the signature experiences: the Sacred Nap. It is part guided meditation, part weightless dream created by Ibu Heny “Fera” Ferawati, a former Buddhist nun and now the resort’s wellness mentor. She observed how quickly and deeply her newborn slept when gently swayed in a sling-like fabric and adapted the concept for adults.
I’ve been told to prepare for one of the deepest sleeps of my life, swaddled and elevated in aerial silk in a bamboo pavilion overlooking the jungle as Ibu Fera recites the story of Buddha’s life. Once guests settle in and get comfortable, we’re misted with a custom-made aromatic spray of lavender and other soothing oils as Ibu Fera’s gentle, droning voice begins to carry us away. I don’t actually sleep, but the sound of gentle snoring suggests others have drifted off. I do feel immensely relaxed, however, and somehow lighter. When it’s time to return to the real world, Ibu Fera brings us back with a gentle chime on a gong.
Restu Bumi treatment at Four Seasons Sayan in Ubud, Bali.
The Sacred River Spa is not all lullabies and lucidity. One treatment offered is the Complete Body Alignment. Devised by the aptly named British osteopath Neil Hands, it involves a therapist working through the body’s layers, draining the lymphatic system, loosening tight joints and coaxing awareness back into muscles. Prepare to snap and pop like bubble wrap during an experience that ends with an almost ecstatic sense of tension relief.
The Ultimate Renewal session is the perfect blend of massage and mysticism. Once escorted to a private room by my masseuse, it begins with an aromatic infrared sauna detoxifying the body and lungs. This lasts for approximately 15 minutes, after which I shock the system with a cold shower, although that’s a personal preference rather than a requirement. Dried off, I’m ready for part two: a nutrient-rich hair and scalp elixir treatment followed by a deep-tissue massage and tuning-fork therapy, allegedly vibrating through muscle and marrow. The tools and temperatures shift throughout: hot stones, cool oils, low chimes, low light.
Sacred River Spa with dry float at Four Seasons Sayan in Ubud, Bali.
For those wanting to go deeper from a muscular and mindset perspective, there’s the signature Restu Bumi experience. I lie on a heated table while moss agate stones are swept down my spine in long, slow arcs, interspersed with the gentle smoking of local herbs. The oil is made from ginger, vetiver and cempaka flowers, blends that Anderson says “help bring the physical and energetic bodies back into alignment”. All are sourced and blended in Indonesia, a detail that Anderson says ensures they are of the best quality and reflect the surrounding landscape. This time, I do fall asleep.
What makes the Sacred River Spa distinct is that treatments are less about appearances and more about finding new ways to inhabit your body. “We’re not chasing Botox, but bliss,” Anderson jokes. “The whole theme of this spa is to help people return to themselves. We want them to go somewhere they’ve never been before. And I don’t mean physically; I mean within.”
Some offerings pander to vanity, too, such as the wonderfully named Holistic Buccal Lift and Sculpt Facial. Described as a non-surgical facelift, it promises to bring tone and brightness to the skin. Dining, too, is designed around the idea of energetic nourishment. At Ayung Terrace, dishes inspired by the Ayurvedic Sattvic ethos include jackfruit rendang and young coconut salad, prepared with ingredients selected not just for flavour but “vibrational” quality. Breakfasts are vibrant, rooted in local produce, while the seven-course dinner at Sokasi is a theatrical homage to forgotten Balinese recipes.
Lotus pond at Four Seasons Sayan in Ubud, Bali.
There is, as always, a risk of over-romanticising this kind of experience. Wellness has become a marketplace; energy a buzzword. But here in Sayan, among the bamboo and the bells and the warm hands of a healer, something about the ritual holds. Maybe it’s the smell of ylang ylang. Maybe it’s the river. Maybe it’s that, for once, I can actually feel a true stillness.
In the know
Four Seasons Sayan has one-bedroom villas from $2275 (plus taxes) a night for two, including breakfast. All spa treatments are extra. The Niskala Wellness Retreat (three-night minimum stay) from $1459 (plus taxes) a night for a one-bedroom duplex suite; includes daily breakfast for two, Restu Bumi treatment, chakra ceremony, private yoga, Sacred Nap and Pulih Batin treatment for two. All other spa treatments are extra. The option to kayak along Ayung River and check-in by raft is available only to guests transferring from Four Seasons Jimbaran Bay to Sayan.Benjamen Judd was a guest of Four Seasons Hotels and Resorts.
