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“Let me know if it gets to be too much,” the therapist at Capella Singapore’s Auriga Spa said as she ground a copper gua sha tool into my muscles. She scraped my skin with firm, painful strokes, and then moved on to cupping, placing glass suction cups across my back and shoulders.
Despite the dim lighting and gentle music, I was nowhere near a state of Zen. But total relaxation isn’t the point of the New Moon Massage (around $270 for 90 minutes). After long trips, travelers are increasingly opting not to be pampered, but instead to have the jet lag beat out of them with intense, even painful spa treatments that aim to shock your body into equilibrium by increasing blood flow and stretching out tight muscles.
It’s widely understood that there’s still no such thing as a one-and-done jet-lag cure. But after my massage, I felt light and pliable, if also tired and sore. I slept a full night and adjusted to the new time zone faster than on previous trips. Ahead, more treatments that might make a major time change a little more tolerable.
Deep-tissue work
At the TIA Wellness Resort in Da Nang, Vietnam, general manager Ramon Imper steers travelers toward the Deep Tissue Leg Recovery (included in a stay at the resort). Over the course of 50 minutes, therapists focus on alleviating tension and fatigue in the legs and feet, which often feel the brunt of a long flight. The Four Seasons Hotel Bangkok at Chao Phraya River offers its own version, which uses bamboo rollers to get even deeper into the tissue (around $180 for 90 minutes).
Ashley Katzenback, a Massachusetts-based physical therapist, says not to expect that one massage will have you feeling yourself after an 18-hour flight. But by increasing blood flow, reducing muscle stiffness and increasing serotonin, a hard massage can take on “some components of travel fatigue,” Katzenback said.
Cupping and gua sha
Adherents swear by cupping therapy as a way to manage muscle pain and detoxify, but more spas are touting it as the ideal postflight treatment. At the Four Seasons Bangkok, targeted jet-lag treatments like cupping were introduced in response to guest feedback—“particularly around the physical impact of long-haul travel and the need to feel ‘well’ quickly upon arrival,” said Saowapa “Goy” Thumapun, its spa director.
Often, like in my treatment in Singapore, cupping is paired with gua sha, creating a push and pull on the skin. Jorge Hernandez, director of spa and wellness at Capella Singapore, said the techniques trigger blood flow, support the lymphatic system and calm the nervous system—all helpful in the battle against jet lag.
Katzenback said the airy feeling I had leaving my treatment was likely linked to temporary changes in fluid distribution, which can “make people feel less swollen or heavy, especially after travel.”
Thai massage
Those new to Thai massage, popular not just in Thailand but around Southeast Asia, may be surprised by all of the stretching involved. Over the course of an hour or so, you may be asked to sit up or stand as the therapist uses their hands, elbows, knees and even feet to move your body through a series of stretches to unlock joints and reduce tension.
This works wonders for Jordan Ashley, the founder of Souljourn Yoga Foundation, who took advantage of Bangkok’s late-night spa culture when she was making frequent trips there for work. Ashley said that a Thai massage, which in Thailand can go for just $10 or $15 an hour at some places, is her favorite postflight ritual. “The floor mat stretches act like assisted yoga, which is incredible for restoring joint mobility after a long haul.”
At an island resort such as Anantara Koh Yao Yai, a 90-minute Thai massage costs around $175, and comes with all the bells and whistles of luxury experience. For some, that premium is worth it if only for how much quicker you can be back in your hotel room, enjoying a good night’s sleep.
