Taking the concept of spas to a new level is Sangha Retreat, which has recently added to its immersive offering and is launching to an international traveller. Found in the historic garden city of Suzhou, China, west of Shanghai, it looks set to cause a frisson of excitement – or at least a nod of holistic approval – in the wellness industry and beyond. It is the first of its kind by the OCTAVE Institute, which was founded by international business leader, Frederick Chavalit Tsao.
The Octave Institute is a platform to help people find harmony and clarity in life, and its first retreat was conceived by Tsao, whose own inward journey of conscious awakening led him to “create a space for societal healing with the intention of fostering harmonious communities”. What does this actually mean in reality? In short, it is a 47-acre space which goes beyond the normal spa offering – from the At One clinic, offering Chinese and Western medical therapies, to The Village, an interactive learning community. Open to families, individuals and friends – the ethos here is that all are welcome – there’s also a collection of Sangha Villas made up of 108 private residences.
While it initially quietly opened its doors in 2017, Tsao has spent the last two years finessing the offering and the retreat now offers an international team of doctors and wellness experts; an expansive healing spa, with a 12-stage hydrothermal circuit; movement studios and gym; a sound healing dome; a restaurant serving customized menus, featuring local, organic products; and a complete village to host quantum leadership retreats.
Talking of which, the international launch coincides with Tsao’s first book Quantum Leadership: New Consciousness in Business, due to be published this July. In the title, he articulates Sangha Retreat’s ethos as applied to the world of business. “By unleashing creativity, individuals, communities and businesses can begin to solve today’s problems and challenges in a truly sustainable way,” he maintains.
Inspired by the Sanskrit word for ‘community’, Sangha Retreat, says Tsao, aims to be a pioneer of ‘conscious living’. Offering more than conventional spa and wellness concepts, it promises to be a visionary environment where travellers can have the opportunity to seek self-clarity, find harmony, and achieve a new level of consciousness within and beyond their hectic day-to-day lives.
Having collaborated with his brother, renowned architect Calvin Tsao of New York-based Tsao & McKown, the understated design of the retreat also aims to reconnect guests to themselves and to nature, enhancing mental and emotional well-being. Situated on a serene peninsula, 30 minutes from downtown Suzhou and 90 minutes west of Shanghai, Sangha Retreat has an elegant aesthetic of low-rise buildings, using local stone, natural and reclaimed materials, alongside gardens and water elements.
“I created Sangha Retreat because we only have one thing – life – and we are so far from it,” says Tsao. “We focus on everything but life. We are so caught up in ‘Who am I’ that we forget that ‘What am I’ is more important.
“Sangha Retreat is an awakening to wisdom, a shift in consciousness. When you change yourself, you change the way you see the world. When we see ourselves as one – connected and part of the natural world rather than separate from it – we become aware of how our actions affect all life on earth,” says Fred.
“Mindfulness quiets the mind and expands our consciousness so we are aware of the truth of our experience. We grow in personal power, clean up our traumas and trapped emotions from the past, and discover our gifts and purpose in life. That's what we are about.”
