The Burj Al Arab can be a little intimidating; it is not so much the heightened security or sheer indulgence, it has more to do with the clientele. A visit to the hotel requires one to traverse around the gaggle of super-rich Russian and Chinese tourists taking time to “experience” Dubai.
The spa in the hotel is a concentrated experience of the lobby – there is the indisputable luxury, plumped up with Botox and fillers. It is not a place to just relax, it is a place to be seen to relax.
The hotel’s Talise Spa is located on the 18th floor, 150 metres above sea level offering stunning views of the Arabian Gulf. The decor befits the overall extravagance of the seven-star hotel with deep green and red marble and plush chairs. Guests are greeted with raspberry and ginger water, then led down corridors that house individual treatment rooms. No one speaks here, they just whisper.
Before the treatment, guests are required to fill in a form that requests expectations, problem areas and the aim of their visit.
The changing room is communal, but with individual stalls and showers for those less comfortable with public changing. With each locker comes a candle, a pair of slippers and a bathrobe, and disposable underwear.
Besides the array of massages and treatments, the spa offers two experiences – a romantic moonlit swim and an “Arabian Journey”. As a solo attendee, I opted for the latter, designed to relax and revitalise the body – perfect after a gruelling week of conferences.
It is an 85-minute journey, infusing elements from the region that included a verbena-scented sand scrub followed by a patchouli and argan oil full-body massage.
The treatment begins with a foot wash, which for me is always a troubling affair. The practice seems out of place in the modern day world and belongs to the subservience of the Roman era.
But I stayed quiet, convincing myself it ensures customers have clean, nice-smelling feet before the masseuse ploughs away with a foot massage.
Once on the massage table, the amber aromatherapy and sandy body scrub begins.
The scrub is not abrasive, it is enough to exfoliate and soften the skin. It does, however, get everywhere and the shower at the end comes as a great relief.
After that is the massage – one of the best thought-out and attentive I have had in Dubai. It leaves you so relaxed you need to be helped to the relaxation room to sip fruit juice and eat dates to wake up again.
q&a indulgence in total luxury
Gopal Kumar, director of spa and retail at Burj Al Arab, reveals more about the spa offerings for executives to Triska Hamid.
How does the spa cater to busy execs?
Our spa not only provides treatments but rather an experience to each guest. Each guest can use the lavish spa facilities including steam, sauna and Jacuzzi plus our indoor infinity pool. Guests are also welcome to wind down in our relaxation room while enjoying healthy refreshment. Our spa treatments are carefully hand-picked to suit each individual, whether for a guest who has plenty of time to enjoy the spa for the whole day or a busy executive with limited time who is looking to totally unwind in a couple of hours.
Which treatments are most popular?
For those looking to thoroughly enjoy and unwind in a short time, our Four Hands Abhyanga experience is very popular, where two highly-trained synchronised therapists work on the guest for 55 minutes using luxury Ayurvedic oils to stimulate the flow of life force energy.
How do you compete with other spas in Dubai?
The moment you arrive at Burj Al Arab’s Talise Spa, you are welcomed with luxury and space that only Burj Al Arab can offer. The state-of-the-art facilities exclusively created for male and female along with two separate world-famous infinity pools overlooking the magnificent Arabian Gulf and coastline sets us apart from any spa in the UAE and Dubai.
thamid@thenational.ae
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Which honey takes your fancy?
Al Ghaf Honey
The Al Ghaf tree is a local desert tree which bears the harsh summers with drought and high temperatures. From the rich flowers, bees that pollinate this tree can produce delicious red colour honey in June and July each year
Sidr Honey
The Sidr tree is an evergreen tree with long and strong forked branches. The blossom from this tree is called Yabyab, which provides rich food for bees to produce honey in October and November. This honey is the most expensive, but tastiest
Samar Honey
The Samar tree trunk, leaves and blossom contains Barm which is the secret of healing. You can enjoy the best types of honey from this tree every year in May and June. It is an historical witness to the life of the Emirati nation which represents the harsh desert and mountain environments
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
Results
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Ms Yang's top tips for parents new to the UAE
- Join parent networks
- Look beyond school fees
- Keep an open mind
The biog
Favourite film: Motorcycle Dairies, Monsieur Hulot’s Holiday, Kagemusha
Favourite book: One Hundred Years of Solitude
Holiday destination: Sri Lanka
First car: VW Golf
Proudest achievement: Building Robotics Labs at Khalifa University and King’s College London, Daughters
Driverless cars or drones: Driverless Cars
Living in...
This article is part of a guide on where to live in the UAE. Our reporters will profile some of the country’s most desirable districts, provide an estimate of rental prices and introduce you to some of the residents who call each area home.
The Word for Woman is Wilderness
Abi Andrews, Serpent’s Tail
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Ashraf Ghani 50.64 per cent
Abdullah Abdullah 39.52 per cent
Gulbuddin Hekmatyar 3.85 per cent
Rahmatullah Nabil 1.8 per cent
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
How Islam's view of posthumous transplant surgery changed
Transplants from the deceased have been carried out in hospitals across the globe for decades, but in some countries in the Middle East, including the UAE, the practise was banned until relatively recently.
Opinion has been divided as to whether organ donations from a deceased person is permissible in Islam.
The body is viewed as sacred, during and after death, thus prohibiting cremation and tattoos.
One school of thought viewed the removal of organs after death as equally impermissible.
That view has largely changed, and among scholars and indeed many in society, to be seen as permissible to save another life.
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
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Key developments in maritime dispute
2000: Israel withdraws from Lebanon after nearly 30 years without an officially demarcated border. The UN establishes the Blue Line to act as the frontier.
2007: Lebanon and Cyprus define their respective exclusive economic zones to facilitate oil and gas exploration. Israel uses this to define its EEZ with Cyprus
2011: Lebanon disputes Israeli-proposed line and submits documents to UN showing different EEZ. Cyprus offers to mediate without much progress.
2018: Lebanon signs first offshore oil and gas licencing deal with consortium of France’s Total, Italy’s Eni and Russia’s Novatek.
2018-2019: US seeks to mediate between Israel and Lebanon to prevent clashes over oil and gas resources.
Mina Cup winners
Under 12 – Minerva Academy
Under 14 – Unam Pumas
Under 16 – Fursan Hispania
Under 18 – Madenat
Monster
Directed by: Anthony Mandler
Starring: Kelvin Harrison Jr., John David Washington
3/5
Our legal consultant
Name: Dr Hassan Mohsen Elhais
Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.
