Santosa Detox & Wellness Center

The yoga classes were my favourite part, but the whole week of detox at Santosa felt blissful. The team made it a wonderful wellness and rejuvenation experience, and I felt well looked after. I’d recommend it and would love to come back.

I’m glad I picked this place for healing and health. The vegan meals were amazing and seemed to offer lots of health benefits, while the staff and coaches were loving, welcoming, and knowledgeable. Everything was well organized, the service was top-notch, and I felt cared for throughout. I especially liked the massage I had on 10 May, and the complimentary colema was a nice touch. They also kindly let me check out at my own pace around my return schedule. This place is a gem, and I’ll be back :)

Even a month after leaving, I’m still feeling the benefits of my three-day fast at Santosa. By following the post-fast protocol, I lost 6 kg over the Christmas period without depriving myself, and it was easier than I expected. I’m already looking forward to returning for a seven-day challenge. The retreat was exactly what I wanted for a break focused on my well-being. I arrived late, but everything was easy to organize and the welcome was very warm. My suite surprised me with its size, lovely view, lots of storage, and little kitchen. It felt like a peaceful oasis. On arrival, they explained the protocols carefully, answered all my questions, and made everything feel clear and enjoyable. The staff paid attention to my well-being and progress, and seemed trained to support a healthy, supervised weight-loss program. A couple of things could make it even better. I’d have liked scooter rental on site, since the retreat is up a very steep hill and walking gets unpleasant in Thailand’s heat. More yoga would have been nice too, with full 1-hour-20-minute classes morning and evening. There are already at least three group activities a day alongside treatments, though, which is a lot. Thanks to everyone at this great place.

The Santosa team became like family during my 15-day stay. I even came back after ten days of diving in the South of Thailand for one more day of that energy, a final massage, and a colema with my new healthy family. Would I return even knowing there are other centres by the beach? Absolutely. The quality of care is worth it, and I loved my time there. I arrived skeptical about doing a detox retreat in Phuket, since I usually choose quieter parts of Thailand. I booked ten days, then extended to fifteen on the full fast program. I felt energetic most of the time and went to all the classes, plus my own daily hour of ballet fitness. I also booked five acro yoga and sound healing classes, which were amazing. The hilltop location has a beautiful sea and sunset view. It’s a short 30-minute walk, though a few minutes of the route down are steep, and the return is uphill. By the end, my weight, energy, and how I felt and looked had improved so much that I felt like I’d found myself again. The full fast was structured so well that I never felt hungry over those 15 days, and I looked forward to every class. My energy dipped only on days 6 and 15; a teaspoon of chlorofill helped both times. I think the cleanse drinks, young coconut water, supplements, and morning shot gave my body what it needed to work through its own health journey. I didn’t even have the evening broth until day 15, and breaking the fast felt just right. My stomach felt happy and full. I loved the colemas, which felt like a gentle inside massage for the bowels. The garlic colema from day 4 was a particular favourite. My weight dropped, and 15 days after breaking the fast, I had regained glycogen while keeping a lean shape. From day 10 my eyes had a special light. I put that down to the liver cleansing process, including the two liver cleanse treatments I had during my two weeks of detox, and the shine stayed. Nearly 20 days after the fast, I was naturally eating mostly vegan with just two exceptions and no effort. I’ve also found my nightly wine habit easing, which makes me happy. The daily schedule is full, and I ended up loving all the classes. As a certified personal trainer and fitness instructor, I thought Stas was easily the best yoga and acro yoga instructor I’ve had, and I trusted him completely. Sergey was excellent at strength training, and I enjoyed every session. Muay Thai surprised me, I’d never thought it was my thing, but I had a great time learning and practicing. Zumba isn’t my favourite, but I kept an open mind and enjoyed the group classes. Fit-ball and Pilates were great too, even with a substitute instructor. One massage a day was bliss and essential after all that activity, and the Wednesday masseuse was fantastic. I was sure I wouldn’t get into the ice baths, but after a proper steam bath I loved them, a lot. There’s a large open-air fitness space and a great mirrored dance studio. Santosa is a wellness centre, but the nearby accommodation is about 160m away. The rooms are really good, though a little noisy because they’re close to the main road. Turning on the AC at night minimized the noise. I also made really good friends there, and I’m grateful to have found myself again and gained healthy new friends.