A breeze tousles my hair, the sun warming my body as I walk across a bridge over the clear cerulean water sparkling in the sunlight. A peaceful quiet surrounds me, and I feel the tension of everyday life and long travel days slip away. My mind and body are already relaxed as I walk into Amingiri Spa’s open-air reception area at Hilton Maldives Amingiri Resort & Spa. After checking in, I follow my dedicated spa attendant over another bridge and into the overwater bungalow in which I will enjoy my treatment.

Rather than using a changing or locker room commonly found in spas around the world, I avail myself of the private spa bungalow facilities exclusively mine during my treatment, including a private shower and open-air treatment room that seemingly flows out into the Indian Ocean. As the therapist begins the Ancient Healing Massage, I see a glass window in the floor beneath the face rest and catch a glimpse of a fish swimming by. My eyes flutter closed, my body, mind and spirit sinking deeper into relaxation.

Before I know it, my treatment is finished and I am invited to continue my bliss in the spa’s lounge area, another open-air space with uninterrupted views of the ocean as it reaches toward the horizon. I welcome the warm breeze again and sip my tea, pondering the easiest way to send for my husband and our miniature schnauzer and make a new home here in the Maldives, or, more realistically, arrange my next treatment. I make an appointment for the spa’s hammam ritual before retreating back to my opulent overwater pool villa to keep the post-massage zen vibes going.

Amingiri Spa extends its health and wellness offerings beyond the treatment villas with sunrise yoga sessions, bath rituals performed in the privacy of guests’ villas, and holistic practitioners from around the world such as acupuncturists and wellness coaches sharing their expertise. A 24-hour fitness center is also available for those who have extra energy to burn.

Back at the spa, a new sleep wellness menu launches this month, including a 90-minute Hammam Evening Ritual available 7–9 p.m. It features a traditional deep exfoliation with black soap and a kessa glove, a soothing massage in a cloud of foam, and an application of argan oil. Guests who opt for the 75-minute Under the Skye treatment, available 7–8:30 p.m., choose one of the spa’s signature massages for a customized evening of relaxation. Enchanted Night’s three-step treatment includes a warm foot soak, balancing massage and facial cleansing followed by a cup of Sleep Tea. Warm Evenings is a two-step treatment that includes a warm foot soak in orange blossom water and a hot stone full-body massage ending with a cup of Cleanse Tea. Moonlight Relief, another two-step treatment, offers a warm foot soak and deep-tissue massage utilizing a muscle balm blended with the guest’s preferred aromatherapy, followed by a cup of Cleanse Tea.

© Amangiri Spa

The new sleep wellness menu also offers an in-villa option, Rest & Relaxation, available 6:30–8 p.m. Thirty-minute Rest options include a selection of gentle massages, personalized stretching and sleep-inducing facials, while the 15-minute Relaxation options include guided meditations, yoga for better sleep, and breathwork to quiet the mind and relax the body.

Encompassing its own tropical island in the North Malé Atoll, an easy 20-minute luxury speedboat ride from Malé-Velana International Airport, Hilton Maldives Amingiri Resort & Spa promotes an ethos of health, wellness and sustainability. In addition to the spa’s offerings, each villa is outfitted with two bicycles on which to ride around the island, which is completely walkable, too. An on-site dive center can coordinate snorkeling and scuba diving outings, both of which make for soothing underwater meditations.

Culinary highlights at Hilton Maldives Amingiri Resort & Spa include multinational vegan and vegetarian options at its eight restaurants, bars and lounges. These include Origin, the overwater fine-dining spot under the Maldivian night sky, and Sip Tea Lounge, celebrating tea cultures from around the world and serving tea-based cocktails and sparkling teas, too.

The resort invites guests to take a sustainable cocktail mixology course or attend a kombucha workshop in the property’s Aura Cocktail Lab, the first of its kind in the Maldives. The kombucha workshop also highlights the resort’s sustainability efforts, minimizing food waste by fermenting would-be-discarded fruit peels and rinds and turning them into healthy, refreshing drinks perfect for sipping at Amingiri Spa.