Mind & Body
During fraught times, a new condo-hotel on Singer Island makes an unprecedentedโand wholly welcomeโcommitment to health
Mother Nature heals,โ says Shama Barot, co-founder of Amrit Ocean Resort & Residences on Singer Island, which is set open in early 2021. With a mission of healing in mind, Shama and her father Dilip are nothing if not ambitious: the two are making a bid to unveil one of the nationโs most innovative, comprehensive wellness retreats, with 182 residences (starting at $1.2 million) and 155 hotel rooms.
The Barots understand that setting comes first, and that being beside water can make people happier and healthier. โWe take full advantage of the seven acres, and our 300 linear feet of oceanfront,โ Shama says. โOn our beach, we have nine private, exclusive nooks for al fresco massage, a wonderful way to harness the curative powers of nature.โ
Reverence for the salubrious benefits of water flows into the manmade environment as well. Amritโs vast 100,000-square-foot spa holds Floridaโs only indoor/outdoor hydrotherapy stationโan impressive amenity, to be sure. โItโs a place where people can spend hours,โ Dilip says. โItโs an homage to this location.โ Featuring a lap pool, a Himalayan salt inhalation room, saunas, Arctic chill fountains, effusion showers, heat therapy, cryotherapy, and waterfall showers, the massive complex sprawls across 40,000 square feet. โWe also have 21 treatment rooms, including those equipped for Ashiatsu massage, Thai massage and body-scrub treatments,โ Shama says.
Launching at a time when self-care has become an obsession for many, Amrit combines Eastern philosophies and therapies with modern science to offer wellness-minded travelers and residents holistic, fully supported, goal-oriented stays. โWe are committed to helping people create a personal wellness system that they can take home,โ Dilip says. โPractice is what takes their stay to the the next level.โ
Under the guidance of a wellness coach, visitors set objectives from five core pillarsโsleep, nutrition, fitness, wellness and relaxationโin advance of their stay. โThey can select activities from more than 25 pages of programming, from yoga to meditation to stand-up paddleboarding to cooking classes, and we help them create customized itineraries,โ Shama explains. โWe formulate a roadmap for each guest to help them succeed, to achieve the milestones theyโve set.โ Two restaurants, one plant-based and the other inspired by local cuisine, fuel and inspire guests during their stay. โOur oceanfront demonstration kitchen presents subjects as diverse as Ayurveda and juice cleansing,โ Shama says.
Adherents of Chinese medicine and sound-and-light healing are also in luck at Amrit, and those desiring specialized expertise will find complimentary health practitioners, including osteopaths, naturopaths, and medical doctors. โEach individualโs wellness is addressed by the right expert,โ says Dilip, noting that a range of masters await to address every concern. Nothing is too esoteric: Amrit has even enlisted a medical scalp specialist to advise guests on healthy hair.
Naturally, thereโs an extensive daily yoga and meditation program, and it culminates with nightly setsang, a group yoga session that addresses mind, body and spirit: a reset event that prepares guests for the next dayโs activities. โโSetsangโ means โin the company of truthโ in Sanskrit,โ Dilip explains. โWe feel this sense of communityโour unofficial sixth pillarโis needed in todayโs world perhaps more than anything.โ
The end of the day, or the end of the stay, doesnโt mean the end of the experience: The Barats say that their team is so committed to ensuring that guests achieve their wellness goals that coaches will check in on guests for months afterwards. So when Shama calls Amrit โthe gift that keeps on giving,โ she isnโt being poeticโshe means something real. โฆ