The Pearl Spa and Wellness at Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach has partnered with We Love Art to create Meditation in Colour, a unique experience designed to both promote mental well-being and unleash one’s inner creative spirit.
Words by Katherine Volk
It was clear to me as I approached the driveway that the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach promised a luxurious experience. Located on the ground floor of the hotel and inspired by Dubai’s ancient pearling industry, The Pearl Spa and Wellness is an intimate oasis offering a unique atmosphere in which to relax and rejuvenate. With an extensive list of treatments that cater to every need, guests can go beyond the physical body to nurture both the inner and outer self.
Recently partnering with the Dubai-based We Love Art, the spa provides an exclusive experience, Meditation in Colour, and emphasizes wellness and mindfulness through the power of art and meditation. We Love Art was founded in 2013, by Denise Schmitz, to make art accessible to everyone and for Christelle Besnier, Senior Spa Director, Four Seasons UAE, the partnership was the perfect match. “The collaboration with We Love Art at The Pearl Spa and Wellness is a unique way to promote mental wellness through art and meditation,” Besnier explains. “Creativity and self-expression are akin to the mind’s breathing process, and we have found an immersive, calming and engaging way to help guests nourish their inner creativity. Bringing this to our guests truly helps their quality of life and may open them up to being receptive to new creative passions.” Schmitz adds that “by combining We Love Art’s accessible painting experiences with the expertise of The Pearl Spa and Wellness on mindfulness, visualization and relaxation meditation, the sessions will leave guests feeling tranquil, grounded and ultimately happy.”
With the weather hotting up as the notorious Dubai summer approaches, the class was moved inside to the spa’s luxurious and tranquil indoor pool. As Schmitz explains, “The sessions immerse guests into the emancipating world of meditation before allowing them to unleash their abstract creativity on canvas, all under the guidance of experienced artists. The session was led by one of the spa’s professionals, who calmly talked us through the process, allowing us to release our thoughts and calm our mind. The sounds of birds chirping were piped through the speakers (in the winter they would be real ones in the spa’s garden area!), and with the busy buzz outside of urban life in fast-paced Dubai, the serenity of the experience was deeply welcome.
With our mediation session concluded, we were guided to easels set up by the pool. First-timers and the less artistically inclined are always warmly welcomed and helpfully encouraged. With We Love Art, everyone can paint a masterpiece! Absolutely all skill levels are welcome and our artists will tailor their approach accordingly,’ says Schmitz. “For those already with painting skills, they have the freedom to either follow our guidance or explore their own interpretations and feelings to create something special” Paints in black, white and various primary colors were on hand and Schmitz presented different options on how we could approach the canvas – I opted for the guided experience and was met with a step-by-step technique that gave me the confidence to approach a blank canvas but still allowed room for my individual creativity to shine.
With calm sweeps of the brush, a painting began to emerge on my canvas and the colors I had visualized during the meditation started to reveal themselves. The more I let go of my thinking, the freer the colors flowed. As Schmitz shares, “I have seen it thousands of times where first-time painters are perhaps shy or nervous about painting, but then very quickly overcome such feelings to feel confident and thereafter enter the ‘meditation phase of creation. It is this increased awareness, whilst putting fresh paint on a blank canvas and accepting feelings and movements without judgment on the outcome, that leads to relaxation of body and mind and ultimately to wellness.”
As our session was coming to a natural conclusion, we let the paint dry and sipped on fresh wellness drinks from the spa’s menu. We were then presented with the final touch: sheets of gold leaf that we could use to really bring our brand-new works of art to the next level. As an added bonus you get to take your canvas with you, and I know mine will definitely hang at home as a token of a memorable experience and a reminder to embrace your inner creativity and release your mind every once in a while.
Dates for future sessions of Meditation in Colour (Indoors) will be announced shortly. The event can also be booked privately through The Pearl Spa and Wellness at Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach
