Counterintuitive. How else would you describe a wildly relaxing spa treatment that entails plunking on a headset blaring discordant screechiness and lying on a heated daybed that shakes like an earthquake?
But such is the wonder of the VEMI — one of the many high-tech adventures awaiting guests of the new sleep retreat at Carillon Miami Wellness Resort. The four-night “Sleep Well Retreat” — available for both singles (from $3,428) and couples (from $4,028) blends Carillon’s state-of-the-art “Touchless” treatments with the chance to slumber on the resort’s new Bryte Balance Smart Beds.
Installed in each of the property’s luxury, one-bedroom accommodations, the beds offer an array of bells and whistles, including a Somnify synchronized sound and motion setting that allows you to chill-out to the rumbles of rolling thunder or floating chimes while the mattress undulates beneath you; constant micro-adjustments to your movement during sleep; a “silent wake assist” function that beats the daylights out of a jarring iPhone alarm; and an extensive data download delivered to your email inbox each day.
According to Tammy Pahel, Carillon’s vice president of spa and wellness operations, the resort tested the Balance Smart Beds in a handful of rooms for about a year and a half before diving in. “We got great feedback,” she says. “Anyone who stayed in a room with the beds was like, ‘Oh my god, this is amazing.’”
In addition to full access to the property’s oceanfront, 10,000-square-foot gym, more than 75 group fitness classes and expansive thermal hydrotherapy circuit, the sleep retreat package includes a daily healthy breakfast and lunch. There’s also a 50-minute Pro Sleep Body Treatment by the beloved spa skin-care brand Comfort Zone, which weaves together essential oils and a bespoke “tranquility” soundtrack, with ayurvedic- and Indonesian-inspired body brushing.
From there, it’s time to select four Touchless treatments. While the resort recommends that guests choose from the Sleep Well Touchless Circuit, they can also opt for other Touchless protocols, including Relaxation and Stress, and Recovery and Pain Management.
Within the Sleep Well treatment lineup, there’s the BioCharger NG, akin to a charging station that a guest sits next to, receiving pulsed waves of electromagnetic, electrodynamic and photonic energy; the Somadome, a pioneering technology-enabled meditation pod that combines color, sound and energy therapies; and the SpaWave, which blends vibrational and sound therapies to reduce stress, improve concentration and boost one’s mood.
And then there’s that VEMI sensory-overload experience…
An abbreviation for the vibroacoustic, electromagnetic and infrared technology coursing through the platform during the 30-minute treatment, the VEMI uses healing sound resonance paired with full-body vibrations and natural Earth frequencies to generate a deep meditative state, which the company claims also helps to rid the body of toxins.
Hopping on that daybed with a skeptical and thoroughly stress-fried mind, I just gave into all that rocking and rolling, heat and sonic dissonance. After it was over, I felt fantastic.
“We’re surrounded by technology, and I mean harmful stuff, like cell towers and our computers, that are giving us frequencies,” says Pahel. “I’m always around that, so that’s why I do the VEMI — plus it relaxes you.”
Does it ever.
