According to island legend, to nurture the body, relax the mind and rejuvenate the spirit, one must go to the water. In keeping with this proverb, Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea brings its award-winning spa services seaside – within three authentically constructed, open-air hale hau. Hale are traditional open-air thatched-roof houses, built with posts and thatch sticks and tied with cord instead of nails and screws. At the Resort, they’re nestled among naupaka hedges, allowing Spa guests to enjoy the soothing sounds of ocean waves, the fragrance of tropical foliage and the spectacular views of Wailea Beach.

Often described as “the best place in the world to have a massage,” singles and couples can unwind with traditional native Hawaiian spa treatments in the remarkably comfortable and sturdy thatched structures. Traditionally, the wooden posts and thatch would have come from hau wood, but today the structure is formed with ohi’a wood from forests on the Island of Hawaii. The thatching used for the roofing is loulu, which is an indigenous palm.

Francis Sinenci, a Hana local and one of the few authentic master hale architects and builders in the world, was commissioned by the Resort to engineer the construction of these unique stand-alone tropical huts that serve as the perfect rustic setting for the Spa’s unique Hawaiian treatments.

In ancient Hawaii, the concept of disease did not exist. Illness was a sign of being out of alignment with ha, or the breath of life. Today, Hawaiian practitioners continue to use the ancient healing techniques passed down through generations to realign ha. The Spa’s hale menu offers signature treatments, many based on Hawaiian legends and traditions, including the Hawaiian ceremonial Lomi Lomi and Lomi pohaku (stone massage) treatments.

View special value room packages at Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea

View special value wedding packages at Four Seasons Resort Maui at Wailea