Lemongrass enfolds you upon entering the Oasia Resort Sentosa. It permeates all the green feature walls, dark wood and marble furnishings.
Even the tan sofas and moss-fringed mirrors emanate a gingery tang. As does its welcome drink, a citrusy custom-blend tea.
Botanical motifs abound, etched out, underfoot and overlaid, to remind you the look it is going for is spa chic.
This is, after all, Far East Hospitality's first foray into the resort and spa category, with 191 rooms and suites spread across a conserved colonial building and a six-storey annexe.
Alas, it does not quite live up to its Como Shambhala aspirations - you know, that almost effortless, insouciant eco luxury vibe - but how it tries.
Mainly, the issues it struggles with are legacy ones - as it works within the confines of the structure it inherited from Le Meridien Sentosa, which ceased operations in October last year. After a year-long pandemic overhaul, Oasia opened its doors in September this year.
Its high-ceilinged rooms are partitioned somewhat awkwardly, in trying to live with the old infrastructure.
Some common complaints: The styling needs an update, the linens feel scratchy, there are no bedside USB charging ports and the bedroom is muggy without the fan on.
Some of the timings of its complimentary classes for guests, such as 7am sunrise qigong and 7 to 8pm high-intensity interval training, are punitive - 6am wake-up call on vacay? And how do the Intermittent Fasting set it seeks fit in such a late dinner?
There are redeeming qualities, of course, chief of which are the hotel's collaborations with small local artisanal producers.
In-room complimentary snacks are thoughtfully procured - nuts from gluten-free bakery The Whole Kitchen, herbaceous drinks from wellness beverage company Asmara, loose-leaf teas from home-grown Pryce Tea, which also holds tea appreciation classes.
Instead of mineral water, the hotel filters its own and stocks the fridges with reusable glass bottles.
For breakfast, the barramundi oat congee, made with low GI wholegrain oats and locally farmed fish, is a winner.
The resident Bedrock Origin restaurant has a seafood-infused menu which steers away from the meaty fare at its popular sister outlet, Bedrock Bar & Grill, at the Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Orchard. It has tails of Kuhlbarra barramundi and slabs of turbot hanging alongside aged beef in its drying cabinet.
Worth a shout-out are the generously portioned three-course set lunches starting at $38 you can enjoy out on the terrace, amid roaming peacocks and birds of paradise foliage.
For diversion, the hotel offers free classes on scrub and balm-making, earnestly taught by its spa personnel, where you and the kids get to stir, scent and spoon out potions in little jars to take home.
Soon, it will roll out hand-sanitiser and candle-making sessions too. There are also weekend urban farming sessions by Grobrix, which had us seriously considering growing our own vegetables vertically indoors.
The highlight of the rooms is a peanut-shaped bathtub which fills up in a jiffy, where you can tip in a dish of dried orange and lavender bath salts.
At turn-down service, the gift left on the bed is a housemade calm balm, infused with the Oasia blend of essential oils, no doubt to reignite scent memories long after you leave the hotel.
A handy tip: If you hope to sample the signature Oasia Spa detox bamboo massage, make sure to book well in advance. It is currently booked out weeks ahead.
The complimentary classes for guests also fill up fast and seem to follow "island time", which means they start only when most of the sign-ups drift in.
The hotel has a new Palawan wing opening later this month. Some suites will have in-room jacuzzis, which is worth anticipating.
It also boasts locational advantages, being situated next to the Imbiah monorail station and a few minutes' walk from the main Resorts World Sentosa shopping and dining strip leading up to Universal Studios Singapore.
Unfortunately, there is just too much excitement at its doorstep to divert you away from the 24-hour gym, 22.5m infinity pool and guided meditation sessions.
As such, it might be shaping up to be less of a bootcamp destination than a spa-plus Sentosa experience that families can layer on top of a theme-park weekend, offering snatches of self-care in the middle of the action.
But whether or not your family achieves its wellness goals here, one thing is for sure. After all the scrub concoctions, salt baths and balms left on your bed at night, you will leave with baby-soft skin.
OASIA RESORT SENTOSA
WHERE: 23 Beach View, Palawan Ridge, Sentosa
ROOMS: 191
RATES: Deluxe rooms start at $380++ a night
INFO: oasiahotels.com/en/deals/Wellness-Signature
