From Traditional Chinese medicine to Indian Ayurveda, many Asian wellness practices date back thousands of years. Combine those, passed down through generations, with a booming medi-spa tourism industry and you have a continent globally renowned for its outstanding health retreats.

Luxurious properties such as Chiva Som in Thailand and COMO Shambhala in Bali regularly feature among lists of the world’s best spas and attract a slew of celebrity guests. They have price tags to match, but there are less well-known alternatives with very similar offerings – at a fraction of the price.

This is never going to be the cheapest type of holiday, and obviously if you’re travelling from the UK you’ll have to factor in flight costs – but if you want to experience that White Lotus-style wellness for less, this is how. From meditation retreats to nature-based escapes, here’s our pick of the most affordable spa and health retreats in Asia.

These all offer at least three meals a day, group and individual activities plus spa treatments. As this kind of holiday is usually taken as solo travel, prices are based on single occupancy, but if you’re willing to share with a friend the rates drop even further.

The original

Chiva Som, Hua Hin, Thailand