editorial

Words by Daven Wu December 15, 2024
From oxygen pods to cryochambers, this downtown wellness club is a haven for recuperation.
<figure id="attachment_142315" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-142315" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-142315 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Rekoop-Singapore-1.jpg" alt="A view of the social lounge at Rekoop." width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Rekoop-Singapore-1.jpg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Rekoop-Singapore-1-300x200.jpg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Rekoop-Singapore-1-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Rekoop-Singapore-1-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-142315" class="wp-caption-text">A view of the social lounge at Rekoop. (All photos courtesy of Rekoop)</figcaption></figure>
These days, throw a stone in Asia and chances are it will hit a spa. In the past couple of years, though, a new breed has stealthily made its way onto the radar of spa junkies, its MO a canny combination of rejuvenating therapies and cutting-edge wellness technology.
Few salons, however, have been quite as comprehensive in their treatment menus or as sleekly designed as <a href="https://www.rekoop.asia/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Rekoop</a>, a sprawling haven that debuted earlier this year in the midst of Singapore’s bustling central business district. The soigné mood-lit decor of creamy hues, warm timber, and cool stone—courtesy of local studio Elliot James Interiors—doesn’t prepare you for the arsenal of high-tech equipment that awaits behind diaphanous drapes and 10 austere treatment rooms. Think oxygen therapy pods that promise to reverse ageing and boost energy; inflatable suits that mitigate fluid retention; infrared saunas that detox and relieve stress; and subzero cryo chambers that reduce inflamed and sore muscles.
For former Hungarian gymnast Diana Kraemer, Rekoop’s co-founder and wellness director, the salon fills a gap in the local wellness market. “I saw a real need for a place dedicated to advanced recovery, a place that offers a personalized approach to health, similar to what professional athletes have access to.”
Which might explain the city suits and buff sports people that stream (and sometimes, limp) through Rekoop, each forking over a not-insubstantial sum, first for energized frequency water and biohacking drinks before settling in for a quick lunchtime hit of medical-grade red-light facial therapy, or an ice bath and breathing session. The latter, Kraemer says, is particularly popular with stressed-out execs before a high-stakes presentation, though today’s urban explorer will no doubt appreciate the reset as well.
<figure id="attachment_142316" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-142316" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-142316 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/Rekoop-Singapore-2.jpg" alt="Cutting-edge oxygen hydroxy therapy chambers at the wellness club." width="1200" height="800" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-142316" class="wp-caption-text">Cutting-edge oxygen hydroxy therapy chambers at the wellness club.</figcaption></figure>
<figure id="attachment_141405" aria-describedby="caption-attachment-141405" style="width: 1200px" class="wp-caption aligncenter"><img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="wp-image-141405 size-full" src="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/REKOOP.jpg" alt="A breathing session precedes turns in Rekoop’s revitalizing ice bath. " width="1200" height="800" srcset="https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/REKOOP.jpg 1200w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/REKOOP-300x200.jpg 300w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/REKOOP-1024x683.jpg 1024w, https://staging.destinasian.com/wp-content/uploads/REKOOP-768x512.jpg 768w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1200px) 100vw, 1200px" /><figcaption id="caption-attachment-141405" class="wp-caption-text">A breathing session precedes turns in Rekoop’s revitalizing ice bath.</figcaption></figure>
This article originally appeared in the <a href="https://subscription.destinasian.com/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">December 2024/February 2025</a> print issue of DestinAsian magazine (“Ready, Reset, Go”).

A breathing session precedes turns in Rekoop’s revitalizing ice bath.

Rekoop: Where Athletes and Execs Recover in Singapore