Inside the New Luxury Wellness Destination: Meraki Wellness
The Hydrotherapy Odyssey room at Meraki Wellness.
Meraki Wellness is preparing to open its doors on Grand Cayman’s Seven Mile Beach as one of the Caribbean’s most ambitious standalone wellness destinations, a 16,000 square foot retreat built entirely around integrative spa, hydrotherapy and grooming rituals rather than hotel rooms or resort amenities. Positioned as a day destination for both locals and travellers, it signals how far the region’s wellness offering has moved beyond traditional resort spas toward fully fledged health and beauty hubs.
Founded by Peter and Shula Clarke, Meraki takes its name from the Greek word that describes pouring soul, creativity and love into what you do. That philosophy runs through the project’s architecture and service concept, from the building’s sweeping half circle form to a treatment menu that pairs high touch therapies with bio tech devices and performance skincare. Designed by RAD Architects, the space has been conceived as a continuous journey rather than a series of disconnected rooms, encouraging guests to flow between thermal, treatment, grooming and café areas without losing the sense of calm. Interiors lean on handcrafted tiles, warm woods and gold detailing, with a mineral pool rendered in tonal greens as the visual anchor of the relaxation lounge.
At the core of the experience sits the Hydrotherapy Odyssey, billed as the most comprehensive thermal circuit in the Caribbean. The journey takes guests through seven experiential zones, including a panoramic sauna, Aquamoon and rain showers, aromatic caldarium, frigidarium, tepidarium and a dedicated snow room, creating a hot and cold rhythm designed to stimulate circulation, reduce inflammation and support muscular recovery. The entire facility has been engineered with ultra pure air filtration, underlining the project’s positioning at the intersection of spa culture and wellness technology.
A mineral pool under a complex pergola design.
Treatment wise, Meraki is clearly targeting the global wellness traveller who expects their massage to sit comfortably alongside medi grade devices. Eight suites are set up for face and body protocols that combine brands such as Natura Bissé and Seed to Skin with devices including EMFACE and the LYMA Laser, allowing for firming, contouring and collagen stimulation within a spa led setting. Alongside this hardware heavy approach sits a programme of intuitive massage and bodywork that leans into energy, restoration and nervous system support, giving therapists the scope to customise sessions far beyond a standard menu.
Beauty is treated as an integral pillar rather than an add on. The Butterfly Room focuses on specialist hand and foot rituals with brands such as Bastien Gonzalez and Personaility UK, aligning nail and foot care with the broader language of luxury wellness rather than traditional nail bar culture. For grooming, The Gentleman’s Barber has been created in partnership with heritage barbers Truefitt & Hill, importing the Mayfair institution’s rituals to the Caribbean and positioning barbering as a slow, considered experience within the wider spa journey.
The Meraki Wellness Hammam.
Beyond treatment rooms, the wellness narrative continues into retail and nutrition. A boutique emporium curates fashion, accessories and fragrance from names including IBELIV, KUU Jewelry, Frescobol Carioca and Edeniste, whose active wellness fragrances are formulated with a neuroscience led approach to mood and emotion. Plant & Tonic, the on site flexitarian café, extends the focus on longevity into food, combining locally sourced ingredients with WelleCo’s plant based supplements, the brand founded by Elle Macpherson. Menus are designed to sit comfortably after a thermal circuit or facial, avoiding the disconnect that can occur when spa cuisine feels like an afterthought.
Meraki is opening with both memberships and day access, aiming to function as a weekly ritual for Cayman residents and a high impact half day or full day destination for visitors who want more than a standard resort spa visit. According to the team, the project’s mission is framed around “Happier, Healthier People. Happier, Healthier Planet”, with sustainability considerations built into design and operations rather than treated as a marketing add on.
