A Reiki session or a spa day: who needs which one?
By Vanessa Chugani · Updated November 2026
A spa day suits a body that wants attention: tired muscles, dry skin, a few hours to switch off. A Reiki session suits something quieter: a mind that will not settle, a jaw that will not unclench, grief, or weeks of running on empty. One works with your skin and muscles. The other works with your nervous system.
A spa day and a Reiki session can look alike from the outside: you lie down, someone is quiet and attentive, you leave calmer than you arrived. The difference is what each one is actually working with. A massage, a facial or a sauna works on the body you can see and touch: muscles, skin, circulation. Reiki works with what sits underneath that, the nervous system that has been running hot for too long. Vanessa Chugani, a Reiki Master Teacher in Canggu, places her hands lightly while you stay fully clothed. Neither replaces a doctor. Below is where each one actually earns its place.
| a Reiki session | a spa day | |
|---|---|---|
| What happens | You lie down fully clothed. She rests her hands lightly on or near the body for as long as the session takes. | A therapist works directly on muscles and skin: massage strokes, facial treatments, sometimes a sauna or soak. |
| What it works with | The nervous system: stress, exhaustion, overwhelm, grief, anxiety. | The body's surface: tight muscles, dry skin, circulation, physical fatigue. |
| Best for | A jaw that will not unclench, a mind racing at 2am, grief, or weeks of running on empty. | Sore muscles after travel or sport, a day of pampering, or wanting to be looked after. |
| Setting | One to one, a quiet room in Canggu, or the same session at a distance. | Often a shared facility with several treatments and people moving through the same day. |
| How often | A single session, or a package of three or five, spaced out as you need. | Usually a one-off day, though some people build it into a regular routine. |
| Price | EUR 188 in person in Canggu, EUR 138 at a distance, with packages available. | Varies by venue. We cannot quote prices we do not charge ourselves. |
Which one suits you
A spa day is the right call more often than people admit. If you have just flown in and your back is locked from the flight, if you are on holiday with a friend and want a few hours of being looked after, or if what you actually want is a facial and a sauna, book the spa. It is built for exactly that and Reiki is not a substitute for it. A Reiki session suits something else: the weeks where sleep will not come properly, the grief that has nowhere to go, the overwhelm that sits in your chest and will not shift, the jaw and shoulders that stay tight no matter how many massages you book because what is holding them is not muscular. Reiki is for the tiredness that rest alone has not touched.
Related questions
Can I have a Reiki session on the same day as a spa treatment?
Yes. There is nothing about one that rules out the other. Some people book a massage for sore muscles and a Reiki session separately for the exhaustion or grief sitting underneath, either on the same trip or a few days apart.
Is a Reiki session as relaxing as a massage?
Many people say so, though it works differently. You stay fully clothed and she is not working on muscle tissue. What people report afterwards is often wider than relaxation: sleep that comes more easily, or feeling less alone with whatever they walked in carrying.
What should I choose if I only have time for one?
Ask what is actually tired. If it is your muscles or skin, choose the spa. If it is your mind, your sleep, or something harder to name that has been running hot for a long time, a Reiki session is built for that.