Robb Report Singapore September 2022

WHAT IS THE future of health? With the number of maladies seeming to grow exponentially since the onset of the pandemic, getting well and feeling good may take more than a daily apple and a yearly check-up. In this issue of Robb Report Singapore, we offer the gamut of health and wellness solutions, culled from an intrepid group of contributors who have done the heavy lifting of actually undergoing the treatments. At Switzerland’s Chenot Palace Weggis, Adam Graham gets hosed down in the name of wellness as part of the Chenot Method (Is This The Future Of Health, page 34). This pressurised blast of water, which carries enough force that it hurts, is designed to stimulate the body’s meridians, helping to excrete metabolic waste and toxins, repair defective tissues and restore…

Geared For Take-off When Rimowa’s Original Pilot made its debut in 1994, it quickly proved to be a hot favourite among pilots, who liked how they could rest it neatly between their seats in the cockpit. Since then, the case has accrued a cult following, no doubt owing to its unique opening mechanism, which mimics the way a classic pilot case opens from the top – almost like a toolbox. Referencing its iconic predecessor, the updated Original Pilot Silver – available in stores from the fourth quarter of 2022 – continues to be a stylish, functional solution to the modern traveller’s needs. It sports the same grooved aluminium exterior – albeit sleeker and with a clearer sense of poise – and is equipped with Rimowa’s patented Multiwheel system and a telescopic…

WE’VE BECOME ACCUSTOMED to seeing them on the road. You know, the ‘riders’. Wannabe Miguel Induráins (sorry, Lance, you blew it) wedged into heaving uniforms of fluorescent Grand Tour-branded Lycra, their, ahem, masculinity tokens protruding with all the elegance of a vacuum-packed pallet of bananas. But even so, there’s something about cycling that remains a bit, well, off. And it’s in the gear. Not just in those silly shoes, surely the world’s most dangerous footwear. Not even ski boots have the power to morph a person into a fleshy-carbon-fibre hybrid like cycling shoes. No, it’s in the way cycling gear is transcending its original purpose – that is, to be used by bicyclists for bicycling. Since when did it become acceptable to traipse into the office or a cafe still clad in cycling…

PROMOTING SUSTAINABILITY IS not only a noble move, but a highly lucrative one. Datuk (Dr) Vinod Sekhar would know. The chairman and chief executive of Petra Group, a conglomerate that spans manufacturing, agriculture, media and more, is a big advocate for social capitalism. He believes that profit and societal concerns should go hand in hand, which is exactly the fuel Petra Group runs on. As the founder of the eponymous Vinod Sekhar Foundation – which aims to alleviate poverty and support the indigenous and disabled – he details how one can do good for both your business and community, and why he plays life chess and not checkers. What is it like to be you? It depends on who ‘me’ is. If you’re a legend in your own mind, and you believe…

Afternoon Swimming by David Hockney Bidding commences on 13 September through Phillips in London Part of a tantalising auction of rare-to-market works by the celebrated British artist David Hockney, Afternoon Swimming (with a top estimate of £400,000) from 1979 exemplifies his lifelong innovation and experimentation. This iconic swimming pool composition, which displays the artist’s skill with lithography, illustrates Hockney’s constantly evolving technique and the depths of his fascination with exploring how art is perceived and produced. It is one of three Hockney paintings to come from South African collectors Andrew and Sandy Ovenstone – the owners of the last remaining private Cape Dutch homestead, Stellenberg, in Cape Town. A Black and White Spaniel Pointing by George Stubbs Auctioned by Bonhams in London for £252,300 Once considered a lost work of the English painter George Stubbs,…

The European Detox I’m covered in green mud and standing semi-naked in the hose-down room. A bespectacled attendant in white Crocs sprays me with a jet of water powerful enough to put out a fierce fire. Bridget’s not just rinsing me off. This procedure is designed to stimulate my body’s meridians, like an acupuncture session, but the pressure is so high it hurts. It’s only day two of my week-long detox (from US$8,300 per person) and my patience is already waning. Perhaps my hunger-induced headache is making me paranoid. Maybe the smell of vegetal mud mingling with the barky earthiness of the dandelion-root tea still on my breath is causing hallucinations. Whatever it is, I think I see a glimmer of schadenfreude in Bridget’s eyes. Though at times I feel as if I’ve…