Floating Sound Bath at Mandarin Oriental Emirates Palace in Abu Dhabi
In January, an intimate yet high-impact floating sound bath took place at the iconic Mandarin Oriental Emirates Palace, bringing together a curated group of media and wellness leaders for an immersive evening focused on nervous system regulation, stress relief, and deep restoration.
Hosted in collaboration with Beyond Wellness and created as the official launch event for Kayan Festival — the largest wellness festival in the Middle East — the experience set the tone for what the Kayan movement represents: conscious living, preventative wellness, and evidence-based practices that respond to modern burnout.
A New Standard for Sound Healing in Abu Dhabi
As dusk settled over the palace, guests were guided onto the water, floating effortlessly as the pool transformed into a resonant field of sound. In water, vibration travels faster and with greater efficiency than through air — allowing frequency to move through the entire body, not just the ears. The pool itself became an amplifier, carrying sound through surface, muscle, and breath.
This was not a traditional sound bath. It was a precisely designed sensory experience, created for high-performing minds and nervous systems that rarely switch off. The journey unfolded through a carefully curated orchestration of instruments: crystal alchemy bowls and Tibetan singing bowls to establish harmonic balance; deep, grounding gongs to anchor attention and regulate the nervous system; koshi chimes and flow chimes to introduce lightness and spatial awareness; an ocean drum and crystal tuning fork to introduce rhythm and coherence; and subtle shamanic elements used sparingly to support energetic clarity.
Throughout the experience, Letizia Silvestri guided guests with a calm, hypnotic voice — using slow cadence and precise language to draw attention inward, quiet mental activity, and support a natural transition into stillness. Sound and vibration did the rest, allowing the body to settle without force or instruction. By the end of the journey, the pool held a shared stillness — a collective exhale. In a world driven by output and acceleration, this floating sound bath offered something increasingly rare: deep restoration without escape, delivered through science-led sound, intention, and restraint
The Official Launch of Kayan Festival
As the official opening of Kayan Festival, the evening functioned as more than an event — it was a statement. Rather than spectacle or scale, the focus was precision: a single hour, a contained group, and a carefully structured sound journey.
Hosting the launch at Mandarin Oriental Emirates Palace reinforced the positioning of sound healing not as an alternative practice, but as a contemporary wellness modality that belongs within the world’s most refined hospitality settings.
The atmosphere of focus and stillness carried through the space long after the session ended. For guests, it offered a rare pause within an otherwise fast-moving social and professional landscape. For collaborators and partners, it served as a reference point — a clear example of how wellness experiences can be elevated through restraint, intention, and thoughtful design. Rather than a press conference or panel discussion, the launch of Kayan Festival was embodied — felt through the body, the breath, and the nervous system.
Looking Ahead
Kayan Festival takes place February 6–7–8 in Abu Dhabi, bringing together wellness, movement, longevity, and conscious leadership. On February 8, Letizia Silvestri will lead a Meditative Sound Bath as part of the official festival programming.
At the heart of the launch experience was ALTHA, founded by Letizia Silvestri, whose work blends sound therapy, clinical hypnotherapy, and multi-instrumental sound healing into carefully designed experiences for luxury hospitality, corporate environments, and private clients.
What’s Next
A series of floating and non-floating sound baths led by ALTHA will be announced soon in Abu Dhabi.
To be the first to receive dates and priority access:
Join the ALTHA WhatsApp community, or
Subscribe to the mailing list for upcoming sessions and private invitations.
Frequently Asked Questions
-
A. A floating sound bath is a sound healing experience where participants rest on water-based mats, allowing sound vibrations to travel through both air and water for deeper nervous system regulation.
-
A. Yes. Sound baths are widely used for stress management, burnout prevention, and executive wellbeing, especially in tech, luxury, and wellness-focused organizations.
-
A. Most corporate and hospitality clients prefer 45–60 minutes. Shorter sessions can still create meaningful relaxation and state change when properly designed.
-
A. Altha integrates clinical hypnotherapy, multi-instrument sound healing, and luxury-level event execution, making the experience both effective and operationally seamless.
-
A. Yes. A Meditative Sound Bath led by Letizia Silvestri will take place on February 8 as part of Kayan Festival in Abu Dhabi.
