Dating back hundreds of years, the hamam was to the Ottomans what the day spa is to the modern goddess – a place to bathe, relax, be pampered and gather with other women. Today, modern hamams are scattered throughout the city, but the historic hamams built by the sultans to serve the imperial mosques and the ritual cleansing dictates of the Koran are beautiful examples of the kind of breathtaking marble work and rich decoration that only Islamic architecture can do.

But a trip to the ‘hamami’ (in the local lingo) can be intimidating if you don’t know what to expect. For a start, it’s not a place for the prudish, but its worth baring your breasts and a bit of your soul for the indulgence. Read more

Born in a handbag from scribbled tips shared between holiday goddesses whose work, love and life adventures scattered them all over the globe, it will take you where few women have been before.

Release your inner goddess as you follow Audrey Hepburn′s footsteps in Rome, delve into the secret diaries of shopaholics in New York, learn ′chiconomical secrets′ in Paris, where to love the nightlife in London, and how to find to-die-for shoes, lustworthy cult local brands,the best vintage markets, heavenly spas or sanctuaries to escape the hustle and bustle, the most original art, the best live music, where to eat, love, and eat some more.

For more information visit their website at www.ryoho.com.au

With my Gen.a hat on, I was captivated by the country’s Gross National Happiness (GNH) index. Landlocked between China and India, it is in many ways centuries removed from the economic giants it share it’s borders with, but underpinned by its policy of GNH it also feels light years ahead of most developed economies in terms of its approach to big issues like sustainable economic development, environmental conservation and looking after its people.

Implemented in the early 1970’s, GNH was part of the former King, Jigme Singye Wingchuck’s visionary modernization plan that sought to build an economy that would serve Bhutan’s unique culture. Grounded in Buddhist values, the premise of GNH is built around the idea that social development takes place when material and spiritual development happen concurrently. In some ways it’s like a national experiment in ‘do what you love and the money will follow’.

A precursor to modern approaches to trying to make the world a better place, GNH is built on four solid pillars including: the promotion of sustainable economic development (including its approach to tourism and the management of its natural resources), the preservation of cultural values and heritage, conservation of the natural environment and good governance.

Before I arrived in this fabled Buddhist Kingdom in the Himalayas, I was captivated and intrigued by the idea of Bhutan. On departure, I am left besotted by its beauty, purity and the devotion of its people.  I also discovered a new aspect of happiness that is not dependent on good things happening, but happiness for its own sake. So maybe this Gross National Happiness thing works. As modernisation and the impact of globalisation creep in, I pray that this rare country will also keep its own single focus and stillness.

In the heart of the World-Heritage listed Daintree Rainforest, I discovered an unexpectedly unique spa treatment combined with an authentic Aboriginal eco-tourism experience.

At the start of Daintree Eco Lodge & Spa’s guided rainforest walk our Aboriginal guide, Juan Walker, tells the story of how his grandmother escaped the plight of being part of Australia’s ‘Stolen Generation’.  With news of men on horseback traveling through the area looking to remove Aboriginal children from their families to be placed in state custody, Juan’s grandmother was hidden in a woven ‘dilly bag’ and hung from a tree as the officers passed by.

It’s just one of the fascinating stories that Juan shares about his ‘bama’ (people), country and tribe, the Kuku Yalanji, that have lived in this part of the World Heritage-listed Daintree Rainforest for thousands of years and are claimed to be one of the oldest intact surviving Indigenous communities in the world.

Daintree Eco Lodge & Spa’s site is important in local culture. The property was occupied by forefathers of the Kuku Yalanji tribe and used as a resting place as it provided spring water, an abundance of edible, medicinal plants and bathing holes, including a natural waterfall that to this day is still considered to be sacred to women. Read more …

Issue 23 of dumbo feather … pass it on is in stores now. The beguiling cover image was shot by the incomparable Toby Burrows and the inside is just as fab. Interviews with Ben Keene of Tribewanted, Caroline Swift, John Hardy of the Green School , Hayley Allen of Tika and Martin Hughes of Affirm Press. For subscriptions and stockists visit www.dumbofeather.com