New-Age Experiences In Dubai: A Hands-On Perfumery, Craft Chocolate Tastings And New Ways To Align Your Chakras
Travel experiences in the bustling metropolis of Dubai have gone beyond the bounds of luxury shopping and world-class hotels. With a plethora of new openings, there is always something fabulous to do in Dubai. On a recent trip, DP found the city’s first homegrown, handcrafted chocolate museum, a unique olfactory experience at a perfumery, and a new way to sweat it out at a concept yoga studio. These luxury experiences should be on every new-age traveller’s radar.
#1 Ganache Chocolatier — A Smorgasbord Of Handcrafted Chocolate
If Dubai felt short of a world-class bean-to-bar experience, Ganache Chocolatier fills that gap. The chocolates are carefully crafted using the finest ingredients coming from Switzerland, Belgium, and France. Ganache Chocolatier is a homegrown concept store that designs and makes in-house chocolates by Parisian-trained chefs. The experience includes a personalised tasting of over 100 varieties of chocolate including treats such as baklava crunch, marshmallow pretzel, and zaatar praline.
On special days, chocolate-making workshops led by experts at the Salon du Chocolat offer insight into the secrets of creating these exquisite treats. Masterclasses are held where the winner gets the chance to become chef chocolatier for the day. Creative events make the experience all the more fun like the one hosted by Ganache Chocolatier that includes in-store tasting with MAC x Ganache Chocolatier softie & chocolate bar-inspired makeup workshop.
Other signature treats on display include flavoured truffles, delectable hazelnuts, almond and pistachio bars, velvety caramels, and glazed pralines. Aficionados of non-chocolate and nut flavours can also choose from bite-sized creations filled with mango, and other fruity delights. The most unusual pairings that are big hits include a white chocolate creation infused with homemade matcha ganache.
Ganache Chocolatier has artisanal spreads in three choices, peanut butter crunch, chocolate Dulce, and hazelnut silk. (Image Credit: Ganache Chocolatier)
#DP Loves — The customization, gift-wrapping, and curation of gift boxes with your favourite treats is a wonderful perk. One can carry home a box of handcrafted chocolates enrobed in a premium box of leather detailing, some even come with handmade trays and special gift boxes— all elegant and chic.
#2 OO La Lab — Craft Your Fragrance
Fragrances are one invisible piece of jewellery we never get tired of adding to our collections. OO La Lab, a craft fragrance boutique opened its first Dubai outpost on Alserkal Avenue. They encourage perfume lovers to hone their smelling prowess while designing personalized fragrances. Aptly called the ‘Chemistry of Oo Sessions,’ a hands-on perfume workshop, that is beginner-friendly and involves a study of fine fragrances and understanding the different types to make the experience more fulfilling. Originating in Singapore, OO LA Lab in-house workshops bring a total of 27 notes and talk through the intricacies of picking a base, middle, and top note to create an elixir that evokes a unique persona and mood.
OO la Lab is changing the way consumers desire perfume today. More connoisseurs want exclusivity in their fragrance, and wearing a unique scent is like wearing a couture. Vegan-friendly and ethically sourced ingredients are chosen to churn fragrances that bring to memory and emotions of a person or a concept that allows one to reminisce life’s beautiful moments. The brand’s main message is that fragrances are more ‘you’ than anything you might own, because of the actual chemistry your skin creates with each spritz.
#DP Loves – OO La lab’s Skin, Eau de Parfum, crafted and worn close to the skin, unfurling an unusual combination of creamy basmati rice & white flowers fixed with a long-lasting base of patchouli & sandalwood.
#Shimis Yoga — Synergizing Positive Energy With Travel
Modern-day travellers are increasingly looking to take care of their wellness even on vacation. Whether you’re looking for a detox regime or a cardio boost, Shimis Yoga Dubai ticks all the boxes. Yoga comes in varied forms, from high-intensity to relaxing. Shimis is a new concept that offers a restorative yoga experience in a uniquely designed environment heated to around 34 degrees Celsius. Loud music flows in with changing forms of vinyasa flow inside the darkly- lit room. Called the box, the studio has a space flooded with colourful whimsical beams that help to release toxins.
Another mind-calming experience they offer at the ‘greenhouse studio’—an installed lush living wall of plants and moss. The green environment helps reset one’s mind from fatigue and exhaustion. Their offering includes yoga, Vinyasa moves, Hatha, Jivamukti, Yoga Nidra, meditation, deep stretch, and prenatal and postnatal yoga. If you want to root out mood swings and or balance your confused inner thoughts all at once, sign up for Shimis’ outdoor yoga session with a live DJ.
#DP Loves the post-workout meals at the Shimis cafe. Devouring unhealthy food is no longer an option for modern travellers. A must-try is the strawberry coconut chia pudding and the acai bowl that promises to boost energy levels post a session.
Gone are the days of hop-on-hop-off buses and sightseeing, new-age travellers today are curious, adventurous, and lifelong learners. When travelling through popular cities, they often want to explore unique and off-the-beaten path journeys. So they prefer bespoke itineraries centred on the beauty of cultural diversity or experiencing slow travel to gain more understanding of a destination without feeling rushed. These new experiences in Dubai check all those boxes and are a hint at upcoming travel trends that are evolving gradually.
