Singapore Airlines is partnering with the ultra-exclusive Golden Door spa to redefine luxury on the world's longest commercial flights

• Singapore Airlines has chosen Golden Door Spa as its new wellness partner for the world's longest flights.
• Golden Door is crafting a new in-flight menu as well as exercises, stretches, and sleeping techniques.

Singapore Airlines is bringing one of the world's most exclusive spas to the skies in a new partnership with Golden Door.

Travelers on ultra-long-haul flights between Singapore and the US will soon experience a new Golden Door-inspired offering that will provide a holistic approach to wellness. The transition from wellness partner Canyon Ranch marks the next phase for Singapore Airlines in flying the longest flights in the world.

Located in San Marcos, California, Golden Door has been voted "world's #1 spa" by Condé Nast Traveler and its guests include billionaires and celebrities including Oprah Winfrey and Julia Roberts. A week's stay at the spa is priced at $9,950 but Singapore Airlines passengers will now get a taste of the Golden Door experience while traversing the globe.

"Golden Door is now here to help us add on to a lot more of the softer aspect of our wellness program," Betty Wong, Singapore Airlines' division vice president of in-flight services and design, told Insider.

Golden Door Executive Chef Greg Frey Jr. is working in the kitchen with Singapore Airlines Director of Food and Beverage Antony McNeil to adapt the spa's menu to the onboard environment. Meals play an important role on the airline's longest journeys as they serve not only to satiate but also to entertain, pass the time, and contribute to a traveler's well-being.

Frey serves as Golden Door's culinary mastermind and has revolutionized the concept of "spa food" for his discerning guests. The 600 acres of California outdoors on which Golden Door sits serves as Frey's workspace and garden, with rows of fresh produce in a two-acre garden that feeds the 40 weekly spa-goers.

Some of what will be served on flights are identical to what Golden Door guests are eating, with meal options including a signature black cod served over forbidden rice with edamame puree as well as a portobello meatball in an heirloom tomato sauce with risotto.

Golden Door isn't as focused on calorie counting as it is on using freshly grown ingredients in the right portion sizes. Dessert options on the flight will include Golden Door's signature ginger snap cookies, chocolate mint chip cookies, and gluten-free spiced apple cake.

Singapore Airlines favorites, such as lobster thermidor, will still be available through the "book the cook" meal pre-order program as well as other in-flight dining programs. It's part of the airline's strategy to give passengers the freedom to enjoy the flights as they desire.

"The purpose of this relationship is to develop a robust and a very flexible wellness program," Wong said. "We want to make sure that these options are available, but at the end of the day choice is yours."

Beyond the dining experience, Golden Door is also crafting in-flight exercises and stretches for passengers to improve their well-being. Benefits including improvements in circulation, flexibility, and alertness upon landing.

Specially crafted beverages and new sleeping techniques will also be introduced to aid in passenger hydration, relaxation, and rejuvenation on the ultra-long-haul journeys.

Kathy Van Ness, chief commercial officer at Golden Door, likens the role of the spa to that of Singapore Airlines: both only have a short period of time to make an impact on a guest.

"Even seven days, we have to change those people's lives," Van Ness said of Golden Door. "By the time they depart, they have to feel a remarkable difference in their health."

It's important, according to Van Ness, that flyers disembark with a better understanding of how to "pause." And a 19-hour flight between New York and Singapore is time enough to learn that important skill.

Singapore Airlines operates three of the 10 current longest flights in the world, including a new longest route by distance during the pandemic between New York City and Singapore. Travelers will now have the benefit of the Golden Door wellness problem as well as the time savings offered by the non-stop flights flown by Airbus A350-900ULR aircraft.

Scheduled to debut in January 2022, the partnership comes as Singapore opens to vaccinated Americans and eliminates quarantine for travelers arriving on certain flights. Singapore Airlines' non-stop flights from New York, Los Angeles, and San Francisco, as well as some one-stop flights from Seattle, are included in the Vaccinated Travel Lane program.