AvaniWell at Avani+ Hua Hin has launched a Signature Wellness Retreat that's all about real results – think energising workouts, restorative treatments and food that actually makes you feel good.
As part of the programme representing Avani Tribes' Wellness Wanderer, we caught up with Duran Mack, one of the UK's top bone setting experts who is now based in Thailand to help people move better, stand taller and feel stronger.
His method? A clever mix of joint-opening exercises, fascia release, spinal work and nutrition advice that ditches the pills and surgery for Eastern movement practices, simple daily drills and smart supplements. Real healing, real results.
Getting to Know Duran Mack
1
You started with Kung Fu as a teenager in Thailand – what drew you to martial arts and how did that lead you to healing practices?
My father met my teacher when I was about eight years old. He became close to our family and guided me in martial and meditative training through my teens and twenties, when I was practicing six to eight hours a day.
Healing was introduced to me through that same lineage. In traditional Kung Fu, healing was passed down quietly within families — it was used to restore students after hard training. That’s how I first learned to understand the body on a deeper level.
You worked at one of London's most prestigious spas for six years. Are there any memorable celebrity from that time that stood out to you.
I can’t name anyone due to confidentiality, but I worked with many well-known people — actors, artists and business leaders. What I learned was that everyone carries tension, no matter what their lifestyle.
What did you learn from this experience that you brought back to Thailand?
That experience taught me precision — how to work quietly, read the body clearly, and respond with subtlety rather than force.
Inside the Treatments
Bone setting using 'ting' or listening skills sounds fascinating. Can you explain what actually happens during the session?
“Ting” means listening through touch. There’s no cracking or forcing. I use refined pressure and awareness to feel where the body is holding tension and guide it to release naturally. It’s a dialogue with the body, not a manipulation.
The Dissolve Treatment promises guests will learn how to release their own tension. How does that work, and what will people feel?
The Dissolve Treatment is hands-on but interactive. Clients stay relaxed with their eyes closed, but they’re engaged — not drifting off. We work together to release habitual patterns of contraction, especially in the torso and old injury areas. It’s about awareness and letting go, not just zoning out. After the session, you’ll feel spacious mentally, physically and emotionally.
When Avani+ Hua Hin approached you about collaborating on a wellness weekend, what was your first thought?
I was excited. A friend of mine, Karis Scarlett, runs a ballet retreat at Avani+ Fares Maldives Resort. She spoke highly of the Avani brand, so I knew it would be a meaningful and well-aligned partnership.
The Avani+ Hua Hin Collaboration
What's the most common issue you see in clients?
Postural issues — slumped shoulders, forward head posture, tightness through the front of the body. Everything is collapsing forward, and people lose awareness of how to hold themselves with ease.
Biggest misconception about bone setting?
That we crack bones. We don’t. Bone setting uses sensitivity and refined power to open the body — never force.
One body part everyone neglects?
The feet — they’re the foundation for everything.
Strangest place tension hides in the body?
The jaw and the forehead, especially between the eyes.
As a bone setting specialist, what would you never do and why? (postural, habit etc)
Force a joint to crack. If a joint naturally releases during movement, that’s fine — but forcing it creates instability rather than healing.
For more information, check out Signature Wellness Retreat package at Avani+ Hua Hin, which includes 2 nights stay in an Avani Deluxe Room with breakfast, healthy lunch and dinner customised for wellness goals, and much more.
