Located at 26 Evans Road—and less than 10 minutes by car from Orchard Road—The Initial Sama is Singapore’s first wellness-focused serviced residence.
Lim Keong Wee, Managing Director of Cover Projects, which also operates The Initial Residence with hotel-like services on Balestier Road, discusses how The Initial Sama was born from two converging forces.
The first is Singapore’s ambition to become a leading hub for preventive health, medical excellence, and lifestyle innovation. The second aspect is the expansion of wellness to include recovery and longevity. “Yet,” he argues, “this evolution has largely been missing from the serviced residence segment.”
Its name aptly captures the intention of rest and reconnection. “Initial” symbolises the beginning of a journey, a reset, a return to what really matters. “Sama” is derived from Sanskrit and means equal, balanced, and harmonious,” Lim explains.
The Initial Sama was originally Eusoff College, an all-female hostel for the University of Malaya (now NUS) starting in 1958, that became co-ed in 1984 and closed as a hostel in 2001. Lim and his team recreated the courtyards, breezeways, and lush green spaces of the building into tranquil landscapes while preserving its colonial architecture.
“The red brick walls were carefully preserved because they convey the tactile memory of the site and add warmth and permanence to the architecture,” he says. He also had the distinctive iron-framed French windows restored. “These allow generous daylight and natural cross-ventilation while maintaining the elegant proportions of the original facade.”
The Initial Sama offers 92 units ranging from studio to two-bedrooms. Amenities include a swimming pool, gym, yoga studio, sensory gardens, and co-working spaces. In addition, Sama Wellness, a dedicated spa and wellness hub, is located on the ground floor. Its experiences span spa therapies and physical training to retreats.
Well-being here is multisensory, and Yara, the property’s modern Asian restaurant by Eleven Seventeen Capital, completes the experience with dishes crafted to restore as much as delight, from a yuzu-brightened Soft Tofu Caprese to a comforting Steak & Egg Bowl over koshihikari rice.
