However au courant their latest facilities, Ayurvedic retreats rely on tried-and-true ancient healing practices, such as the 21-day panchakarma detox treatment, and prominently feature meditation and yoga.
Ananda in the Himalayas
Kinwani, India
Ananda's setting could not be more soulful: a maharaja’s estate on 100 acres of forest in the foothills of the Himalayas, overlooking the holy Indian town of Rishikesh, reputed birthplace of yoga.
Regimen: Founded in 2000 as an antidote to stress, Ananda has a team of ayurvedic doctors, reiki masters, and disciples of Swami Parthasarathy, a pre-eminent philosopher of vedanta (the pursuit of higher consciousness). They oversee 15 programs ranging from a five-night menu of yoga, stress management, or active fitness to the signature 21-day panchakarma cleanse (favored by 15 percent of guests). Every stay begins with an ayurvedic consultation to determine your dosha (space and air, fire and water, earth and water) and so your wellness goals. The results will inform everything from the herbal oils used for your massages in the 24,000-square-foot spa to recommended foods. Included in most programs is daily yoga, which, you will be reminded, is a mindful practice, not a workout.
Extras: A culinary studio, an infrared sauna, and a physiotherapy facility with gait-analysis equipment. Given the dramatic location, you’ll be encouraged to venture out : on a sunrise trek to Kunjapuri Temple, say, or a sunset visit to the banks of the Ganges to see the Ganga Aarati ritual.
Six Senses Vana
Dehradun, India
This high-end ashram near Rishikesh, in the Himalayan foothills, was hard to get into even before Six Senses purchased it in 2022 and relaunched it it as the hotel brand’s first wellness retreat: 45 to 60 percent of guests were repeats, 20 percent returned yearly, and a handful even booked their fix quarterly.
Regimen: Eastern therapies remain the heart of the programming and many of Vana’s original staff, including therapists who trained at the Dalai Lama’s Tibetan Medical and Astro Institute, are still sought after. A typical schedule features 10 to 12 sessions a day, ranging from sound therapies and gom meditation to Tibetan medicine treatments like dhugs, a massage that uses herbal compresses to relax energy blockages. But the strict seven-night commitment has been relaxed to three, and the ayurvedic meals have a gastronomic twist (with menus not repeated for almost two weeks). And biohacking tools and techy health assessments are now available.
Extras: The already stellar service has been taken to the next level, with touches like a professional monkey chaser—to ensure you don't get spooked while forest bathing on the 21-acre grounds.
Engel Ayurpura
South Tyrol, Italy
Think of this first dedicated ayurvedic spa in the Dolomites (it opened last November) as an alpine ashram: 15 chalet-inspired rooms appointed with reclaimed wood and a team of ayurvedic experts overseen by Dr. Swami Nath Mishra, one of India’s top pulse diagnosticians. (Doshas are determined by pulse readings.)
Regimen: Programs range from four-and-five-day cures to 14- or 21-day day panchakarma packages featuring 27 to 36 treatments (e.g, shirodhara, during which warm oil is applied to the forehead to achieve psychosomatic balance). There are also week-long Buchinger fasts that help purify the body with dry brush massages, detox baths, and a liquid diet of diluted juices and vegetable broth.
Extras: A panoramic sauna, plenty of local trails, and a year of free support from the team including two Zoom consultations with Dr.Mishra post-checkout.
Datu Wellness
Laticastelli, Italy
The Tuscan countryside conjures images of laidback hedonism. But if you’re putting yourself through a thorough reset, why not do it surrounded by vistas of vineyards and olive groves? One-year-old Datu brings an extraordinary team of healers and practitioners from India’s top institutions—Ananda spa, Vana, and the Bihar School of Yoga—to a 12th-century borgo 20 minutes outside of Siena.
Regimen: The week-long retreat is packed. Days start at 7 a.m. and typically include four 30-to-50 minute-long yoga sessions, chanting (if that’s your thing) in the candlelit wine cave , soaks in thermal springs, and talks on sowa rigpa (Tibetan healing) and Buddhist philosophy. In one-on-one consultations, ayurvedic doctors will recommend therapies, such as acupuncture and marma massage, and a dosha-friendly diet.
Extras: No matter your dosha, the meals are sensational, with ingredients coming from nearby producers and menus by a Michelin star chef who collaborates with the ayurvedic cooks.
This story appears in the Summer 2024 issue of Town & Country. SUBSCRIBE NOW
Jen Murphy is a journalist who specializes in fitness, wellness, and active travel. She covers fitness for the New York Times and is the author of the Yoga (Man)ual.
