Tibetan Healing Centre and meditation cave to open at Indian wellness retreat
Indian wellness retreat Vana will unveil a new 12,464sq ft (1,158sq m) Tibetan Healing Centre in the next couple of months, complete with its own meditation cave.
Launched in 2014, Vana is a 21-acre estate surrounded by clusters of Sal forest, and is set within its own mango and lychee orchards in the northern Indian state of Uttarakhand. It includes 66 bedrooms, 16 suites, two restaurants, 55 treatment and consultation rooms and a yoga temple. All buildings are LEED Platinum-certified.
As with Vana's other latte-coloured modernist buildings – created by Majorcan architects Esteva I Esteva Arquitectura – the new Tibetan Healing Centre has been designed to work in harmony with nature.
The light and airy interiors of the centre aim to preserve and propagate the spiritual concept of Tibetan medicine, using linen and ceramics in shades of blue, inspired by the Medicine Buddha. Art at the centre includes paintings by Tibetan traditional artists, depicting the chronicles of the Buddha, as well as pieces by the in-house artist, Siraj Saxena.
The centre – the retreat's seventh and final wellness space – will be surrounded by a reflection pond, a shrine room and a library for spiritual study, discourse and discussion. The special cave for meditation will be located nearby.
"We feel blessed to have the opportunity to have created the Tibetan Healing Centre at Vana Malsi Estate," said Veer Singh, the retreat's founder. "Our inspiration to do so came from the enlightened Tibetan Masters and Lamas that have graced us with their support and teachings over the years, as well as a sense of duty towards the Tibetan community around us in Dehradun."
Tibetan healing, also known as Sowa Rigpa, is influenced by Indian and Chinese medicine, but holds Tibetan Buddhism at its core, with the mind, compassion and emotions equally weighted as integral elements to the state of wellbeing.
Dr Sonam Dolkar, a doctor of Tibetan medicine, will lead the centre's team of therapists, who have all trained at Men-Tsee-Khang – The Tibetan Institute of Medicine and Astrology.
The retreat's other wellness spaces include an Ayurveda Centre, spa, private Watsu pool, gym, heat and wet areas, tennis courts, paths for walking, and two slate-lined pools – including one on the rooftop with views over the forest and into the hills beyond. A unique gathering space called the Bodhi Tree is available for evening discourses.
Each of Vana’s seven wellness offerings has its own dedicated team, concept and space.
UAE’s first Dior Spa debuts in Dubai at Dorchester Collection’s newest hotel, The Lana
Europe's premier Evian Spa unveiled at Hôtel Royal in France
Clinique La Prairie unveils health resort in China after two-year project
GoCo Health Innovation City in Sweden plans to lead the world in delivering wellness and new science
Four Seasons announces luxury wellness resort and residences at Amaala
Aman sister brand Janu debuts in Tokyo with four-floor urban wellness retreat
€38m geothermal spa and leisure centre to revitalise Croatian city of Bjelovar
Two Santani eco-friendly wellness resorts coming to Oman, partnered with Omran Group
Kerzner shows confidence in its Siro wellness hotel concept, revealing plans to open 100
Ritz-Carlton, Portland unveils skyline spa inspired by unfolding petals of a rose
Rogers Stirk Harbour & Partners are just one of the names behind The Emory hotel London and Surrenne private members club
Peninsula Hot Springs unveils AUS$11.7m sister site in Australian outback
IWBI creates WELL for residential programme to inspire healthy living environments
Conrad Orlando unveils water-inspired spa oasis amid billion-dollar Evermore Resort complex
Studio A+ realises striking urban hot springs retreat in China's Shanxi Province
Populous reveals plans for major e-sports arena in Saudi Arabia
Wake The Tiger launches new 1,000sq m expansion
Othership CEO envisions its urban bathhouses in every city in North America
Merlin teams up with Hasbro and Lego to create Peppa Pig experiences
SHA Wellness unveils highly-anticipated Mexico outpost
One&Only One Za’abeel opens in Dubai featuring striking design by Nikken Sekkei
Luxury spa hotel, Calcot Manor, creates new Grain Store health club
'World's largest' indoor ski centre by 10 Design slated to open in 2025
Murrayshall Country Estate awarded planning permission for multi-million-pound spa and leisure centre
Aman's Janu hotel by Pelli Clarke & Partners will have 4,000sq m of wellness space
Therme Group confirms Incheon Golden Harbor location for South Korean wellbeing resort
Universal Studios eyes the UK for first European resort
King of Bhutan unveils masterplan for Mindfulness City, designed by BIG, Arup and Cistri
Rural locations are the next frontier for expansion for the health club sector
Tonik Associates designs new suburban model for high-end Third Space health and wellness club
Across Denmark, a charity is turning industrial buildings into centres for street sport and art. As the concept prepares to go global, we speak to the people making it happen