Six Senses Vana: Where You Check In To Check Out

“You need to give your mind and all your senses a break,” says Dr Jayachandran, the head Ayurveda clinician, to me, and then goes on to prescribe half an hour of Pranayama daily along with a gamut of other therapies that cover Ayurveda as well as Tibetan medicine. Thus, starts my tryst with wellness at the Six Senses Vana, a stunning property spread across 21 acres, surrounded by a Sal Forest, at the foothills of Mussoorie. I am here for a three-night, four-day programme—the minimum that a guest can check-in for relaxation. Those looking to deal with issues such as sleep deprivation or weight loss may sign up for anywhere between five nights and 21 nights.

An hour’s drive from Dehradun airport, I arrive at the serene property and check into my suite. Appropriately named the Bodhi Suite, it even has a separate meditation room. Six Senses Vana has 86 rooms comprising of various categories including suites and two- and three-bedroom apartments. Prices start at INR 65,000 plus taxes, per person daily, and include all meals and prescribed therapies.

Ayurvedic Approach to Dining

Post a detailed consultation with Dr Jayachandran, I head to lunch at Salana, one of two restaurants on the property. The other specialises in Ayurveda thalis, thoughtfully prepared to suit your individual dosha—a personalised wellness blueprint based on Ayurvedic principles. At both restaurants, the culinary philosophy remains the same: clean, seasonal, and deeply rooted in Ayurvedic wisdom. Accordingly, there are no red chillies, raw onions or raw garlic used in meals, items considered aggravating to digestion in Ayurveda. As someone who avoids spicy food, I welcome the absence of chillies. But I do miss the familiar crunch of raw onions! Oh, and there is no cold water. Only warm or room-temperature water is served, in line with Ayurvedic beliefs that cold beverages douse digestive fire.

While these may be small irritants (no pain, no gain, right?), the food at Salana more than makes up for it. Under the guidance of Chef Rajesh Sharma and his team, each meal is both nourishing and satisfying, with an emphasis on variety to keep long-stay guests engaged. The buffet features everything from brown rice and dal to Asian ramen and Continental fare. An à la carte menu offers comfort classics like chicken biryani and paneer kathi rolls. Unless you’re following a prescribed diet plan from Dr. Jayachandran, you are welcome to eat anything from the menu without restriction. Of course, a wellness retreat is hardly the place to binge, and so portion sizes are controlled, but you can always ask for more.

Healing the Body, Calming the Mind

In the evening, I make my way to the Ayurveda Centre for a session that includes Udvartana and Dhanyamla Dhara—two distinct yet complementary Ayurvedic therapies. The first involves a vigorous massage using herbal powders to stimulate circulation, exfoliate the skin, and aid detoxification. The second features the rhythmic pouring of a warm, medicated herbal decoction over the body, believed to reduce inflammation and soothe pain. I put myself in the hands of two extremely well-trained therapists from Kerala and emerge from the hour-long session feeling light, relaxed, and rejuvenated.

A key part of the Six Senses Vana experience is its strict digital detox. Mobile phones are allowed only in your private room, which means you are forced to disconnect—something I have difficulty dealing with! On day one, I find myself scurrying back to my room every few hours to check my phone!

But things are better by day two. The healthy food, the fresh air, and the forced digital detox is starting to take effect. The day starts bright and early with me participating in a group yoga session for beginners, followed by a breathing class curated especially for me. Post that, it is time to engage in another group activity.

Six Senses Vana organises group activities throughout the day to keep you well occupied. There are over 75 activities during the course of the week including yoga, nature walks, meditation, weight training, pottery, musical sessions, sports activities like badminton and pickle ball, amongst others. Special residencies also add a cultural layer to the programme.

During my stay, Delhi-based mixed media artist Siraj Saxena was in residence and I enjoyed participating in a couple of his guided art sessions. Much of the property’s art is his, an ongoing project for over a decade.

Beyond Ayurveda, Six Senses Vana also incorporates Tibetan healing traditions. On day two, I try a 75-minute Tibetan therapy session, which includes a Ku Nye massage that targets specific pressure points, followed by a 15-minute steam session. But it is the sound healing session that stays with me.

As I lie down, Tibetan singing bowls hum and echo around me. Naturally, I drift into deep sleep. The vibrations, created by specific metal alloy bowls, are said to unblock emotional tension, calm the nervous system, and restore energetic harmony.

By day three, I have attended a couple of sessions of Raag Therapy where a musician plays the flute as you drift into a meditative state; done aqua exercises in the indoor pool with a trainer; learnt to make an immunity boosting concoction of pepper, cloves and cinnamon; and read a book sitting in the litchi orchard. I even had my first acupuncture session and toured the property’s sustainability initiatives—all this without my phone in hand!

Wellness is a journey and I am glad I started mine. Will I stick to it? Only time will tell. As of now, the phone is back and so are the raw onions, but I have shunned cold water. Baby steps.