As wellness tourism continues to grow, the world’s gaze turns to the state capital of Kerala, renowned for the ancient healing art of Ayurveda. Here, luxury resorts and holistic retreats welcome guests looking to rest, reset and feel rejuvenated
Photography: Rahulnath
Monsoon rains soak the dense forests where tigers and elephants roam. Waterfalls roar and tea gardens blanket the rolling hills. Coconut palms line the creeks, canals and rivers that form the serpentine backwaters. These lush landscapes ultimately give way to the coast, and to wellness resorts on crescent-shaped beaches in Kovalam, a town in India’s southwestern state of Kerala.
Located in the far south on the Malabar Coast, Kerala makes up about 3% of India’s 1.4 billion population. Yet, it consistently ranks at the top of the country’s human development index with the highest literacy rate and life expectancy, a topic of pride for most Keralites. It’s also abuzz with activity during the high season – from September to April – as tourists from all over the globe retreat to its beaches, homestays and wellness resorts, mostly in search of Ayurveda, India’s own holistic wellness practice.
Ayurveda – which means “knowledge of life” in Sanskrit – is one of the world’s oldest medicinal systems. More than 5,000 years ago, Ayurveda was first practised and shared through oral tradition in Northern India before it was documented some 2,000 years later.
Ayurveda embodies the balance between mind, body, spirit and environment, and prioritises disease prevention and management. It is rooted in the principle that everything in the universe, dead and alive, is linked with one another. Every person is made of five elements – space, air, fire, water and earth – that form three doshas, which are forces that control the human body. The goal of Ayurveda is to harmonise these three energies.
Although these ancient healing treatments are present throughout India, Kerala is now widely regarded as India’s Ayurveda capital. Travelling across the state last year, I was struck by the ubiquity of Ayurveda centres, retreats, hospitals and resorts dotting the cities, towns and villages. According to many practitioners, knowledge of Ayurveda is passed down from one generation to the next and has now become an integral part of Kerala life. Here, growing medicinal plants and herbs and knowing the health benefits of each one is as natural as breathing.
My introduction to Ayurveda was through a shirodhara treatment, where warm herbal oil was slowly poured onto my forehead. Unlike any other therapy I had experienced before, I instantly felt what the treatment promised; my body instantly relaxed and I could feel my stress melting away. Its calming effect is also said to treat insomnia. During a body massage, my therapist also used navara kizhi – a warm cloth bundle tightly packed with medicated rice – designed to ease body aches.
THE STATE CAPITAL TRIVANDRUM, OFFICIALLY CALLED…
…Thiruvananthapuram, provides an ideal getaway to Kerala’s Ayurveda and other wellness experiences, particularly in the beach town of Kovalam, only 20km south of the city. For visitors, a popular way to experience wellness is a stay at a luxury retreat like the Niraamaya Surya Samudra, a short, 30-minute drive from the airport.
Poised on a cliff edge by a tranquil, secluded beach and the Arabian Sea, the resort is a popular choice among those who prioritise holistic wellness and spirituality. Guests stay at the terracotta roofed heritage houses shaded by swaying coconut palms, with banyan tree suites and traditional stone-built houses fitted with open-air baths, rain showers and rattan-woven seating nooks offering sea views.
The resort’s 10 Ayurveda rooms are the highlight, with treatments like panchakarma (five actions). At the resort, this is a multi-day holistic programme that includes a series of cleansing and detoxifying practices; joint care using intensive oil therapies and medicated baths; massages, yoga, meditation, pranayama (yogic breathwork) and diet. The Essence of Wellness programme – lasting from five to 21 nights – tops the list of healing experiences as it combines Ayurveda with both oriental and Western medicinal practices to revive mind and body.
According to Niraamaya Surya Samudra’s general manager Ameya Mandke, many people realised the importance of strong immunity and overall well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic. “Ayurveda’s holistic approach to health and disease prevention has gained global recognition now as it can promote long-term wellness,” he says. At the resort, the experience begins with Ayurvedic consultations so guests can better understand their physical and mental well-being, followed by a customised treatment plan, including abhyanga snana (oil massage) to relax and detoxify.
The idyllic landscapes play a part in the healing atmosphere, too. Here visitors can practise yoga along the coastline at sunrise and sunset, take nature walks and meditate in the green spaces. Mandke explains that although the future of wellness tourism is evolving, he’s quick to point out that most guests are increasingly focusing on unique experiences and perceive wellness as a lifestyle. “Travellers are no longer drawn solely to grandeur, but are looking for authenticity, sustainability and experiences that resonate with them emotionally,” he says.
Sustainability also remains a key focus at luxury beach resort The Leela Kovalam, a part of the Raviz Hotels and Resorts, a group of wellness-focused accommodations with properties throughout Kerala. The five-star resort designed by the renowned Indian architect Charles Correa sits on a 67-acre piece of land that also includes the former summer palace of the royal family of Travancore Kingdom in South India. Some of the palace’s suites – such as the Sri Swati, named after the former king of Travancore, with its Italian mantellassi furniture and glass chandeliers – are also open to guests. Excursions at the resort include Hindu temple visits, treks to waterfalls and mangrove tours.
General manager Ayyappan Nallaperumal says that the hotel designed its Kerala Ayurvedic Centre surrounded by tropical gardens to sit atop a cliff that overlooks the sea, so guests can “feel the flow of nature” in Kerala. For visitors, pre-consultation sessions with highly qualified Ayurveda doctors are just the beginning; the resort also embraces a farm-to-table philosophy and grows organic vegetables in the five-acre garden Aaramam. Ingredients for treatments are sourced from the herb garden with over 400 varieties of microgreens.
Nallaperumal says that the state’s stunning tropical nature, clean air and beaches provide the ideal setting for wellness tourism. “And we have organic food that doesn’t compromise on taste but encourages sustainability and slow living,” he says, adding that Kerala also excels in its hospitality.
Also on the luxury wellness spectrum is the Taj Green Cove Resort & Spa, part of India’s prestigious Taj Hotels, with its hillside cottages and suites seamlessly merging with the surrounding garden and the ocean. According to the hotel’s wellness manager Hergin Charles, the wisdom of Ayurveda is now “redefining luxury wellness” across the globe as it offers an “immersive journey into natural health and self-discovery”.
The resort’s wellness therapies, mindfulness sessions and restorative experiences revolve around the J Wellness Circle – think relaxing aromatherapy massages, after-sun aloe vera body wraps, head massages using oils made of curry leaves and amla (Indian gooseberry) and dinacharya, a daily health routine. At the resort, this includes addressing all five sense organs – eyes, ears, tongue, nose, skin – using herbal oils.
These wellness offerings are complimented by the resort’s other unique experiences. Lagoon boat rides wind up at the shore for a chef’s grilled seafood dinner; fine dining venue Curries serves local dishes cooked with coconut milk; and cruises drift over the canals and streams of Poovar backwaters, an estuary surrounded by the palm-fringed golden sand beaches at the southern tip of Trivandrum. As Charles explains, “a commitment to well-being, mindful ways of living and deeper connection with nature” remains the ultimate goal.
And you’ll see that wherever you go in Kerala; in its marshy lakes teeming with migratory birds, narrow waterways weaving through rice paddies and mist-enveloped mountains concealing icy-cold pools within their deep forests. All that coupled with Ayurveda, yoga and organic eating, what you experience in Kerala is more than a temporary sense of wellness – it’s a fresh perspective on the healing powers of ancient wisdom.
Take home a slice of Kerala
Welgate Lifestyle
This one-stop organic store serves excellent local food, spices and pickles. Also on the shelves: cutlery and crockery handmade from coconut shells and clay, and organic skin and hair care. Pattom-Kowdiar Rd, Kuravankonam.
Kovalam Spices
A boutique in Kovalam manned by a friendly owner with whole spices, Ayurveda oils, balms, fragrances and snacks such as banana chips fried in coconut oil. Beach Rd, Kovalam.
Ayur Shanti
Although primarily a wellness centre offering Ayurveda therapies near the beach in Kovalam, Ayur Shanti also stocks medicinal oils and herbal remedies. Light House, Beach Rd, Kovalam.
