For a debutante driving through Punjab to reach my two-day spa-cation destination, The Oberoi Sukhvilas Resort & Spa, Siswan Forest Range, New Chandigarh, I was expecting vast stretches of sunshine-washed wheat fields on either side of me—no less dramatic than Van Gogh landscapes. Of course, I wasn’t disappointed, and of course, my ride was a chauffeur-driven BMW with wi-fi, so I could snap and post those mustard florets that led the way to the entrance of the resort, which was a sight in itself. The grand feature was reminiscent of Rajput and Mughal times, with an intricate design, mirrored pillars and traditional paintings sprinkled across its walls.
The Oberoi Sukhvilas is surrounded by over 8,000 acres of the protected Siswan forest range at the foothills of the outer Himalayas, and you can tell that you’re approaching your destination by the symphonic sound of nature as you get closer. You can choose to stay in their palatial villas or completely submit to nature by staying in the royal forest tents—I, without a second’s thought, chose the latter. Mine came with a private pool and a garden dotted with bright yellow and white blooms, and regular visits from the friendly neighbourhood peacocks, turkeys and other chirpy companions made seclusion sort of ceremonious. After checking in to this Wes Anderson-would-approve symmetry of a tent fit for royals, I readied myself for my two-day spa-tinerary.
THE GOOD SPACE
The Oberoi Spa’s white-washed decor is adorned with glass, fire and water elements and soaked in natural sunlight—already nudging you to breathe a little deeper in its open space. It lives up to its principle of ‘Sukh’ (Sanskrit for ‘good space’) and Upavasa (‘to be near oneself’). Their ultimate goal for me, and all their guests, was to find that good space within oneself, through their carefully curated wellness programs that include a mix of Ayurveda and signature eastern and western therapies. You’ll spot—and smell—fresh herbs like mint, flowers like jasmine, and fruits like pomegranate grown in their little organic garden, oils of which are distilled and used in their treatments. There’s an open yoga deck that faces the rising sun, and the spa music comes from nature’s melodious sounds on loop.
30 GOING ON 13
My spa-day started with a consultation with the resident Ayurvedic doctor and a series of tests to determine the best treatment for me. After discovering that my actual biological age is a lot younger than my real age and finding out my yin-over-yang ratio to analyse my personality, my therapist chose a combination of relaxing oils for my Alqvimia Aromatherapy massage. Before every massage, the spa encourages you to use the hydrotherapy facilities to open up the muscles in your body, so it can take in the goodness of the treatment that will follow. It started with an aromatic steam and infrared sauna, went on to some invigorating minutes inside the hydrotherapy pool, and finished with moments of laying flat on the heated Roman tepidarium to cool the body down. Later, somewhere between the stimulating strokes of my masseuse and the lingering aromas of revitalising natural oils, I moved to the most zen mode it has ever experienced. A sure sign the massage worked, and to confirm that was my post-therapy biological age test, which resulted in an even younger me. Thirty, I’m ready for you!
TASTE OF PUNJAB
Massages always work up an appetite—but nothing would prepare me for the dinner that awaited me at Kaanan, the resort’s majestic restaurant that features authentic Punjabi cuisine. Devouring everything from slow-cooked kebabs and house-made ginger-ale to the most indulgent gulab jamun, I surrendered to sleep soon after.
TRY IT, YOU’LL HIKE IT
On day two, I commenced my walk in the wilderness to reach that perfect spot for yoga in the forest. After a number of sun salutations and stretches, I was prepped to experience a different kind of hike—forest bathing, the Japanese healing ritual of Shinrin-yoku—which in literal terms would mean bathing every cell in your body with the forest’s therapeutic virtues. You walk slow, very slow, you don’t talk, you simply ‘be’. Its meditative effects are best felt than written.
Later that day, I followed the resort’s expert naturalists on a short birding hike—we spotted stags and antelope nilgais, gazed at technicolored feathered friends and chased the sunset.
A TRYST WITH AYURVEDA
Dinacharya, the daily routine, is the ideal way of living in Ayurveda. At the Oberoi Sukhvilas, I realised just how revitalising it can be in just a day. The ritual starts with cleansing the sensory organs—the eyes (anjana), the nose (nasya), the ears (karnapooranam), the throat (gandusha); followed by dhoomapanam—the inhalation of medicinal fumes to clear the respiratory system, culminating into Abhyangam, or a traditional Ayurvedic oil massage on the scalp, forehead, temple, hands, feet and the rest of the body using a hot medicated oil concoction. Without added exaggeration, my skin after the treatment had never felt smoother, looked shinier, my inners uncluttered and my mind, calmer. A perfectly balanced Ayurvedic meal—a combination of vata (air and ether), pitta (fire) and kapha (earth and water) that constitutes the human body—was followed.
HAVE YOU MET YOU?
Your days here may be packed, but unlike your life back home, they’ll leave you in a state of tranquility—we indulged in mindfulness activities like painting, and it took me back to the times I spent hours surrounded by colour tubes, paint brushes and canvases. It brought back a feeling of pure joy one gets in daily activity, which we learn to ignore as we grow.
MUSIC FOR THE SOUL
It was time to open up my sahasrara chakra, or the crown chakra. So we sat comfortably, and partook in a musical meditation session with sitar recital. If I close my eyes now and concentrate solely on my breathing, I can still feel the vibrations I felt in that moment of bliss.
And that’s what really makes a spa-cation special: when you are able to take back with you a little bit of that bliss you found within, and without, and can feel it anytime, anywhere.
Also read:
5 things you must try while you’re at the Oberoi Sukhvilās Resort & Spa
The best wellness retreats and spas to head to for a break from city life
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