Spa Of The Month: Six Senses Thimphu, Bhutan

For October’s Spa of the Month, Lisa Kjellsson visits Six Senses Thimphu in Bhutan to explore ancient wellness rituals in the secluded Buddhist Kingdom.

Bhutan is a real bucket-list destination, regularly topping lists of the most beautiful and beguiling countries in the world. Located between Tibet and India, the tiny Himalayan Kingdom is blanketed in lush greenery; glittering rivers run through its valleys and there are centuries-old temples and monasteries dotted around the landscape.

It’s also a country synonymous with wellness. Its former king famously declared that “Gross National Happiness is more important than Gross Domestic Product,” a holistic philosophy that emphasises sustainable development and has served Bhutan well. Protecting its pristine forests has made it the world’s first carbon-negative country, in which you fill your lungs with fresh air, and withstanding mass-tourism has helped preserve its Buddhist culture. No wonder this place is known as the last Shangri-La.  

Its longstanding mystical tradition, in which monks obtain enlightenment through meditation and spiritual service, sets the tone for the mindfulness culture you’ll encounter even in its modern society. Respect and kindness for both people and the planet seem to come naturally here.

However, the sustainability mindset means tourism is tightly regulated to limit its impact on the country. It’s important to know that you cannot travel around Bhutan independently – international visitors must be accompanied by a government-licensed guide and driver. It’s easiest to entrust a tour operator with the logistics, including the visa application and payment of the daily US$100 Sustainable Development Fee. I booked my trip with Asia specialists Experience Travel Group, who listened carefully to what I had in mind and created a fully bespoke itinerary, making sure everything went smoothly throughout my two-week stay in the Kingdom. 

Getting to Bhutan from Europe has been made much more straightforward since the launch of direct Dubai–Paro flights with Drukair a year ago. Having reached the major international hub, the last leg of the journey only takes four and a half hours, and the scenic descent into the Kingdom is an experience in itself.

Sustainability-focused Six Senses is an obvious fit with Bhutan and the resort group has outposts in five of its valleys. It’s an hour’s transfer by road from Paro International Airport to the lodge on the outskirts of Thimphu, the capital.

Situated high up in the hills, with panoramic valley vistas and cleverly placed infinity pools that reflect the sky, the lodge has an ethereal feel to it and it’s impossible not to be rendered speechless by it on arrival. A wooden Prayer Pavilion seemingly floating on water and overlooking the 52-metre-tall golden Buddha Dordenma statue across the valley, is where I start my mornings with sun salutations and meditation, completely mesmerised by the heavenly view. It’s no mystery why the lodge is nicknamed ‘the palace in the sky’.

Also available are a body scrub blending Bhutanese healing herbs with lavender oil and Himalayan salt which leaves my skin perfectly smooth, and various facials and Ayurvedic therapies, such as a four-hand abhyanga massage; shirodhara – the deeply relaxing ritual in which warm oil is poured onto the third eye to calm the nervous system; and kati vasti, an oil treatment that soothes lower back pain.

Next door to the spa is an equally tranquil bathhouse with a vast swimming pool, the perfect place to retreat for some alone time.

Don’t you just love the moment you first step inside your hotel room? The anticipation of it and the excitement of taking that initial look around never ceases to delight. My spacious suite at Six Senses Thimphu is no exception, with its restful wood-and-white interiors and dreamy views of Thimphu Valley through the floor-to-ceiling windows. The modern, pared-back aesthetics mix well with local Bhutanese craftsmanship, and a traditional wood-burning stove is a nice touch.

The king-size bed is of course wonderfully comfortable and comes with a range of pillows for every preference. Next to the bedroom, separated by a pair of sliding doors, is a vast bathroom with a free-standing bath, shower, double sinks and plenty of wardrobe space. On my balcony, I have a front-row seat to the archery ground below and try to make mental notes on how to hold the bamboo bow as I watch a family get to grips with the Bhutanese national sport.

Namkha, the lodge’s elegant restaurant with sweeping valley views, serves up healthy cuisine with an emphasis on seasonal and sustainably sourced ingredients, such as freshly caught local trout and organic veggies and herbs from the lodge’s own gardens. The menu features Bhutanese specialties such as momo dumplings with a fiery ezay sauce, as well as Asian and international dishes, paired with local spirits including ara, botanical cocktails and the signature butterfly pea daiquiri.

Each dish highlights regional flavours, from Bumthang honey to Gangtey buckwheat. I sample the traditional buckwheat pancakes served with chilli butter, followed by some very moreish scallops and cappelletti, and delicious apple pie momos with homemade vanilla ice cream for dessert. Simply exquisite.

Keen to dive deeper into Bhutan’s rich culinary heritage, I also visit the lodge’s traditional teahouse, where I learn to churn butter and prepare suja, the ubiquitous butter tea ideal for keeping warm when the temperature drops in the mountains.

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Possibly the oldest in Thimphu, Changangkha Temple dates back to the 13th or 14th century and is a sacred pilgrimage site where new parents bring their babies to be named and blessed by Genyen Domtsangpa, the birth deity.

Further up in the mountains, at an altitude of more than 3,000 metres, the 15th-century Talakha Goemba monastery offers spectacular views over the peaks to the north and south of the capital and across Thimphu valley, while its interiors are decorated with beautiful murals and ancient weaponry. 

An unmissable experience for spiritual seekers, and an integral part of Bhutanese life, is a traditional astrology reading by a monk trained in the ancient art. Six Senses Thimphu conveniently arranges readings in-house. I was amazed by the accuracy of some of the things that were mentioned, while also left pondering my past and future lives.

One thing I can confidently predict, despite my lack of astrological training, is that I will be returning to Bhutan – in this lifetime, I mean.