Garden Cottage
A quiet cottage among the palms, with a veranda for morning tea and a garden you can walk barefoot in.
(00) SATTVA — AYURVEDA & DETOX RETREAT, KERALA
Come home to your body.
Seven slow days on the Alleppey backwaters — warm oil, warm food, sunrise yoga and a ritual written for your dosha. Nothing to keep up with, nothing to prove.
NEXT GROUPEvery Monday12 guests at most · From £520
From £520 per person12 guests at mostEvery Monday new groups startKerala, India Alleppey backwaters
(01) KNOW YOUR NATURE
Three doshas. One of them is you.
Ayurveda begins with constitution, not symptoms. Pick the nature that sounds most like you — the Vaidya confirms it in person on your first morning, and your whole ritual is written around it.
YOUR NATURE — FIRE + WATER
Pitta runs hot and sharp. When it is out of balance, skin flares, temper shortens and sleep turns shallow. The ritual for Pitta is cooling and softening: cool oils, gentle touch, shade in the afternoon, and food that calms rather than stokes.
RECOMMENDED TREATMENTSShirodharaAbhyangaNasyaHotSharpLightIntenseYour dosha is confirmed in person — this is a starting point, not a diagnosis.
(02) THE RITUAL
5 days, one ritual.
The days build on each other — settle, cleanse, deepen, release, restore, integrate, return. Choose a length below and the journey follows it: a 3-day reset shows its three days, the full Panchakarma shows all seven.
DAY 1–5 — 5-DAY DEEP CLEANSE
- DAY 1
Arrive & settle
Consultation and a gentle first touch.
Morning · 09:00Arrive, settle into your cottage, and sit down with the Vaidya for your dosha consultation — pulse, questions, and a plan for the days ahead.
Midday · 13:00A light kitchari lunch, then a gentle foot massage and an afternoon free to walk the bund and watch the backwaters.
Evening · 18:30A short Abhyanga to loosen the journey out of your shoulders, herbal tea, and an early night.
- DAY 2
Begin the cleanse
Warm oil, warm food, slow mornings.
Morning · 06:30Sunrise yoga and breathwork on the deck, then warm water with lemon and a slow, quiet breakfast.
Midday · 11:00Full-body Abhyanga followed by a herbal steam. Lunch is kitchari with ghee and cumin.
Evening · 17:30A guided meditation by the water, then a light dinner and an early night — no screens after dark.
- DAY 3
Deepen
The oil reaches further in.
Morning · 06:30Yoga and breathwork, then a warm oil head massage. Breakfast is stewed fruit and spiced porridge.
Midday · 11:00Shirodhara — a slow stream of warm oil on the forehead — followed by rest in a dark, cool room.
Evening · 17:30A gentle walk along the backwaters, then soup, tea and sleep.
- DAY 4
Release
What the body is ready to let go of.
Morning · 06:30Yoga, breathwork and a warm lemon cleanse. Breakfast is light — fruit and herbal tea.
Midday · 11:00Pizhichil — warm oil poured and massaged in rhythm — then a long rest. Lunch is simple kitchari.
Evening · 17:30Sitting by the water at dusk. A short talk on daily routine, then dinner and sleep.
- DAY 5
Restore
Nourishment comes back in.
Morning · 06:30Yoga and breathwork, then Nasya — herbal oil for the sinuses — and a fuller breakfast with ghee and fruit.
Midday · 11:00Kizhi — warm herbal poultices pressed along the joints — followed by a slow lunch and a nap.
Evening · 17:30A backwater boat ride at golden hour, then a proper dinner together under the trees.
(03) PROGRAMMES
Choose how long you stay.
Three lengths, one ritual. The longer you stay, the deeper the cleanse goes — and the timeline above follows whichever you pick.
3 DAYS · 2 NIGHTS
3-Day Reset
A long weekend to arrive and exhale. Consultation, daily Abhyanga and Shirodhara — enough to feel the difference.
- Dosha consultation
- Daily Abhyanga
- 1 Shirodhara
- All meals included
£520 per person
5 DAYS · 4 NIGHTS
5-Day Deep Cleanse
Most chosenThe full cleanse arc: consultation, five days of treatments, Pizhichil and Kizhi, and a backwater boat ride at golden hour.
- Dosha consultation
- Daily treatments
- Pizhichil & Kizhi
- Backwater boat ride
£840 per person
7 DAYS · 6 NIGHTS
7-Day Panchakarma
The classical seven-day Panchakarma, done properly and slowly. The full ritual, a take-home plan, and a routine to keep.
- Full Panchakarma
- Daily treatments
- Take-home plan
- One-to-one with the Vaidya
£1,150 per person
(04) STAYS
Sleep close to the water.
Every stay includes the same ritual, the same food and the same quiet. The difference is how close you sleep to the backwaters.
Garden Cottage
A quiet cottage among the palms, with a veranda for morning tea and a garden you can walk barefoot in.
Included
Backwater View
A room above the water, with a balcony over the backwaters — boats drift past while you have your tea.
+ £90 per person
Private Villa
A standalone villa with its own plunge pool and garden — for two, or for one person who wants real quiet.
+ £220 per person
(05) TREATMENTS
The ritual, treatment by treatment.
Six treatments, each with its own oil, its own rhythm and its own dosha. Tap one to open it.
60 MIN · BEST FOR VATA & PITTA
The foundation of everything here. Warm herbal oil, massaged over the whole body in long, slow strokes. It loosens the shoulders, steadies the nerves and helps you sleep like you used to.
VataPitta(06) WHAT'S INCLUDED
Everything is taken care of.
One price, no extras to think about. You arrive, we handle the rest — treatments, food, yoga and the boat ride included.
Dosha consultation with the Vaidya
Daily Ayurvedic treatments
All vegetarian meals, cooked on site
Sunrise yoga & breathwork
Herbal teas, oils & steam
Backwater walks & boat ride
Mats, props & blankets
Small groups — max 12 guests
FROM OUR OWN GARDENHerbs, oils & steamBlended on site, for your dosha, every morning.
(07) PRACTITIONERS
The hands behind the ritual.
A small team, not a spa floor. The same three people look after you all week — they know your dosha, your shoulders and your sleep by day two.
AYURVEDIC PHYSICIAN (VAIDYA)
Ananya
Consultations & Panchakarma
Trained in Kerala, practising for over a decade. She reads the pulse, asks the right questions, and writes a plan that fits the person in front of her — not the textbook.
“The body tells you what it needs. My job is to listen, then write the ritual around it.”
SENIOR THERAPIST
Meera
Abhyanga & Shirodhara
Hands that have done this thousands of times. Meera is the one guests ask for by name, and the reason the Shirodhara room is always booked first.
YOGA & BREATHWORK TEACHER
Arjun
Sunrise practice & breath
Leads the sunrise practice on the deck — slow, steady and quiet, with no experience needed and no showing off. He teaches the breath you take home with you.
0DAYS, LONGEST PROGRAMME
0GUESTS, AT MOST
0TREATMENTS IN THE RITUAL
0+YEARS OF PRACTICE
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(08) GUEST VOICES
What guests say, in their own words.
I arrived wired and left quiet. The Shirodhara did something no holiday ever has.
Guest words are placeholders — replace with real reviews.
(09) QUESTIONS
Before you ask.
QUESTION 01
Do I need to know my dosha before I arrive?
No. The Vaidya works it out in your consultation on the first morning — pulse, questions, and a look at how you actually live. The dosha selector on this page is just a way to explore; your plan is written for you, in person.
(10) BOOK
Request your stay.
Pick a programme and a stay — the price updates as you choose. Send the request and we confirm within a day.