Your Personal Guide To The Perfect Holiday In Bali’s Self-Care Mecca
Like the cliché goes, I came to Bali – specifically Ubud – to heal. For almost four years I struggled with my health, spiralling down to a place I’d be happy to never visit again.
After a trip to Thailand changed my life (that’s another story), I knew I had to treat recovery like a full-time job, so quit my day one in Australia to head to Ubud.
A charming and chaotic town in the central highlands with incredibly creative vegan cafes, Ubud is known as the spiritual hub of the island. With gorgeous temples, artisans and stunning rice fields and jungle, more than three million foreign tourists visit this gem each year.
It’s also a healing mecca: world-renowned yoga studios, Tantra workshops, yoni steaming, Kambo medicine, cacao ceremony, sound healings in pyramids – you name the modality, chances are you’ll find it here.
But too much choice can be overwhelming, especially when you’re on holiday and don’t have ample time for trial and error.
After nine months of this shiz, I’ve put together a list of self-care recommendations to get you off to a solid start (but in no way is this list exhaustive).
NB: Recommending healers/ings is a tricky business, as it is so subjective. With many factors at play, I have zero responsibility for your experience.
Healing in Ubud
Psychotherapy
Nigel is the Director at Svarga Loka’s Ayusha Functional Wellbeing Centre.
He is also the man. A kind of a one-stop-shop for all things psychotherapy, dietetics and detox, if you’re feeling meh and aren’t exactly sure what’s going on, he’s a good person to ask. In terms of psychotherapy, Nigel has been a big part of my healing journey, and I thank my lucky stars I found him.
Yoga (And More)
Radiantly Alive is my pick for Yoga in Ubud. The Yoga Barn is the behemoth that put Ubud on the map. There’s also Intuitive Flow for a sweet, smaller studio in expat enclave Penestanan. Ubud Yoga Centre is a contemporary space perched above a gorgeous river.
Hot tip: All yoga studios in Ubud offer so much more than yoga – from Tantra workshops and sound healing to mandalas to breathwork. Check event schedules for your interests.
Yoga Teacher Training
Brooke and Lara at Back2Roots Retreats are the real deal. They guide people on the powerful journey back to the core of themselves in spectacular locations around the world – one of which is Bali. If you have the opportunity to do YTT with these two (and Lara’s fiancé Benny, who is a magician with sound), then don’t hesitate.
Yogi hub Radiantly Alive has fast become renowned for their excellent Yoga Teacher Trainings, especially when led by teachers Persia and James, or Meghan Currie.
Colonic Hydrotherapy
Within the Gaia Retreat Centre you’ll find professional-level colonics at Gaia Holistic Clinic.
The Yoga Barn uses the Woods Gravity Method which is gentler (and Anita is great).
Svarga Loka offer ‘standard’ spring water colonics through to deluxe options.
Naturopathy
Frederique Nault at Bali Wellness Centre isn’t just a naturopath. She is also an iridologist and herbalist who specialises in allergy elimination and detoxification processes with a wealth of experience spanning decades.
Sound Healing
North of Ubud, Pyramids of Chi offers impressive live sound healings multiple times per day inside actual pyramids with mother gongs, didgeridoo and crystal bowls.
Reiki
Punnu Singh Wassu holds a room like nobody else. People flock to his Active Consciousness Meditation at The Yoga Barn (he also leads Kirtan), but you can have a one-on-one session for Reiki with this gifted Grand Master.
Soul Body Integration
Phill Hunt is a special healer with broad knowledge and experience spanning multiple fields: osteopathy, psychology, homeopathy, acupuncture, naturopathic nutrition and bioresonance.
Pulling his life’s work into a method he calls Soul Body Integration, Phil creates an incredibly safe and gentle space to move through stored emotions, beliefs and traumas while using osteopathy to make physical space and movement, too.
Astrology
Flowers for Dais astrologer Daisy is a special soul with strong channelling abilities that complement her one-on-one evolutionary astrology readings.
This isn’t just about getting your chart read – Daisy will look beyond; into karmic patterns, soul lessons and shadow.
Tarot
I left my tarot reading with Budenovi at Tarot Bali not knowing which way was up, and considering this definitely ain’t my first rodeo in this arena, I was impressed.
A favourite of Alicia Silverstone, Budenovi is a talented Balinese tarot reader who’ll give you a glimpse into your future with a dose of good humour.
Massage
Good budget options: StarChild Spas or Sedona Spa (try the four hands massage).
Mid range: Ida’s Body and Soul – for those who like a strong massage. If you like it so deep that you make noises you didn’t know were humanly possible, ask for Wayan (who I’ve nicknamed Wayan The Destroyer). They also have a spot in Canggu.
Ubud Traditional Spa is a family-run spa with a distinct Balinese feel. Try the rice farmer massage that uses both oil and salt.
Finish the pretty Campuhan Ridge Walk with a massage and flower bath at Karsa Spa, surrounded by rice fields. Thanks to Instagram, this is one you have to book in advance. If you want a lush resort-level flower bath, then Maya Resort is your ticket.
For an ultimate Ubud splurge, try Amandari Resort Ubud. This luxury resort on the spectacular Sayan ridge has a fabulous, serene spa. Ask for Kimiko: she is amazing.
IV Therapy
Try Svarga Loka or The Dose Bali (they’ll come to your house should you need).
Sauna
Tjampuhan Spa is an otherworldly space with stone carvings and natural spring-fed cold dipping pools, this sauna and spa in Hotel Tjampuhan is right on the river and a very Ubud experience (for under $15).
Svarga Loka has a modern two-person far infrared sauna.
The Yoga Barn also offers two far infrared saunas in their KUSH Ayurvedic spa.
Bali Dacha is a Russian bathhouse in the jungle. This ‘spa village and lounge club’ offers a unique sauna experience with live music, dancing and shisha afterward.
Ecstatic Dance and Dance
Like a spiritual blue light disco, Friday nights in Ubud are spent ecstatic dancing at The Yoga Barn. You can also let loose to their equally popular Sunday morning session. All the spiritual kids are doing it.
Usually a cinema, Paradiso Ubud‘s Thursday nights are dedicated to ecstatic dance. They also hold a popular Saturday morning Contact Improvisation Dance class.
Mana Mei is a classically-trained dancer with three decades of experience, who began exploring personal embodied dance and expressive movement after moving to Bali. Helping others experience dance as medicine, Mana travels the world with her offerings. When based in Ubud, her workshops and classes are musts.
Gyms
Ubud Fitness Centre and Resya Gym are no-frills options for those who want an affordable place to sweat.
Titi Batu Fitness Club is the deluxe option, more like a lifestyle centre. It has everything from a skate park and squash and basketball courts, to a kid’s playground, steam and sauna, 25m lap pool, gym, fitness studio and café.
Balinese Healer
Ari is a traditional Balinese healer (by donation) who will make a trip to Wa-Kung Café on Monkey Forest Road to see clients. After chatting about whatever is coming up for you, he offers channelled guidance and then will usually end the exchange with an energy healing. However, sessions vary depending on the person.
Water Temple Cleansing
You can’t come to Bali without going to temple; the island is brimming with sacred sites for honouring Hindu devotional practices, and water is all about purification.
While most tourists will head straight to Pura Tirta Empul near Ubud, make your way to Gunung Kawi Sebatu – a beautiful temple for performing a purification ceremony.
(Lead Images: Author’s Own / Pyramids Of Chi)
