Travellers are starting to expect more from a wellness holiday than a massage and a few quiet hours by the pool. Time in nature, meaningful rest and a chance to properly switch off are becoming just as important. Hidden high in India’s Western Ghats, The Leela Coorg Forest Sanctuary brings these ideas together in a retreat shaped as much by its surroundings as by what happens inside the spa.
It is part of a bigger shift in luxury travel. Forest bathing, nature-led therapies and slower, more immersive escapes are finding their way into hotel experiences as GCC travellers look for holidays that feel restorative, not just relaxing.
For travellers in the Middle East, the trend is particularly relevant. The region recorded the fastest growth in wellness tourism trips globally between 2019 and 2024, suggesting that more travellers are looking for holidays that offer something beyond traditional rest and relaxation.
When the forest becomes the spa
One practice gaining particular attention is Shinrin-yoku, or ‘forest bathing.’ Originating in Japan, this has little to do with hiking or exercise. The idea is much simpler: slow down, spend time among trees and pay attention to the sights, sounds and sensations of the forest. Studies have linked shinrin-yoku with improved psychological wellbeing, including lower levels of stress and anxiety, as well as reduced heart rate.
Spread across 76 acres of ancient forest and coffee plantations, The Leela Palace Coorg Forest Sanctuary places nature at the heart of the stay. Its 71 private villas are surrounded by lakes, waterfalls and dense greenery. Forest bathing sessions take guests deeper into that landscape, while breathwork and outdoor movement incorporate estate botanicals and local techniques.
Regularly spotted on nature walks, the property is home to hundreds of indigenous flora and fauna including the Indian giant flying squirrel, the Malabar gliding frog and the Indian Bark praying mantis. The forest retreat is also home to roaming iguanas, tortoises, emus, rabbits, goats and cows – whilst the aviary means guests can interact with and feed rare and beautiful birds.
From treatment to journey
Shinrin-yoku is only one example of how the idea of wellness travel is changing. Instead of booking an hour-long treatment at the spa, travellers are looking for places where wellbeing is built into the experience from morning to night.
This thinking runs through The Leela Coorg Forest Sanctuary. Aujasya by The Leela, the brand’s signature wellness concept, is housed within a 27,000-square-foot wellness center – with outdoor treatment spaces and a Vinyasa Yoga Deck overlooking the lake. Personalised therapies draw on Indian traditions, but the experience does not stop when guests leave the treatment room. The forest itself offers plenty of space to slow down and reset.
Guided by the Trinity of Balance – Shakti (energy and vitality), Shanti (inner peace) and Soumya (inner beauty) – Aujasya by The Leela allows guests to reconnect with themselves in ways that feel both intuitive and deeply personal, whether through science-backed experiences, ancient Indian rituals, or thoughtfully crafted meal plans.
Set within one of Coorg’s oldest coffee estates, the property is IGBC Platinum-certified, with architecture inspired by Kodava heritage and traditional estate living. Here, sustainability and wellness are not treated as separate parts of the stay.
Reconnecting with nature
A closer connection to nature is also shaping how guests spend their time. A morning might start beneath the forest canopy, followed by a walk through the coffee plantations or a trail leading towards a waterfall. Birdwatching opens up another side of the Western Ghats, while evenings bring the chance to slow down beneath clear night skies.
Coffee, naturally, is part of the story too. The signature Estate to Brew experience takes guests through one of the region’s oldest coffee plantations, combining estate walks and storytelling with an introduction to Coorg’s coffee heritage. Guests are introduced to the various stages that transform the coffee cheery into the bean in an exercise that requires craft, patience and precision. The journey culminates at 92 Degrees Artisanal Coffee Lounge & Library with a nuanced tasting, which completes the connection between land and cup.
A new expression of luxury
Luxury is no longer only about what a hotel can fit within its walls. Increasingly, it is also about access to experiences that are difficult to find elsewhere.
At The Leela Coorg Forest Sanctuary, the comforts of an ultra-luxury retreat are all there, from private villas and an expansive wellness centre to a private helipad that makes the secluded setting easier to reach. But perhaps its greatest luxury is something far simpler: space, quiet and the chance to switch off.
With wellness tourism continuing to grow, retreats that bring together nature and wellbeing are becoming increasingly relevant to the way people want to travel.
High in the Western Ghats, The Leela Coorg Forest Sanctuary offers GCC travellers a different kind of escape, one where the forest is not simply the backdrop to the stay, but the reason for it.
