The realities of traveling sometimes don’t quite line up with expectations. What was supposed to be a calm, relaxing trip meant to refuel from the stresses of working a nine to five job can sometimes be quite stressful. Waiting in line with dozens of other tourists to visit an over-crowded destination, figuring out the right hotel to stay at, and maybe even a bad hangover since you decided to check out the local pubs to “relax”. Not to mention the reality we all face living in a pandemic society, where it may not be the best to frequent the usual tourist hotbeds. But rather find somewhere more remote and detached to experience travel. Cue wellness travel.

Wellness travel is rising amongst those who wish to nourish themselves physically, emotionally, spiritually, and intellectually. The point is to do something physically and emotionally rewarding for yourself. Not to just check out all the tourist hot spots you were always told you have to go to.

So where does one go for wellness travel? There are many locations around the world good for wellness travel. Specifically, Songstam lodges, located in the Tibetan plateau. “Songtsam” is the Tibetan word for paradise, and it lives up to the name. Most of the lodges are located near remote villages, providing a necessary distance from the rush of everyday life. This illustrious and intriguing destination has a deep history of meditation practices and rich traditions. The retreats embody the essence of Tibetan wellness travel. 

Songtsam is an oasis within a fast-paced and ever-changing world. It gives travelers who make the journey to this retreat a memorable and life-changing experience. This allows them to reconnect with their physical and spiritual being.

Snow Mountains On The Tibetan Plateau

Mental and Spiritual Curated Wellness Program  

Sometimes, if you want to truly relax or find inner peace, you need to put in a little effort. It may be nice to lounge on a beach and drink margaritas all day. However, there is a different sort of relaxation and well-being that comes from a curiosity to learn more. One that is more long-lasting as well. 

Songtsam is an immersive, meditative experience that lets you learn about yourself. It is a physical and mental experience that allows you to release negative karma. This helps one uncover more positive sensations found in their mind and body.

The programs are tailored for the purposes of the traveler, individual, or group. While at Songtsam, travelers can learn about the basic tenets of Tibetan meditation and work on emotional regulation. 

People Meditating

Meditation

The workshops include meditation methods with thousands of years of pure heritage. This gives the traveler a basic understanding of how their minds work. While at Songtsam, travelers engage in this more long-term relaxation for themselves. Travelers learn practices that they can take home and apply to their day-to-day routines. In that way, it isn’t just an escape, but something that one can apply to their own life when they return. It’s nice to go to paradise, but it’s even better to bring paradise back home with you.

People Meditating

Emotional Management Workshop

Songtsam offers an emotional management workshop rooted in the time-tested wisdom of Indian and Tibetan culture. More recently reinforced by contemporary neuroscience research. Basic questions, such as how emotion is formed and transformed within, are closely examined. The traveler leaves with a better grasp on the essence of their own emotions and how to better handle them. This way, travel becomes a truly transformative and beneficial experience rather than a one-off sightseeing occasion.

Emotional Management Learning

Tibetan Mindfulness Concerts

Songtsam integrates Tibetan mindfulness concerts into the entire experience. Travelers can use the pleasant vibrations of the music to journey further into their own minds with the aid of Tibetan Sanskrit artists and music therapists. This leaves the mind supple and flexible and ready to experience the world from a fresh perspective.

Signature SPA treatments

Paired with the cultural and meditative experiences at Songstam, which are made to promote mental well-being, is also a host of physical spa treatments. These treatments are meant to promote healing and a sense of well-being for the body. Travelers may have their own preferences when it comes to spa treatments. There are programs tailored for varied physical conditions and preferences.

Songtsam Luxury Spa Room

Relaxing full-body treatments 

There is a host of full-body treatments available at the lodges, such as the Songtsam Lhasa Linka with Tibetan Ghee therapies. The Quinnai and Kyu Nye healing massages soothe and restore every inch of the body.

As an illustrative example, the Tibetan Ghee therapy uses locally sourced yak ghee, butter made from local Yaks, melted in a wooden tsampa powder barrel. The treatment uses layers of ghee with tsampa powder on the skin. This results in incredibly soft skin and a sense of relief from any sort of fatigue stored in the body.

Kyu Nye is a traditional Himalayan therapy further refined at the Songtsam lodges. During these sessions, a physiotherapist uses pranayama and meditation to combine the mental and physical experiences of self-improvement as a pure form of relaxation.

Songtsam Traditional Spa Treatments

Targeted partial-body treatments 

Songtsam also provides partial-body treatments to target specific trouble spots around the body. After a long and scenic hike, it’s a highly pleasant sensation to take the soothing foot massage treatment, which uses Tibetan foot power and olive wormwood oil to promote healing. There are also shoulder and neck massages which greatly reduce the tightness and stiffness built up over years of misuse in day-to-day life.

Songtsam Physical Therapy Room

Relieve facial tension 

If the traveler wants a hearty, glowing face and healthy skin repair, there is the Songtsam facial treatment which uses all-natural and non-abrasive materials to moisturize and rejuvenate the face, leaving it fresher than when they arrived at the spa. 

Songtsam Luxury Facial Room

The SPA product  

The traveler’s spa experience in Songtsam is reinforced and solidified by the high grade of the products utilized for the spa treatment. The base oil used within the spa comes fresh from locally sourced materials, and different products are used for various services. Songtsam finely tunes each locally sourced material to its specific healing purpose in the spa. 

The deep tissue massage oil is meant to relieve muscle stiffness, soreness, fatigue, and poor circulation. It is perfect for repairs of muscles and tendons following a walk or physical activity. There is a soothing massage oil meant for improved breathing and cardiovascular functions. Good night massage oil relaxes and soothes the nervous system and greatly improves the quality of sleep that travelers experience at the lodge.

As an example of the top-notch ingredients used in the spa treatment, we can take a look at where the ingredients for the Himalayan rock salt moisturizing scrub are sourced from. The salt rocks come from the Mangkang salt well located in Tibet, and it also uses wild honey and thorn fruit oil produced in Tacheng.

Songtsam Spa Products

Songtsam Spa Products

Immersive Wellness Environments

The environment is crucial in providing a positive atmosphere for guests. It gives guests the opportunity for relaxation and strong meditation. The lodges serve a very useful function because of the physical and ambient peacefulness of the surrounding environment. As well as the strong cultural interconnection of localized meditation practices and the workshops offered at Songtsam. 

Although many Tibetan locals would not necessarily use the term meditation, the practice is deeply embedded and goes back hundreds and even thousands of years. There is no better place to learn traditions and practices than from where they originated.

There is a fine balance struck at the lodges between offering the entire plethora of rich and diverse Tibetan cuisine, and foods that work best with meditation workshops. The highly experienced chefs at Songtsam serve Tibetan dishes that offer a taste of the local cuisine while promoting health and wellbeing to maximize the efficacy of the meditation workshops. 

The setting and cuisine offered by Songtsam create a truly four-dimensional experience of wellness and welfare of the intrepid traveler. 

Songtsam Meditative Environment

Escape from the world, free your soul, and rejuvenate your body by escaping to the Tibetan plateau for a wellness journey.  This illustrious and intriguing destination has an extensive history of meditation practices and rich traditions. Songtsam retreats embody the essence of Tibetan wellness travel. It is a welcome getaway that is an oasis within an ever-changing world. Those who journey to this breathtaking place will reconnect with their physical and spiritual selves. 

The enlightenment travelers attain become part of their being and stay with them for the rest of their lives.  You won't find anything else like Songtsam on this planet, but you can take a piece of Songtsam with you everywhere you go.