The Healing Heart of Bali

There’s something magical about Bali. As many of the free spirits who move there can attest, wellness comes naturally in this Indonesian province, evidenced by its profusion of plant-based cuisine, abundance of biophilic design, and deep harmony with the natural world.

The beauty of the Island of the Gods is epitomized in the misty rice paddies, dense jungles, and healing rhythms of Ubud, the undisputed heart of Bali. It can also be found in Ubud’s resorts, including the luxurious Como Uma Ubud, perched on the fringes of town between a mountain and the river Oos, and the nearby Como Shambhala Estate, where wellness is a full-body journey.

Ubud derives its name from a Balinese word meaning “medicine.” To be sure, a wealth of unique medicinal plants grows wild in the area’s tropical rainforests, but the air itself seems to carry something healing. A town long brimming with painters and artisans, Ubud mixes tradition, arts, culture, nature, and spiritualism (Bali’s Hindu heritage is atypical in majority-Muslim Indonesia).

Even if you don’t come to Ubud for its medicinal properties, you can’t escape their power. Forget how many sauna-and-ice sessions you endure each week or how clean you eat every day—you don’t realize how much needs to be healed until you compare the person you are upon departure to the person you were at check-in.

Como Uma Ubud boasts 46 rooms, suites, and villas. Find serenity in a King Terrace Room, a sunny option perched above the Tjampuhan Valley and overlooking the gardens. Fling open the French doors, and birdsong becomes your sound machine as the distinct aroma of canang sari—handcrafted offerings of flowers, food, incense, and more placed daily by Balinese Hindus as a form of gratitude and devotion—fills your room. It’s exactly what Japanese interior architect Koichiro Ikebuchi intended.

With surroundings like these, slowing down, tuning in, and quieting all that mental chatter takes zero effort. Still, wellness programming is integral to the overall guest experience at a Como hotel. Mornings begin with yoga in the open-air pavilion, a breezy second-story space nestled amid verdant flora, fauna, and fronds. Chase it with a green juice and breakfast at Kemiri, which is admittedly hard to locate given how seamlessly it’s embedded into the elements; look for a terrace surrounded by a waterfall-fed koi pond and topped by an airy alang-alang ceiling.

Menus across the resort are rooted in Como’s signature Shambhala Cuisine—clean, nourishing dishes designed to maximize energy via raw, organic foods rich in living enzymes, vitamins, sea minerals, and more. 

In addition to Kemiri, there’s Uma Cucina, a lunch and dinner restaurant with Italian influences. Conceived by architect Cheong Yew Kuan and interior designer Maximilian Jencquel, the street-side terrace is a lively spot to feast on locally sourced seasonal produce, seafood, and slow-cooked meats that combine the gourmet heritage of Balinese and Italian cuisines, the spices of India and Indonesia, and Western techniques.

In further proof that happiness stems from simple pleasures, the equipment-free, unplugged, non-cutting-edge daily morning walk through the local rice paddies may prove to be a highlight of your stay. Led by a local guide, you’ll spend an hour wandering past shrines and coconut palms, waving to gardeners and farmers tending their plots, and learning the vital role these emerald fields play in Balinese culture. Continue your adventures off-property by exploring Keliki Village, embarking upon a market tour, or taking a class in the traditional Indonesian martial arts of Pencak Silat.

Uma Activity UMA mountain biking

Back at Como Uma Ubud, cool off in the 75-foot pool, a space so elegantly executed by Bali-based Trevor Hillier that it blends into the landscape like it’s been there since the dawn of time. Order from the poolside Uma Bar to refresh; in addition to fine wines and cocktails, there’s a selection of teas, juices, and mixologist-crafted mocktails that rival the real thing.

Twenty minutes away lies Como Shambhala Estate, which recently debuted renovated accommodations and reopened its Ojas wellness center. Designed by Kuan to marry the environment, indigenous styles of building, and both Asian and European aesthetics—with artful interiors by Ikebuchi—the estate immerses guests in the elements without sacrificing creature comforts. It is set on a 23-acre hillside above the Ayung River, with five themed residences tucked into jungle clearings, each with four or five suites as well as airy living areas and a large pool.

More retreat than hotel, Como Shambhala Estate is meant for guests seeking to deepen their health. Here, wellness programs are personalized, falling into one of five holistic paths. The journey begins with a body composition analysis via Inbody scan and a meeting with the resident Chinese medicine or Ayurvedic consultant to craft an itinerary, which may include everything from acupuncture to yoga, Pilates, and hydrotherapy. The mineralized vitality pool, fed by a natural spring, hosts water-based therapies.

Cultural rituals are on the menu as well. For a soulful pause, the Water Spring Blessing invites guests to don traditional Balinese attire while being guided through chanting, offerings, and a cleanse by a Balinese priest at an ancient holy-water spring in the estate’s gardens. Similarly, guests can venture farther away for a water purification ceremony at the tenth-century Tirta Empul Temple. Or, stay on-property and picnic and swim at Kedara, the estate’s hidden water garden.

Dining at Como Shambhala Estate is as healing as its treatments, with the hotel supplying fruits, veggies, and herbs from its kitchen garden. At contemporary Glow, expect nutrition-packed salads, juices, and fish and meat dishes brimming with colorful produce. Head to Kudus House for a heartier taste of the homeland. Housed in a 150-year-old former Javanese residence, the intricately carved wood interiors are as stunning as the authentic Indonesian fare.

No matter where you stay, it’s impossible to depart unchanged by Ubud’s restorative energy. Here, body and soul get the nourishment they crave, and wellness is the norm, not the exception. (comohotels.com)