Shilpi Madan
07-Oct-2025
Holistic wellness knits itself harmoniously to the therapeutic spa experience at Mountain Mantra in Mumbai.
I walk uphill and into the premise of the flower-lined bungalow, with nodding greens and the gurgling water cupping the earthy villa. Tucked away from the mayhem of manic Mumbai, Mountain Mantra brings in a haven of serenity.
The well of calm complexions the atrium with low chants forming the background score. My therapist, Aarti, arrives with a smile, and my consultation with Dr Ujjwala sets in over sips of soothing coconut water. Sleep-starved and packed with knots along my shoulders and calves, she determines I need the prized Spine Therapy. A combination of hot stone massage, potli massage and deep tissue massage with special focus along the length of my backbone – the storage area of stress for all us urban souls.
A rosewater and Himalayan salt scrub targets my tired feet first, and after a gentle dip and rub, I make my way to the treatment bed in the spiffy spa suite. Supple fingers work the magic of sandalwood and saffron oil into my skin, easing away the stress from my muscles and filling my limbs with a sense of relaxation. I feel the healing warmth of the volcanic stones as Aarti moves them rhythmically along my spine, with great agility and deftness. I begin to feel recharged, slowly and steadily.
Here is a space that gives me time to centre myself. There is no hurry to feel better, fast. I am in sync with the rhythm and begin to unwind at my own pace, unhurriedly. Gently the stones make way for the goodness of the warm potlis. Each dashmool potli arrives packed with the goodness of 24 Ayurvedic herbs, soothing my being and weaning away the fatigue. The warmth of these magic pouches seems to suffuse the cells of my being as I surrender to the languor.
Follows the medium pressure of the deep tissue massage that works its healing on my muscles sore from the ravages of urban stress and pollution. Fingertips and thumbs find the pressure points along my back naturally and work away the knots with systematic ease. My knuckles, toes, and wrists seem to sing in unison at the unlocking of the innate knots.
At the end of 90 minutes, I feel like a renewed person. Refreshed. Recharged. Rebooted. I shower and slip out to sip on the herbal ginger-powered tea. Then I move to experience the magic of the kansa sole massage: Placing my feet, stroked with cold-pressed coconut oil, on the bronze disc that moves for five minutes in clockwise and anti-clockwise directions, drawing out the toxins from all my joints, visibly. This traditional Ayurvedic practice stimulates the marma – key energy points in my feet, letting me centre myself in comfort, rebalancing my energies. The feet are the most ignored yet most important part of our body, and this dedicated summation of my experience at Mountain Mantra tends to my soles with keen attention. Initially ticklish, the movement works its magic slowly and steadily and I see the toxins disengage from my body and appear on the kansa disc.
Here is a healing space that invites you to slow down, unplug, relax, and plug into your own self, at your own space. With an intense line-up of bath therapies, sound healing and yoga sessions, Mountain Mantra brings in sculpted spaces across multiple levels to let you find your own groove. A must-visit.
