It’s a funny thing, fame — a double-edged sword as many call it. On one side lies the glamour, the spotlight, the allure of it all. But on the other, behind all the glitz as anyone with a true glimpse into the lives of public figures will tell you, lies a sense of fatigue: a yearning for space, for silence, for retreat. And nestled in the Himalayan foothills, surrounded by ancient forests, is Ananda in the Himalayas, a wellness sanctuary where the famous — and the famously exhausted — come to escape, relax and rejuvenate.

Over the past 25 years, Ananda has quietly evolved into a global voice in holistic health and luxury wellness. Long before wellness tourism became the buzzword it is today, Ashok Khanna, the visionary founder of Ananda, saw where the world was heading. Stress. Fatigue. Burnout. Lifestyle disorders brought on by the pace and priorities of modern life. And his answer wasn’t very futuristic — on the contrary, it was to return to our roots. The age-old principles of Ayurveda, the meditative discipline of yoga, the philosophy of Vedanta.

Aniket Sarkar, General Manager at Ananda in the Himalayas, understands that in a time when wellness has become increasingly celebrity-driven, Ananda remains entirely private. High-profile guests — ranging from Oprah Winfrey to Ricky Martin, Kate Winslet, Amitabh Bachchan, Kajol, King Charles III, Queen Camilla Parker Bowles, Anushka Sharma, Virat Kohli and Deepak Chopra to name a few — come not for recognition, but for anonymity.

A Step Away from the Spotlight

Entertaining international celebrities, royalty, and Bollywood A-listers certainly calls for a heightened need of privacy and security. But do they bring their own? “Yes, quite often,” says Sarkar. “Ananda hosts a number of guests who need security. We have the support of local authorities as well and guests [typically] do not have armed security inside.”

While many come alone, some bring their private security, who stay discreetly out of view, because there are other guests around. Even heads of state, often surrounded by layers of protocol, appreciate the shared-space philosophy. “No one disrupts the environment,” Sarkar explains. “When we host heads of state, their journey remains private, quiet enough to respect the communal healing of others.”

While the hotel does have private villas and areas less accessible, Sarkar observes that he notices that often, celebrities let their security be at the gate and simply wish to be anonymous inside. He adds, “Ananda has always maintained its policies to have no non-resident guests, so everybody who comes in here is on a journey. By the virtue of the place, everybody respects each other’s personal space and it’s a very non-intrusive environment.”

By essence, they take away the spotlight — the fact that celebrities are guests who need something extraordinary. “We also impress upon people that when you are here, you are on a retreat — a retreat from your public personality,” he notes.

Interestingly, author and columnist Shobhaa De wrote something similar about running into actor Ishaan Khatter at Ananda in an article by The Week back in 2019. She said, “I recalled spending a few days at Ananda in the Himalayas, and noticing a cute, young boy on the premises, whose head was always inside a big, fat book, even during meals! He was polite and courteous with waiting staff but preferred to be left alone.” Adding, “It was on my last day there that I was told it was Shahid’s [Kapoor’s] half-brother Ishaan Khatter, who had just made a terrific debut to great reviews in Beyond the Clouds.”

Here, everyone dons the same cotton kurta-pyjama. The public identity is checked at the door, replaced by the rare luxury of being nobody in particular. And celebrities, surprisingly — or perhaps not — are entirely receptive to this. There are no paparazzi. No selfie requests. The staff at Ananda are under strict protocols to ask for no autographs. Mobile phone use is limited in common areas. Even among fellow guests, there’s a sense of shared understanding.

Celebrity or not, guests here are seekers, not spectacles. A rare kind of luxury holiday that lets the A-list travel without their entourages. “That’s not the purpose of Ananda,” Sarkar says.

He adds, “I’ve seen a lot of them go without make-up or styled hair. It’s like the comfort of one’s living room, a non-judgmental environment. [Celebrities] wish to be by themselves amid nature and people.”

A Detox from Fame

But what exactly do these well-known names come seeking?

Increasingly, it’s not just detoxing or spa indulgence. Sarkar explains that many are battling deep fatigue, mental overload or lingering lifestyle disorders that modern medicine can only manage, not cure. From Ayurvedic experiences, yoga and meditation, emotional healing, Vedanta talks, physiotherapy, infra-red sauna, oriental experiences and more — this is certainly the place for that.

“My first treatment was the detoxifying hydro therapy bath, where a salt scrub was rubbed all over my body before I stepped into a jacuzzi for a 30-minute relaxing water massage,” shared actor-designer Masaba Gupta, in an interview with Vogue. “A synchronised massage by two therapists with sesame oil to release stress and tension ensued. I had come to Ananda after a gruelling fashion week; this helped me truly unwind. I slept so much better that night!”

Programmes begin with comprehensive diagnostics — conversations, reports and an in-depth review of the guest’s lifestyle. The goal isn’t to pamper, but to empower so guests leave with more than just glowing skin.

Sarkar continues, “All our guests who have that kind of fame are wonderful human beings deep down. They want to address their concerns. Something that modern medical science is not able to address.” He understands that this is a demographic that has global medical experts at their disposal, but they’re still open towards receiving traditional forms of knowledge. And they have the respect and discipline to follow through.

Similarly, their international celebrity clientele seeks something deeper. Most of them are already very aware about Indian holistic medicine practices, and have had exposure to it, but are seeking something in the emotional, spiritual realms of life.

“But the guidance in the West is often a mixed bag so when they come to a place that sticks to authenticity, they realise the simplest of practices takes more mindfulness and is more difficult, rather than doing something dynamic,” he says.

Not to mention, the retreat’s culinary philosophy mirrors this approach. The wellness cuisine at Ananda is perhaps one of its most underrated aspects — a 14-day rotating menu that respects the principles of Ayurveda while satisfying global palates. One that’s not about restriction, but realisation.

“Ayurvedic texts highlight the kind of diet that is more suitable and dosha [three energies believed to circulate in the body and govern physiological activity] balancing. We have worked upon understanding the innate nature of ingredients, the season that it is served in and the preparation. For example, a lemon is acidic by nature but when you ingest it it’s alkaline.”

The Next Steps

Considering the growing focus on community wellness, they’ve introduced the Ananda Institute for Skill Development, which trains local youth and women in wellness therapies and traditional sciences. Sustainability, too, has been a silent but steady commitment since the beginning — water and energy conservation, zero non-resident guest policies and practices that integrate with rather than disturb the surrounding ecosystem.

However, in recent years, the clientele has shifted, notes Sarkar. More guests arrive not just to unwind, but with a goal. There’s a rising demand for measurable outcomes, and Ananda has responded with evolving programmes — currently around 16 in total — that span everything from stress management and hormone balancing to spiritual awakening and chronic pain relief. The common thread? A belief in ancient wisdom but guided entirely by modern intelligence. “The audience is becoming aware and far more demanding with regards to outcomes, and they are also seeking to understand, not just follow,” he notes.

And so, Ananda is now leaning more deeply into evidence-based wellness, working with researchers and technology to bridge ancient practices with modern science. Sarkar says, “Traditional healthcare really works, it can be sustainable, and we are strongly working towards creating those outcomes which are well defined and involve modern technology to support it.”

In an interview with Vogue, actor Neena Gupta attested to the fact. “Ananda was unbelievably relaxing — we ended up sleeping better, our stomachs felt much leaner and lighter with each passing day and we actually preferred talking to each other over fiddling with our phones. We ended this much-needed wellness getaway with the powerful Ganga arti at Rishikesh, feeling blessed and grateful for the quality time we got to spend with each other, away from the hustle and bustle of the city.”

And as the world wakes up to the power of holistic health, Ananda stands as a sanctuary where fame is irrelevant, and one’s wellbeing is everything.

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