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SVATMA IN THANJAVUR, INDIA INTRODUCES AN INNOVATIVE NEW SOUND HEALING THERAPY TREATMENT

SVATMA the experiential boutique hotel, creates a new destination experience – A first for India – connecting the guest to the healing qualities of music through a new vibrational sound therapy session, offered as part of the Soukyam Spa programme.

September 1stIndia

Thanjavur – the heart of India’s music and classical dance – is where the Indian ‘Veena’ instrument was born and made. The same number of ‘fretts’ or strings of the Veena, equal that of the human vertebrae and when the instrument is played, each note stirs a physical and emotive connection. The owners of SVATMA are enhancing this sensation one step further by utilising the findings of current research, which shows that sound healing synchronises brain waves to achieve a profound state of relaxation and helps to restore the normal vibratory frequencies of the cells in one’s body. Hence the introduction of a SVARAM sound bed, Nidra Anantar – a massage table, which has been orchestrated to have 50 strings carefully tuned and stretched underneath. A skilled therapist, with over 12 years of experience in wellness and healing uses a resonator to create vibrations and an acoustic massage, which nurtures the emotional-physical system. The session will create a deep harmonising effect of pure sound and a deep state of relaxation. The aim is for the SVARAM sound bed to project the individual into a deeper, dreamlike, relaxed alpha state, which will alleviate stress and relax the muscles, re-aligning the body to stimulate inherent self healing transformative powers, leaving the client content, clear minded, positive with a new found sense of energy. The SVARAM sound bed therapy is the latest offering at Soukyam, which specialises in offering treatments and therapies using the ancient siddha school of wellness, which predates Ayurveda.

HOW: The SVARAM sound bed therapy comprises 30 minutes of sound therapy and 15 minutes of healing (45 in total) and costs Rs 3000 / £36 GBP approx. excluding taxes and is available to book at The Soukyam Spa at SVATMA. Prices at SVATMA start from INR 16,000 / £170 www.svatma.in

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SIBBJÄNS ARRIVES ON GOTLAND, SWEDEN

February 2nd

SIBBJÄNS ARRIVES ON GOTLAND, SWEDEN

SIBBJÄNS ARRIVES ON GOTLAND, SWEDEN

A REGENERATIVE FARM STAY SHAPED BY SEASONS, FRIENDSHIP AND CRAFTSMANSHIP

Sweden

Sibbjäns began quietly, the combined dream of Jonas Nordlander and Sanna Rönn, who with close friends and many meaningful couples Pontus and Kina Zeidler share a life between Stockholm and Gotland. Over the past four years, they have steadily transformed this former horse farm into a regenerative stay that feels singular to anywhere else in Scandinavia.

After a soft opening in 2025 for friends and family, the farm stay now enters 2026 as its first full season, opening more intentionally to a like-minded global community drawn to nature, food, and thoughtful design.

 

A PLACE TO REST

 

22 individually designed rooms sit across the Hotel and ‘The Bunkhouse,’ each named after important women in the family and among their friends. Adorned with classic Scandi touches of sheepskin throws, limewashed walls, soft palettes, and contemporary art, the spaces are designed for comfort.

Buildings are framed by wildflowers and constructed using traditional methods, much of the work completed by hand, with local craftsmanship central to the process. Architect Maja Berg has been a key contributor, working alongside Erik Larsson, a Master of Gotlandic Craft Heritage, who built some of the original buildings himself and continues to pass on traditional building knowledge to the next generation.

THE KITCHEN FOLLOWS THE FARM

At the heart of Sibbjäns is a working farm home to hens, Mangalitza pigs, horses, and sheep, with agriculture guiding both the kitchen and the guest experience.

In the gardens, lead gardener and local Karin Winarve brings a quiet hand to what thrives here across meadows, vegetable beds, and fruit-growing plots. Produce is grown on-site and harvested seasonally, forming the backbone of a true farm-to-table approach—one that pauses entirely during the winter months when the land rests.

 

EXPERIENCES & ‘VIKING WELLNESS’

New for the 2026 season, wellbeing at Sibbjäns is restorative rather than prescriptive. Inspired by Nordic traditions and the physicality of outdoor life, the evolving wellness offering includes:

  • A hand-built yoga barn

  • A wood-fired sauna

  • An outdoor gym

  • Recreational spaces

  • The beginnings of what will become one of the world’s most beautiful tennis courts.

The surrounding landscape invites guests to engage with nature on its own terms, from cycling or horse riding across open farmland to kitesurfing along Gotland’s windswept coastline (widely regarded as one of the finest spots in Europe for the sport). This is ‘Viking wellness’ in spirit—elemental, grounding, and quietly transformative.

 

SWEDEN’S ‘SUNSHINE ISLAND’

Gotland is Sweden’s sunniest destination, known for its distinctive light, limestone landscapes, and strong ‘right to roam’ ethos. Open from Easter through to Christmas and closed entirely during the dark winter months, Sibbjäns follows the natural calendar rather than resisting it.

Reaching it is part of the journey:

  • A short flight from Stockholm to the island’s capital of Visby, followed by a drive across the island.

  • A ferry crossing that reinforces the sense of arrival somewhere distinct and deliberately unhurried.

  • For those preferring a more direct approach, arrival by helicopter is also possible.

At its core, Sibbjäns remains a place for friends old and new built slowly, grounded in nature, and designed to endure.

BRENNERS PARK-HOTEL & SPA REOPENS AFTER LANDMARK RENOVATION

November 5th

BRENNERS PARK-HOTEL & SPA REOPENS AFTER LANDMARK RENOVATION

A New Chapter Begins as Europe’s Legendary Grand Hotel Returns

Alive with the Spirit of the Black Forest and the Cultural Pulse of Baden-Baden

Germany

Following a meticulous two-year transformation, Brenners Park-Hotel & Spa, the original grande dame of the Oetker Hotels portfolio, proudly reopens its doors – ushering in a revitalised era of timeless hospitality and contemporary finesse.
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