The Living Kitchen - A Culinary Retreat
The kitchen is a constant, a place we return to most days. The ingredients we choose and the way we prepare them become part of how we care for ourselves, often without giving it much thought.
The Living Kitchen invites you to pay a little more attention. Across five days, familiar ingredients become the starting point for ten hands-on sessions with our chefs. Open the spice box and discover the distinct character of each one. Work with dough and learn about the role of touch and time. Follow cacao from bean-to-bar, explore the basics of fermentation, and work closely with herbs, dairy, and mushrooms.
There are techniques to learn but also value in understanding what we eat more deeply. Cook, taste, and ask questions as you explore ingredients, the processes that shape them, and practical ways to make more considered choices in your own kitchen.
Dates & Information
August 5 - 9, 2026
Set in a dense Sal Forest just outside Dehradun, with the Himalayan foothills of Mussoorie to the north, our Indian retreat is a refuge for all beings, people, plants, birds, butterflies, and the odd monkey.
Need further help?
reservations-vana@sixsenses.com
+91 135 351 1111, +91 135 614 1111, +91 135 391 1114
Is this retreat right for you?
If you’d like to build a more considered relationship with the food you prepare and eat, and better support the way you nourish yourself, The Living Kitchen allows you to look a little closer. You may want to understand your spice box, feel more confident working with dough, or learn what happens when ingredients ferment. No professional kitchen experience is needed. Simply come ready to cook and armed with curiosity.
Benefits
- Understand familiar ingredients and the processes that shape them
- Explore how everyday food choices can support nourishment and well-being
- Build practical skills across spices, bread, cacao, fermentation, herbs, dairy, and mushrooms
- Learn how time, temperature, and technique influence the food you prepare
- Become more confident in working with ingredients beyond following a recipe
- Cook and exchange ideas with the culinary team at Six Senses Vana
- Take practical techniques and a more considered approach to nourishment back to your own kitchen
What’s included
- Five days of hands-on culinary sessions with the Six Senses Vana culinary team
- Ten culinary sessions exploring ingredients, techniques, and everyday nourishment
- Arrival wellness consultation and screening
- One private wellness treatment per day
- All meals, including breakfast, lunch, afternoon tea, and dinner
- Daily group well-being activities
- Access to wellness technologies and therapy tools
- Round-trip airport transfers from Dehradun Airport
- Attire for your stay, including clothing, footwear, and accessories
Daily schedule
-
Arrival Day
-
Stay Days
-
Departure Day
Your accommodation
Contemporary design and modern conveniences, with a balcony to envelope you in nature.
A cozy and comfortable space to rest with a neutral palette of colors featuring a king bed for a guest on their own, or two guests together. The room leads to a balcony overlooking the gardens and heart of our wellness resort in India.
USD 659 per night for single occupancy in a Garden King Room
USD 1,059 per night for double occupancy in a Garden King Room
Additional saving offers are available for stays of five nights or more.
For more information please contact the resort directly, reservations-vana@sixsenses.com
About the presenter
Chef Rajesh
With over two decades of culinary experience, Chef Rajesh approaches wellness cuisine with curiosity and a deep understanding of ingredients. His cooking brings together Indian culinary traditions, global influences, and Ayurvedic principles, with seasonality and local produce guiding the way. In his kitchen, knowing an ingredient is as important as knowing a recipe, an approach he shares with guests through food that is nourishing and crafted for everyday well-being.
Are you interested in booking?
Discover more retreats at Six Senses Vana
-
Six Senses Vana
A Mystic Music Retreat with Vipul Rikhi
August 11 - 17, 2026
Some songs end. Others follow you home. Join writer, singer, and storyteller Vipul Rikhi for a retreat where folk music, poetry, and stories bring the ancient words of Kabir, Meera, Rumi, Khusro, and other poets into the present. Listen, laugh, reflect, and explore ideas of love, longing, and freedom that feel surprisingly familiar, even centuries later.
From USD 659 per person in a Garden King Room
