Sowa Rigpa Wellness At Songtsam

I have wanted to visit Tibet ever since I was a precocious eight year old and read Lost Horizon. The classic novel wove a compelling tale of survivors from a plane crash in the Himalayas who stumbled upon the hidden valley of Shangri-La, a mythic paradise where inhabitants live extraordinarily long and peaceful lives. Though the book is quite dated, the mystique of Tibet and Shangri-La has long endured. And Tibetan culture, like the land itself, remains remote, mysterious, elusive, and largely misunderstood by outsiders.

Mr. Baima Duoji, a Tibetan photographer and award-winning documentary filmmaker, wanted to remedy that. Duoji got his start on the British documentary, China: Beyond the Clouds, shot in Yunnan Province. He studied at the Beijing Film Academy and directed several films about Tibet, including The Portrait of Mountain, which won the Excellence Award at Cannes in 1998. While in Cannes, Duoji was introduced to his first boutique hotel, “and he realized that a hotel can represent culture,” says his daughter, Florence Li, vice president, director of international sales & marketing, Songtsam Resorts.

In 2000, Duoji decided to transform his former childhood home into a luxurious boutique hotel designed to showcase Tibetan culture. Songtsam Lodge Shangri-La was the first of what is now an award-winning collection of 18 luxury hotels and lodges in Tibet and Yunnan Province. “We feel a responsibility to support the local culture, local economies and local people,” says Li, and no less than 92 percent of the Songtsam staff hail from local villages. (The latest property in the collection, Songtsam Lodge Cizhong, opened in June as a winery hotel in a region of Yunnan known as “Asia’s Bordeaux.”)

Intimate and luxurious, each Songtsam property is different, and hews closely to the local culture, from Lijiang to Lhasa. Guests bound for Songtsam Lodge Lijiang, are greeted at the airport by a guide and driver (assigned for the duration of their stay) and brought to the Lodge, which has an otherworldly charm. The rooms are simple but elegant, featuring high ceilings, colorful Tibetan rugs, Thangka paintings and hand-carved furnishings. A delicious snack, warm milk and a cup of puerrh tea, native to Yunnan, await, along with a pair of soft slippers.

A tour of Lijiang with your guide reveals a quaint city with a Naxi (Tibetan) minority that draws mostly Chinese travelers to the hilly Dayan Ancient town, with its famous Zhongyi Market, and Jade Dragon Snow Mountain. The streets are lined with beautiful flowering trees called sakura, and a tram to the top of the famous mountain features magnificent views of the surrounding countryside. Explore Wenfeng Temple, with a meditation cave where monks meditate for three years or more. Back at the comfortable lodge, words like peaceful or serene don’t begin to do justice to the feeling here.

The 23-room Songtsam Linka Retreat Shangri-La is the second Songtsam property in Shangri-La, with views of the magnificent 17th-century Songzanlin Monastery, the largest Tibetan Buddhist monastery in Yunnan, and an easy walk from the hotel. Guests can enjoy a Yak Butter Curd Latte and will likely learn that the chef is busy preparing his signature yak dish for dinner. (Yak is the cow of Tibet, relied on for food, clothing that is softer than cashmere, and traditional dwellings built from hide.)

There are three restaurants: Western-style, Chinese/Tibetan and Hot Pot, the latter devoted exclusively to the crowd-pleasing spicy dish. Be adventurous and try Tibetan breakfast–tea, tsamp (barley pastry filled with warm yak butter and cheese), fruit. And visit the Tibetan Art Museum on property, which houses Duoji’s extensive art collection.

Sowa Rigpa (Tibetan Wellness) in the Himalayas

The brand’s focus on wellness and sustainability includes the recent launch of a range of new Sowa Rigpa spa experiences. Sowa Rigpa is an ancient Tibetan tradition, such as Ayurveda in India, or Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). It is a holistic medical and wellness system that melds healing (Sowa) with ancient wisdom and modern science (Rigpa). At the spa, there are a range of programs enabling guests to “connect with our culture and themselves,” says Li. A highlight is the deeply relaxing Ku Nye, a traditional massage designed to restore balance to body and spirit.

Other Sowa Rigpa experiences include singing bowl concerts, Tibetan meditation and yoga, Tibetan herbal medicine baths and Hor Me therapy, with customized consultations that determine a bespoke stress- or insomnia-relieving treatment with herbal compresses or medicinal oil massage.

In addition, guests can experience Tibetan archery, horseback riding and excursions to magnificent temples, local village homes, hiking, Tibetan art and pottery workshops, nearby organic farms, along with the warmth, generosity and serenity of the people working at the hotels. “At Songstam, we believe the source of happiness is to give to others,” says Li, and you can feel it. There are also classes in Thangka, a Tibetan Buddhist style of painting made with ground mineral pigments painted on cotton or silk, often used in meditation practices. Take a hike at Tiger Leaping Gorge, one of the deepest canyons in the world, and watch the Jinsha River, a tributary of the Yangtze, cascade through the cliffs.

Explore Lhasa in the Himalayas

Songtsam Linka Retreat Lhasa, at 12,000 feet, is one of the highest-altitude hotels anywhere. The hotel lobby features carved wood walls, with beautiful woven rugs, bowls of flowers, handmade textiles in a soft palette: mustard yellow, for wisdom; tomato red, for power; lily white, for compassion. Ringed by the breathtaking Himalayas, the hotel features views of the striking Potala Palace, the highest in the world, built in the 7th century. Now home to monks as well as a workplace for government officials, it takes many steps to climb to the top, but it is worth it, for the panoramic views and the satisfaction of accomplishing it.

A note on altitude: It is a good idea to acclimate yourself by starting at a lower altitude and slowly building up. All Songtsam properties offer oxygen, just in case it’s needed. There is an option to have oxygen pumped into your room overnight in Lhasa, and you should take it, whether or not you suffer from altitude sickness, but because you will wake up feeling completely refreshed and ready for a hearty Tibetan, Chinese or Western breakfast.

Lhasa is a city of brightly colored prayer flags, monks gesturing in small groups wearing burgundy robes that blow in the breeze, small shops, local teahouses and “apple cheeks”—people who came in from the countryside to sell their goods, whose faces are red-cheeked from constant exposure to the harsh mountain sun. Visit Ainee, widely considered the best momo (Tibetan dumpling) spot in Lhasa. It’s a small stall with a few benches, founded 40 years ago by an ex-Buddhist nun. Stop at the Family Coffeehouse, and any one of a multitude of teahouses in the city center–community hubs for locals, without a cell phone in sight, with Tibetan noodles and milk tea on the menu.

The ancient Jokhang Temple in Barkhor Square, off Barkhor Street, the main drag, is the spiritual seat of the Dalai Lama, decorated with 600-plus year-old paintings, where Tibetans are expected to make a pilgrimage at least once in their lives. Monks gather openly in the courtyard every day at 5 pm to discuss Buddhist teachings and chant.

“We cater to travelers who have been everywhere, and are looking for soft adventure, spiritual immersion and cultural experiences in Tibet and Yunnan,” says Li. In the end, “Songtsam’s mission is to inspire our guests with the diverse ethnic groups and cultures of the region and to understand how the local people pursue and understand happiness, bringing Songtsam guests closer to discovering their own Shangri La,” says Duoji.

Credentials for Entering Tibet in The Himalayas

When I was an editor at ELLE, my job demanded frequent travel to Europe and beyond. Inevitably, I’d bump right up against my passport expiration, or need a visa in a hurry. When I discovered ItsEasy.com, a leading passport and visa expeditor with headquarters in New York City, it saved me a lot of stress. I soon realized that after 45 years in business, ItsEasy.com had built the connections to expedite anything, seamlessly, and deliver whatever was needed. Of course there is a fee, dependent on what you need and when, but it is money well spent.

Travel to Tibet in the Himalayas requires getting a China visa, which can be complicated. The good news? Once you get one it’s good for 10 years. The bad? The application is long and detailed and if you make one mistake, it may mean delays, or starting all over again. These days, bureaucracy takes longer than ever, but ItsEasy.com can help you get a visa in just a few days, and they will hold your hand every step of the way. You will also need a Tibet Travel Permit (make sure and always carry that along with your passport), but most travel agents and hotels, including Songtsam, can help with that.