Balance Is The Whole Point: In Conversation With Tomeu Esteva, The Architect Behind Six Senses Vana

The wellness industry is worth $6.8 trillion, according to the Global Wellness Institute (GWI). “It’s probably because the culture worldwide has become so hectic, where things happen rapidly and intensively,” explains Tomeu Esteva, calling in from Mallorca. The matter of fact is the trendicfication of wellness and its newly acquired hashtags, but long before this, India was the medicinal magnet with Ayurveda, yoga, and multifarious natural treatments inhabiting its crevices. It all began around 1500 BCE when the Vedas were penned, prescribing assorted therapies that required only one certified clinician—nature. The connection with nature and all its untamed elements was a fundamental ‘way of life,’ from rituals at dawn to twilight prayers, herbal remedies and restorative forest visits. However, this connection seems to have fizzled out for the contemporary flag bearers of hustle culture. Yet, the echoes of this way of life seem to seep into our lives.

These echoes have evolved into the conceptualisation of wellness retreats—one like Six Senses Vana where ancient healing traditions meet a modern yearning to reconnect. Designed by Palma-based father-son studio Esteva i Esteva. But to call the firm’s co-founder, Tomeu Esteva, just an architect would be reductive. He is best known for curating ‘architecture of wellbeing’ through a sequence of spaces. These spaces in turn establish a connection with people and nature, only being one piece of a much larger ecosystem. Six Senses Vana, with clean lines, a monochromatic palette and punctuated with myriad vegetation, is an exact manifestation of this ethos. As our discussion turns to the beginnings of his practice, Esteva recalls joining his father to collaborate on a home in Betlem and finding his earliest inspiration in Mallorcan rugged terrain. This humility towards nature has seeped into every project he has undertaken over 26 years, from private homes and residential complexes to colossal hotels and wellness retreats. To diagnose what makes his spaces feel so restorative, Design Pataki speaks to Tomeu Esteva about the essence behind his wellbeing architecture.

Design Pataki: What does wellness mean to you personally? Is it just another trend? 

Tomeu Esteva: I don’t think it’s a trend! At least we don’t relate to it as a trend. But it is true there is more demand from people of different cultures in the world to have a space for silence and connection. For us, it’s something that we believe in strongly. We’ve always believed it. But it has become the trend. For example, when you go to a resort, having a restaurant that serves farm-to-table, organic food is a must. There is a demand to be able to practice yoga and meditation, which is great because it proves that what we’ve been trying to develop for so many years. So, it may change in shape, but it will stay.

DP: How can designers create environments that support not only longevity, but also peace of mind and happiness?

TE: People are very concerned about their health and mental health; everyone is now talking about longevity. There are different ways of looking at longevity, health and mental health. One is to be in meaningful spaces designed with purpose, to practice yoga and meditation. The other way is to use either technology, therapies or drugs to achieve the same purpose. Even today, people still believe that the true way to find peace of mind is through practice and experiencing places like the ones we try to design. But other people prefer machines, short programs with heavy treatments, and some like the combination of both. So, as designers, our purpose is to create spaces that enhance and invite people to live in peace, silence, connection and become healthier and happier. 

​​Also Read: Six Senses Vana Enraptures Wellness Seekers By The Healing Powers Of Nature

DP: Can architecture improve wellbeing, or does it merely create the conditions for it?

TE: Architecture has a huge power to change your emotions and heal, or it can have the opposite effect, depending on how you do it. Obviously, every building and every program has its ways. If you want to design a nightclub, it doesn’t have to be a peaceful space where people are silent, or a restaurant in a city; you want the two hours people spend there to have a particular effect on them. But when it comes to longer stays—a house, hotel or workspace everything can be designed with a healing purpose. 

DP: Is architecture merely creating the conditions for it?

TE: Completely. If we look at the place we’re creating in Gurgaon, an experience centre at Omara is a sequence of deeply thought-out spaces that take you on a journey through open spaces, landscape, water and green tunnels until you enter the built-up structure. The moment you arrive, it’s a beautiful journey of emotions that connects you to the place and makes you forget where you’re coming from.

DP: What was your earliest inspiration? Did growing up surrounded by flowers and the rhythms of the seasons, with your mother working as a florist, shape your creative vision?

TE: My mother had a big influence on my sister. In my case, it was growing up on an island like Mallorca in the Mediterranean. What we have here is the sense of balance in nature. We don’t have big trees, and nothing is immense except for the sea. Everything is at a very human scale, reachable and touchable. I think this idea of balance and combination of the sea, landscape and humble architecture, which never tries to stand above nature, but melts with it, has a dialogue and respects it. The idea of balance and respect between landscape, construction and the connection. Connection, I’m using that word a lot because I think it’s one of the most beautiful words in our field. Architecture allows you to not just design places that connect with the surroundings and their history, but also the future. Architecture can connect with people and make people connect with themselves and nature. I like this word very much because it’s one of the most beautiful things we can do as designers: creating architecture that connects in many ways.

If you had to pick a favourite wellness retreat in the world, what would it be?

Vana

What is that one element in design that screams wellbeing to you?

Water

DP: Coming to Six Senses Vana in Dehradun, how did you ensure every design decision contributed to guests’ physical and emotional wellbeing?

Architect: The process of Vana was very organic. We were blessed to have a client like Veer Singh, who is very close to my heart; he started as a client and became one of my best friends. And so this process was very challenging because we had to provide unconventional solutions to that project in a place like India, where, especially for a foreign architect, trying to mimic the ancient architecture of India. So we tried to create an architecture that was in its shape, silent and respectful to the surrounding forest.

We designed Vana to protect every single tree that we found on site, making a statement that the trees are more important than the position of our building. So, that was one of the starting points; then obviously we wanted this place to make everyone feel empowered and also connected to nature. So, it’s not just about grand architecture but a simple one—India’s regional architecture, which has a sole purpose of trying to find solutions with a minimum amount of resources. There we have the main space called the ‘Kila,’ with 8-meter-high ceilings, hanging bamboo waves and huge windows into the north forest that merge with the Kila. So, this space feels overwhelming, but on the other side it has a sense of balance with the presence of nature and landscape elements.

DP: If Six Senses Vana had no treatments, therapists or wellness programmes, what elements of the architecture alone would still make someone feel restored?

TE: Architecture is one of the components. But if you don’t have the rest of the activities, programming and rules, then the architecture can become meaningless. If you change the interior design and create the same noise on the streets of Bombay with millions of colours, then the architecture becomes diluted, yes. So, I use the word balance. Architecture is one component, but interiors and operations are others. If phones were allowed, it would change the energy. If the food wasn’t healing, it would break the balance. So, architecture is important, but it’s just one of the many components.

One word to describe Six Senses, Vana.

Connection

One thing every architect should remove from a wellness project?

Noise.

DP: You collaborated with your father on the spa at Es Racó d’Artà Retreat. Could you tell us more about the project: inspiration, challenges, and key design decisions behind the project?

TE: Es Racó is a combination of existing and new buildings. The spa is a new building on the ground-floor that is almost invisible because we did not want it to shadow the main structure. You access this building from the roof through some steps into a courtyard. We focused on the roof garden elevation rather than the side because the building is experienced from above before descending inside. The spa is mostly sunken, with almost no windows, and is lit by a sequence of small courtyards where every treatment room, the indoor pool, and the Watsu (a form of aquatic bodywork for deep relaxation) space face the light, giving it the feel of a little fortress.

DP: What do you think we need to understand more bout wellness architecture?

TE: There are many levels of wellness architecture. I would call it well-being architecture more than wellness architecture, as it is a more rounded way of thinking that goes beyond just the idea and concept of wellness. It is not just about spaces and programs, but everything around it—the people, the way you build, construct and the local materials. So, well-being architecture goes beyond the building and program itself. It has a huge impact on the community; that will be one of the important things.

One design trend you wish would disappear?

Superficiality.

DP: What are you most excited about?

TE: We’re now working on two large projects in Delhi and Gurgaon. In Gurgaon, it’s a large residential development, around 350 units, with a major wellness component. The clubhouse includes restaurants, multifunctional spaces, outdoor activities, a kids’ club, and a large spa and wellness area. The project, called Omara, is developed by TARC Limited, a Delhi-based company led by Abhishek and Amar. They share our vision of creating a unique place that focuses on the soul, humans, nature and their connection. The Omara Experience Centre is a unique example. It is not just about the size, but about creating a journey from the moment you enter. There is also another project in Noida, a large office development with a significant F&B plaza. These projects show that wellness and well-being are not limited to hotels or resorts; they can also be integrated into residential and commercial developments. There are also new hotels coming, like one in the mountains of Spain, in a ski resort called Baqueira, and another wellness-based hotel that we are starting to design in Corfu, Greece.

For me, architecture, like storytelling, should reveal itself step by step rather than showing everything at once.