Ayurveda & Bodywork

At Ulpotha you can explore a thoughtful programme of Ayurveda treatments during your yoga retreat in a setting that truly supports whole-person healing. The climate, the pace, the connection to nature — everything here helps you settle, soften and receive the benefits of this time-honoured practice.

Alongside Ayurveda, you’ll find a varied menu of massage and bodywork therapies offered by experienced visiting therapists. These sessions are designed to ease tension, support recovery and leave you feeling grounded and well.

Treatments change with the therapists in residence. There are usually two visiting therapists at any one time. Check our Retreats page to see who will be with us when you plan to visit.

What You Can Expect

All our Ayurveda treatments, regardless of the personalised elements stemming from a personal consultation, contain preparatory and elimination therapies.

Preparatory Therapies
These are the ones everyone likes and most Ayurveda is known for – massages, oil applications, steam baths, saunas, and herbal baths.

Elimination Therapies
These consist of what is more commonly known as Panchakarma (i.e., the five specialized elimination therapies): inhalation, purgation, emesis (vomiting), enemas, and blood-letting. The latter three are not prescribed or performed in Ulpotha.

If an Ayurveda treatment is short in length, say less than the 7-day Sanasuma programme, you will only have enough time for preparatory treatments that may include inhalation as an elimination therapy.

If you have time for a longer treatment, then you can also undergo purgation. However, the consultation is critical to determine which elimination therapies are required.

For treatments that are 10 days or less, you will receive treatments every day, each consisting of roughly one to two hours. Longer treatments will include rest days.

Ayurveda Treatments

• Santhushti (Happiness) – 3 days - $250
• Ashinsanaya (Benediction) – 5 days - $375
• Sanasuma (Satisfaction) – 7 days - $500
• Namskaraya (Salutation) – 10 days - $750
• Abhishekaya (Coronation) – 12 days, $900
• Aswesilla (Solace) – 14 days - $1,000
• Samadhiya (Profound) – 21 days - $1,500
• Mokshaya (Redemption)– 28 days - $2,000

(The costs above are in addition to that of your stay; please select which treatment you would like on our booking form).

Please note that we recommend a 3-day treatment for a stay of one week and a 7-day treatment for a two-week stay. If possible, these can be pushed to a maximum of 5 days and 10 days provided you are willing to compromise if necessary on your excursions, yoga sessions and/or complimentary massages. It would be best to discuss this with us when making your booking.

Our Resident Doctor, Dr. Srilal

Dr. Srilal Mudunkothge, an acclaimed Ayurveda practitioner of this ancient, holistic medical art, is our resident doctor.

Dr. Mudunkothge obtained his Bachelor’s Degree in Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery and is registered as a general and specialist doctor with the Ayurvedic Medical Council of Sri Lanka.

Apart from being a practicing Ayurveda doctor with nearly two decades of experience, he is a qualified allopathic pharmacist registered with the Sri Lanka Medical Council.

Free Village Clinic

An Ayurveda clinic was established in August 2005 to provide free Ayurvedic treatments to local villagers. The clinic is funded entirely by the revenue generated from guests' treatments.

This initiative, which includes free Ayurveda medicines, harks back to the traditional way Ayurveda was dispensed, where patients rarely paid in cash for the care they received. Instead, they would make a symbolic offering of betel leaves to the Ayurveda doctor at the time of consultation and offer their services in kind.

As of the middle of 2025, the clinic had received over 65,500 visits from 21,120 patients.

Bodywork

You settle into life at Ulpotha quickly and the massage treatments become one of those things you look forward to from the moment you arrive.

Every retreat at Ulpotha includes a complimentary massage, so even if you prefer not to dive into the full Ayurvedic programme, you still enjoy time on the treatment table. The therapists are experienced and intuitive. They work with warm oils, gentle pressure and slow, grounded movements that help your body unwind after long flights, deeper yoga sessions or a day exploring the lake.

You take your treatment in a quiet, open-air space where you hear the soft rustle of leaves and the sounds of village life drifting in the background. It feels simple and deeply calming. Perfect for when you want a little care without the commitment of Ayurvedic treatments.