Ojas wellness review. This is the long awaited new wellness facility at COMO Shambhala Estate in Bali’s Ubud.
Long before wellness became a global obsession — before biohacking, cold plunges and personalised nutrition entered the luxury lexicon — Christina Ong was already building hotels around the idea that how you feel matters as much as where you stay.
More than 35 years ago, Ong founded COMO Hotels with an instinctive understanding that true luxury is restorative. At a time when opulence was defined by excess, she was quietly championing restraint, balance and wellbeing — concepts that now sit at the very centre of contemporary luxury travel.
Nowhere is that original vision more clearly expressed than at COMO Shambhala Estate in Bali’s Ubud, and with the unveiling of Ojas, its newly reimagined wellness centre, that legacy enters a powerful new era.
A Woman Ahead of the Wellness Curve
Christina Ong’s influence on modern hospitality cannot be overstated. While others focused on grandeur, she focused on harmony — between design and nature, indulgence and health, privacy and purpose.
COMO Shambhala Estate, opened in the late 1990s, and was radical for its time; a destination where wellness was not a spa add-on, but the very reason for being.
Ojas is the latest evolution of that philosophy. Following a multi-million-dollar overhaul, the wellness centre has been transformed into a serene, light-filled sanctuary that feels both deeply grounded and unmistakably modern.
It reflects Ong’s original ethos perfectly: thoughtful, intelligent luxury designed to support real wellbeing — not trends.
A Redefined Wellness Sanctuary
Set within the emerald jungle just outside Ubud, Ojas unfolds quietly. The redesign introduces a refined, light filled contemporary but relaxed aesthetic that allows nature to remain the hero.
Treatment rooms are flooded with natural light, opening onto forest views that instantly calm the nervous system. Materials are tactile and understated — stone, timber, soft neutrals — creating an atmosphere of effortless elegance rather than display.
New relaxation spaces invite guests to slow down before and after treatments, reinforcing a key principle of modern wellness: integration matters. This is not a place to rush from appointment to appointment. It is a place to recalibrate.
Click here for a full review of COMO Shambhala Estate.
Serious Infrastructure for Serious Wellness
While Ojas feels serene, its facilities are impressively comprehensive. At its centre is a vast hydrotherapy pool, fed by natural spring water and designed to support circulation, mobility and muscular recovery. It is generous in scale, encouraging immersion rather than a fleeting dip.
Contrast therapy is taken seriously here. Guests can move between ice baths set at two different temperatures, 2 and 8 degrees, allowing for personalised cold exposure, followed by steam rooms and saunas that support detoxification and deep relaxation.
For advanced recovery and optimisation, Ojas introduces hyperbaric oxygen therapy chambers, supporting cellular repair, improved energy levels, sleep quality and cognitive clarity. Amazing for jet lag or to prepare for a long flight. This seamless blend of traditional wisdom and modern science is where COMO Shambhala continues to lead rather than follow.
Treatments with Depth and Purpose
Ojas’ treatment offering reflects a belief that wellness should be intelligent, not overwhelming. Rather than chasing trends, the focus is on therapies with proven impact and deep lineage.
Guests can explore acupuncture, supporting stress regulation, metabolic balance and overall vitality, or immerse themselves in Ayurvedic therapies guided by experienced practitioners. Treatments such as Abhyanga, Shirodhara and herbal steam therapies are delivered with precision and respect for tradition, not diluted for mass appeal.
One of the most distinctive experiences is Watsu aquatic bodywork, performed in warm water and designed to release physical tension while calming the mind. Combined with the estate’s water-rich environment, it becomes a deeply restorative, almost meditative experience.
Ojas also places emphasis on lymphatic-boosting therapies, supporting circulation, detoxification and immune health — particularly beneficial for travellers, those experiencing fatigue, or anyone seeking a sense of lightness and flow.
Where Nutrition Is Non-Negotiable
Perhaps the clearest expression of Christina Ong’s ahead-of-her-time thinking lies in COMO Shambhala’s approach to food.
Here, nutrition is not indulgence dressed up as wellness. It is foundational. Anywhere else in the world a detox feels rigid, restrictive, but not here.
COMO Shambhala redefines the meaning of eating well and of a detox. Meals are designed to nourish deeply, stabilise blood sugar, support digestion and reduce inflammation — without sacrificing flavour or pleasure. This is food that feels elegant, considered and sustaining.
For guests undertaking structured wellness journeys, nutrition becomes personalised. Cleanse and detox programmes focus on restoration rather than restriction, supporting gut health, metabolic balance and mental clarity through thoughtfully prepared meals, cold-pressed juices, broths and herbal infusions.
Importantly, these programmes are designed to educate as well as nourish, offering tools that can be carried into everyday life long after leaving Bali.
A Legacy That Still Leads
Ojas is not a reinvention of COMO Shambhala Estate — it is a refinement of a philosophy that was decades ahead of its time. The new wellness centre reflects Christina Ong’s enduring belief that luxury should make you feel better, not just impressed.
In a world crowded with wellness promises and fleeting trends, Ojas stands apart for its restraint, intelligence and coherence. It is not performative. It is purposeful.
And perhaps that is the greatest testament to Ong’s vision: more than 35 years on, she is still quietly shaping what modern luxury aspires to be — calm, considered, and deeply restorative.
