Theatre, Thermal Spas & Age-old Rituals

From spring through autumn, here’s a diverse quartet of Karma Curated experiences spanning thermal spas, London theatre, Cretan kitchens and Sikkim’s sylvan heritage. We kick things off in London, high above the Thames at the acclaimed National Theatre. On 24 April, members gather for rooftop plates and pre-theatre drinks at Forza Wine, before taking their seats for a revival of Russian playwright Maxim Gorky’s 1902 play, Summerfolk – champagne brightness shading into pre-revolutionary unease. 

On 24 May, we trade theatre for thermal rituals at Banya No.1 in hipster Hoxton. The centrepiece is the Parenie: a traditional Russian sauna ceremony using bundles of leafy birch, oak and eucalyptus (venik) to rhythmically stimulate circulation in dry heat, followed by a bracing ice plunge – a centuries-old practice designed to detoxify and reset body and mind. After the detox, we head to a local gastropub to balance out the wellness with lunch and drinks, of course.

From 2–6 July we’re off to the high Himalayas to witness a very different kind of ritual – the pastoral Asar Pandhra, Sikkim’s rice-planting festival. This unfolds at Karma Martam Retreat, where Members join farmers in sowing paddies and attend evening folk celebrations filled with feasting and merriment.

Finally, from  4–7 November we head to Crete and Karma Minoan for more ceremonial indulgence, this time into the practices of Kazani raki distillation. Take part in the island’s communal autumn spirit-making ritual alongside mountain Jeep trails and long table Cretan feasting, with fellow Members and the welcoming Cretan community.