The View | Where Healing Thinks Forward: A Conversation with Tulåh

– Written primarily based on insights from Mr. Faizal Kottikollon, Founder and Chairman of KEF Holdings and Tulåh and Md. Javed Khan, General Manager.

When a visionary industrialist and philanthropist builds a wellness retreat, it’s worth paying attention, especially with its sprinkled of exclusive insights. Mr. Faizal Kottikollon, Founder and Chairman of KEF Holdings and Tulåh, spent decades building hospitals, schools, and large-scale manufacturing systems. With his tech background, he’s built a global enterprise with footprints in the Middle East, India, and Singapore. He has now turned his attention to the most intricate system of all: the human being.

The question guiding him?
What is your body trying to tell you?

Set in India’s tranquil hills of Kakkanchery in Kerala. Tulåh is no ordinary wellness retreat. It expands your very idea of healing and what wellness means. Think of it as a living, breathing and advanced sanctuary where ancient wisdom walks with today’s AI. And well-being isn’t just a momentary escape, but a lifelong system of care.

And who better to explain how the old meets the new, and unveil its path, than the very minds behind it? We sat down with Mr. Faizal Kottikollon and General Manager Md. Javed Khan for a rare glimpse into Tulåh’s founding vision, its patented innovations, and the quiet revolutions already taking place behind its doors.

Bookmark this story, pour yourself something nourishing, and settle in for a conversation between the man, his mission, and the philosophy poised to change the future of wellness.

PL: What moment in your own life made you decide: this is the future of wellness, and I’m going to build it?

The realisation came slowly, but deeply. I have spent most of my life building infrastructures across industries in the Middle East and India. I saw how the current system is brilliant at intervention, but not necessarily prevention.

My personal journey toward health and spiritual growth showed me the gaps, where the body heals, but the mind and soul are left unattended. That’s when I knew the future of wellness isn’t just about treating illness—it’s about sustainable transformation.

Tulåh was born from a desire to build a new kind of health system: one that integrates ancient wisdom with cutting-edge science, and sees human beings as whole.

PL: You chose Kerala, specifically in Kakkanchery, near Calicut, as the location for Tulåh. Why here? What made this place the right foundation for something so future-facing?

Kerala is the cradle of Ayurveda. It is where the ancient pulse of healing still lives in the land, the people, and the climate, is unique. It’s close to Calicut International Airport, yet it feels completely untouched, a quiet table-top hill surrounded by coconut groves, open skies, and the healing energies of the Western Ghats. It felt like nature had already prepared this land for something sacred for something like Tulåh.

PL: Tulåh isn’t just a retreat. You’ve called it a ‘blueprint for life.’ What does that mean to you, and what should it mean for someone coming here?

A retreat is temporary. Tulåh is not. Our goal isn’t just to help you feel better for a few days. We want to help you reframe your relationship with your body, mind, and purpose and carry that back into your daily life. Through advanced diagnostics, emotional realignment, nutrition, movement, and spiritual practices, we give you a toolkit to build your own health blueprint—something that is sustainable after you leave our sanctuary.

PL: Before launch, you tested Tulåh’s method with over 100 individuals. What did you learn from that, and did it lead to any unexpected shifts in the approach?

Absolutely. Testing with over 100 individuals helped us validate that a truly integrated approach from genome mapping to Ayurvedic assessment can deliver profound results when done with precision and empathy. One surprising insight was how emotional and mental well-being often emerged as the root issue, even when guests arrived with physical complaints. That reinforced our belief: the body heals when the whole self is heard. We adjusted our protocols to give weight to emotional diagnostics and mindfulness through Vedanta, sound healing and natural landscapes.

PL: There’s a guest story we heard — a European woman who flew down to Kerala with a history of health concerns and found relief with Tulåh. Could you share what happened and what that meant to you as the founder?

Yes, her story touched all of us deeply. She arrived at Tulåh carrying a complex medical history and had been struggling with persistent hip pain for over six months. The toll it had taken on her—both physically and emotionally—was evident.

At Tulåh, we approached her healing journey holistically. Instead of treating isolated symptoms, we looked at her body as an interconnected whole. With the precision of Iyengar yoga, we focused on restoring her posture and alignment. Her nutrition was carefully recalibrated, and a personalised movement and recovery plan was designed using advanced rehabilitation techniques and recovery technologies.

Through consistency, care, and cross-disciplinary support, she began to reclaim not just her physical ease, but a sense of calm and vitality she had long missed.

 She called it her “return to self.” For me, that was the moment I knew we had built something truly meaningful.

PL: You’ve already secured three patents — from the Ayurveda Bed to the Life Index and AI-driven Tulåh tech. What do these unlock for guests that no one else is offering?

Our patented Vichy Shower Bed, for instance, allows traditional therapies to be delivered with clinical precision, maintaining correct postures, pressure points, and temperature. The Tulåh Life Index is a proprietary tool that offers an algorithm of the health score of your mind, body and soul, combining cardiovascular health, muscle health, biological age, stress levels, sleep quality, and more. And the Tulåh Tech  (patent filed) creates a personalised care map that adapts in real-time, even after you leave. These innovations bridge ancient practice with measurable progress, and that’s rare in the wellness space.

PL: Ayurveda is 5,000 years old. AI is brand new. What’s the key to bringing them together without losing the soul of either?

The key is respect. Respecting the depth of the ancient wisdom as a living, breathing science of life, not something to be modified, but something to be interpreted with integrity. And respecting tech as a tool and not a replacement for intuition, but an enhancer of precision. At tulåh, we use data to inform, not to dominate. The magic happens when wisdom meets intelligence. One sees the soul, the other sees the system.

PL: One of the largest pools in Asia is here — why that scale? What role does water play in the healing experience at Tulåh?

Water is the original healer. It cleanses, grounds, and resets the nervous system. We designed the pool not just as a space for swimming but for aqua therapy, meditation, kayaking, hydro fitness, and floating experiences. It’s surrounded by open sky and nature, allowing guests to feel weightless in every sense. The scale invites expansiveness. Sometimes, healing starts with feeling free.

As we trace Tulåh’s evolution from a visionary concept to a living sanctuary, the next chapter lies not in philosophy alone, but in its practice. To understand how healing becomes habit and ritual becomes rhythm, we turn to the one orchestrating it all behind the scenes. Tulåh’s General Manager, Mr. Md. Javed Khan, offers a deeper lens into how each element, whether clinical, emotional or architectural, has been designed to work in harmony.

PL: What does a guest’s journey at Tulåh actually look like — before they arrive, while they’re here, and after they leave?

At Tulåh, every guest’s journey is meticulously curated before they even step onto the property. Once a guest is invited, they are paired with a dedicated Wellness Concierge who begins the onboarding. This includes collecting medical records, lifestyle history, emotional needs, and even sleep data.

Upon arrival, it’s not a check-in; it’s a welcoming home to oneself. The first 24 hours are quiet, observant, and grounding. Then begins a deeply personalised journey of advanced diagnostics, multi-disciplinary consultations, therapies, and rituals, designed to bring the body, mind, and spirit into alignment.

After departure, we don’t let go. Our Tulåh Tech and guest liaison team continue supporting them with progress tracking, consultations, and care reminders—ensuring that transformation isn’t a moment, but a lifelong rhythm.

PL: We heard there are over 400 species of plants on the property. How are these used beyond the landscaping — do they play an active role in healing?

Absolutely. Every plant has a purpose. Over 450 species are medicinally active and used in our culinary experiences, freshly extracted for decoctions, oils, and topical applications. Others are aromatherapeutic—calming the nervous system as you walk through them.
The landscape is designed not just for beauty, but as a living pharmacy. Even our healing garden is integrated into the dining philosophy. At Tulåh, nature doesn’t just surround you, it heals you.

PL: Guests go through advanced diagnostics, from genomics to microbiome analysis and sound therapy. How do you make that experience feel personal, not clinical?

This is where our design philosophy comes in. Everything clinical is cloaked in calm, aesthetics, and warmth. Whether it's an MRI or a CT scan, it’s done in a space that feels like a private sanctuary, not a lab.

Our multi-disciplinary doctors and experts spend time truly listening to each guest. They decode the science into meaningful insight, never medical jargon. The tone is nurturing, not corrective. Guests often say they’ve never felt so seen, so gently understood.

PL: Your team ranges from medical doctors and Ayurvedic specialists to neuroscientists and fitness experts. How do they all work together to create one seamless guest journey?

It begins with shared intention. Every specialist—be it a clinical doctor or a third-generation Vaidya—comes together every morning for Interdisciplinary Rounds. We review guest cases not as files, but as stories. We don’t just treat systems—we align philosophies. The goal isn’t one dominant voice, but a symphony of science and soul, creating a unified experience for the guest. This is rare, and it’s why Tulåh feels seamless.

PL: Tulåh’s Life Index can track 7 health markers in just 24 hours. What are the 7 parameters you’re measuring? What kind of insights does that reveal, and how does it shift the way people think about their bodies?

The Tulåh Life Index measures:

1. Cardiovascular Health

2. Muscular Health

3. Immune Health & Inflammation

4. Stress Management

5. Gut Health

6. Lifestyle Risk

7. Quality of life

What surprises many is how invisible imbalances become visible. A guest may think they’re healthy, but the index reveals chronic inflammation or early burnout signals. The result? A shift from symptom-chasing to system-understanding. This empowers guests to make better life choices, grounded in clarity.

PL: Tell us about the genetic test kit — how personal does it get, and how does it shape the treatments guests receive?

Our genome and microbiome test is deeply intimate—it maps out over 200 genomic markers related to sleep, immunity, metabolism, cognition, and even emotional resilience. It’s not about fatalism—it’s about potential. For example, a guest might be predisposed to Vitamin D absorption issues or poor detox pathways. This allows us to personalise therapies, nutrition, supplements, and even movement plans down to their DNA. No two treatments are ever the same.

PL: For someone used to five-star travel, what does ‘care’ look like at Tulåh that goes deeper than luxury?

Luxury at Tulåh is defined by thoughtfulness, not opulence. It’s the intuitive therapist who knows when to hold space in silence. It’s a meal that nourishes your cells and memories. It’s having every detail—light, scent, music—calibrated to your nervous system.
Our staff are trained not just in skills, but in sensitivity. Guests often tell us, “I didn’t even have to ask—someone already knew.” That’s care at Tulåh: deeply felt, quietly delivered.

PL: What does a day at Tulåh feel like? Not just what’s scheduled, but the pace, the energy, the mood.

A day at Tulåh feels like breathing for the first time in a long while. There’s a slow, intelligent rhythm—sun salutations as dawn breaks, clinical consults wrapped in compassion, moments of solitude under a frangipani tree, healing water rituals, and meals served like poetry.
It’s structured, yet intuitive. There’s space for your body to realign, your mind to unclutter, and your soul to listen. The mood is unhurried, deeply nourishing, and gently expansive.

PL: What’s one guest transformation or reaction that genuinely surprised you — something you still think about?

There was a guest—a CEO from the Middle East—who came in with chronic gut issues and insomnia. But what emerged was emotional grief he hadn’t addressed in years.

Through integrated healing—Ayurveda, trauma therapy, breathwork, and nutrition—he not only healed physically, but found clarity in his personal relationships. He told me, “This was the first time in 20 years I didn’t feel like I was chasing something.” That moment reminded us: Tulåh heals what medicine can’t always name.

PL: Once a guest leaves, what happens next? How do you help them stay connected to this new rhythm back in their real lives?

The journey continues, quietly and powerfully. Each guest leaves with a Personal Wellness Protocol, access to our Tulah Tech app, and a direct line to their health mentor.
We offer monthly check-ins, virtual consults, curated fitness 7 yoga sessions and even chef-led cooking tutorials. Our goal is for guests to live Tulāh, not just visit it—to embody a new rhythm of vitality, wherever they go.

Our take? When wellness is crafted with this level of intricacy and soul, it stops being a fleeting intervention and becomes a lifelong remembering. At Tulåh, every detail, diagnostic, ritual, and stillness is guided by the belief that true health is a return to balance, not just for the body, but for the self as a whole.

Now open by invitation only, Tulåh offers a rare opportunity to experience wellness in its most intimate, transformative form. Through PureLuxe by KFT’s exclusive relationship with the retreat, we hold limited access for those seeking to be part of this pioneering new blueprint in holistic care.

Want to visit Tulåh? Contact Us here or on our WhatsApp to start planning your ‘return to self’ wellness journey in the quiet hills of Kerala.

Writer - Bhagyashri Kandade