Eat well at Bhuti Café

Eco-wellbeing centre Bhuti has opened its new vegan café! Roll up, step in and eat well at Bhuti Café.

Bhuti, the word for ‘welcome’ in Sanskrit, could not be a more suitable name for our newest find in the leafy suburbs of South West London. Nestled on the Thames, the self-proclaimed eco-wellbeing centre is a truly holistic experience – at once a day spa, fitness studio and vegan café. Bhuti was the dream of local mum, yoga teacher and hotelier Sama Trinder, who wanted to create a calming retreat, away from the stresses of urban life. Bhuti is open to guest visitors as well as being a members’ club, meaning there is a strong community feel and welcoming atmosphere.

Yoga and Pilates

Offering more than 35 expert-led yoga, Pilates, meditation and fitness classes a week, for all levels and ages, you’re never stuck for choice at Bhuti. Classes re-invent your classic hatha or vinyasa yoga fixes, giving you a unique experience. Bone Density Pilates for example, focuses specifically on resistance bands, light weights and a fitness circle to build extra muscle. Whereas Bhuti Breathe and Flow is taken by candlelight, incorporating breath work for a connection with body and soul. Healing for Loss and Grief, Bhuti’s interactive workshop-style class, is a one-off, seeking to connect you with a universal energy to release and heal the pain of loss. The options are endless.

All classes are enhanced by the studio, an expansive room flooded with natural light, designed to be the ultimate restorative space. Bhuti also hosts community classes, which only charge on a donation basis. Proceeds go to the Bhuti foundation which gives money to charities that offer wellbeing services to those who otherwise could not afford it. And for those that really catch the Bhuti bug, they now offer seasonal retreats. This June you can spend five days in Bordeaux in a Bhuti retreat.

Classes free for members, drop in guests £16 (or 10 classes £140).

Treatments and Therapies

Bhuti’s natural philosophy extends to the ingredients used in their treatments which, sourced solely from England, are completely pure and organic. Their range of facials reflects this – from elemental herbology based on Chinese medicine, to oskia, a method using English sulphur. The general treatment menu offers treatments perfect for both men and women, offering all the classics – massages, facials, waxing and threading. If one treatment isn’t enough though, you can treat yourself to a spa day experience. Packages offer three different options, consisting of 90 minutes, two hours’, or four hours’ worth of treatments, with access to all classes on that day included.

Or, if you feel like straying further afield you could try a Bhuti alternative therapy. Bhuti offers Ayurveda, an ancient and traditional form of healing from India. Their consultations help to identify your Ayurvedic body type, as well as any imbalances that may exist. Based on their findings they create a tailor-made plan for you, designed to help foster balance. Other therapies include crystal and sound acupressure, astrology, reflexology and naturopathy.

90 minutes of treatments £110.

 Vegan Tea Room

Bhuti’s cafe lives by Hippocrates’ mantra ‘let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food’. It’s vegan, 100 per cent organic, Soil Association certified and is entirely free from gluten and refined sugars. Serving breakfast, lunch and dinner, as well as cakes and juices – it is perfect for catering to the growing crowd of health-conscious individuals in Richmond. The space is available for private hire and events and is also home to many of Bhuti’s own informative workshops. In celebration of National Vegetarian Week in May Bhuti hosted a vegan supper club, as well as drop in classes with their in-house nutritionist, to help people stay on their meat-free track.

The café menu is plant based, curated by nutritional therapist Cicely Brown, changing daily to reflect the seasons. Dishes often include baked miso aubergine served with a kale hemp salad or spicy black bean burgers with sticky parsnip wedges. Tasty, right? If you’re looking for a quick snack to refuel after a class, Bhuti also serves fresh pressed juices, smoothies and protein based treats. And eating at Bhuti is guilt free in all around as the packaging is recycled, the paint toxin-free and the wooden flooring reclaimed. What’s not to love?

Hot Dish/ Raw dish of the day £9.