Spending a day at the D’MONDE Members Club

When you enter the Ashoka, and veer left before reaching its main foyer, you would have found yourself right in front of the swanky D’MONDE members club. An invitation-only space, its presence in one of the toniest locations of Delhi, right next to its diplomatic area, has sparked interest amongst Delhi’s elite. Right next to one of the more iconic hotels in the area, it is marked by a certain aura of calmness, enhanced by its luxurious interiors, done in earthy colours to soothe the eyes. D’MONDE’s entry marks one of the first modern private members clubs to open in Lutyens’ Delhi.

The reception is done in elegant tones of marble with gold highlights to match the interiors. The walls are adorned with art, and we are presented with a light tea and spa consultation before heading off to our massage room. My therapist is from Vietnam, and shows me the different therapy rooms that members can access with their membership at the club. Unlike other clubs, D’MONDE’s approach to wellness isn’t restrictive. It is to ensure that the club becomes an extension of the home, and a place of discovery for their members, I am told. The property has a Turkish hammam, one of the rare spas in the country to do so, as I recollect. My masseuse takes me to an individual massage room, which is done up more like a pleasant bedroom, and less like a stark massage room, with wooden furniture, a sofa chair, and wicker detail furnishings. I change and then am treated to a relaxing massage for 90 minutes. One can choose between different styles of massages offered at D’monde, from deep tissue, to those influenced by Ayurvedic techniques. After my massage is over, I head over to try cryotherapy for the first time!

Cryotherapy for the first time

Cryotherapy has multiple uses, from fat-freezing to cancer treatment to even anti-ageing. Many are opting for regular cryotherapy for its multiple health benefits, as an added wellness routine in their regime. The process included removing clothes and other metal objects from the body before entering the cryogenic chamber, which had been cooled down to -50 degrees. There was pop music blasting inside, and the therapist had encouraged me to keep my muscles moving, in order to survive the five minutes I had chosen to be inside for. Feet and head is covered with thick shoes and a woollen cap. I danced it out till the fourth minute, enjoying the invigorating feeling of being inside a freezer. The bluish hue, the freezing winds encircling me, and the music combined resulted in the happy effect of an endorphin rush. While the massage had relaxed me into a stupor, the cryotherapy woke me up in an alert state again.

We peeked into the gym on our way out, overlooking the lovely pool that has a baoli waterfall design feature. The wall feature forms the backdrop of many unique events that are held in that space, an oasis in the midst of Delhi’s hustle and bustle. The gym itself has infused oxygen in the air, a detail reflecting the level at which D’MONDE takes care of its guests.

Quite a lot of time had passed, and it was time to get lunch! D’MONDE has two sections next to the pool where there fine dining restaurant and coffee shop are both available. The restaurant has a pescatarian bent, and the Italian chef-de-cuisine ensures top notch quality for patrons. We began with a burrata salad, with locally sourced cheese that complemented the fresh ingredients. Next we went for a grilled fish, and some bread to accompany it. Our companion insisted we try their tiramisu, and we were not sorry, reminding us of our travels to Rome.

D’MONDE Members Club is ideal if you’re new to the city and want to have access to five-star luxury and fitness, meet new people and explore all that the city has to offer, while still having the feeling of being at home. It is also great if you live on either end of the city, and are looking to have a peaceful place to relax and unwind in the middle of work hours, or catch up with a friend post work. It has been interesting to observe the club’s trajectory within Delhi’s tightly-knit community, as it grows amongst in patrons as a relevant space beyond fitness and nutrition, its its own ecosystem.