Lily's Retreats & Stays · Tapovan
3-day pottery retreat in Rishikesh
Three-day experience
Arrive, shape, and leave with something yours.
A creative escape to slow down, reconnect and create with clay. Spend three days immersed in pottery, nature and mindful living at Lily's Retreats & Stays, in collaboration with Rishikesh Pottery Studio. Sessions are guided by the studio's teachers and visiting instructors.
Arrive, settle & create.
- Breakfast A fresh, nourishing breakfast at Lily's
- Morning Arrival, check-in and time to settle into your accommodation
- Lunch A wholesome meal at Lily's
- Pottery Introduction to clay, clay preparation and the basics of wheel throwing or handbuilding with studio instructors
- Dinner Relaxed dinner at Lily's and a peaceful evening at the retreat
Explore, shape & create.
- Breakfast A nourishing start to the day
- Morning pottery Wheel throwing techniques: centering, opening and shaping clay
- Lunch A freshly prepared meal at Lily's
- Afternoon Handbuilding, trimming and surface decoration, with additional practice subject to studio availability
- Dinner Unwind with time for yourself, fellow guests or the surrounding nature
Refine, reflect & depart.
- Breakfast A relaxed breakfast at Lily's
- Morning pottery Refine techniques, finish suitable pieces and explore creative details with instructor guidance
- Lunch A final meal at Lily's before departure
- Departure Check out with details about the drying, firing and collection of your pottery pieces
Three-day package includes
- 3 days of pottery learning and creative exploration
- 2.5 hours of instructor-led pottery instruction daily
- Additional practice time subject to studio availability
- Clay, pottery wheels, tools and studio facilities
- Wheel throwing, handbuilding, trimming and surface decoration
- Individual guidance during instructor-led sessions
- Accommodation at Lily's Retreats & Stays
- Breakfast, lunch and dinner during the retreat
Firing & delivery
- Firing and courier services are charged separately
- Firing depends on adequate drying time and kiln scheduling
- Glazing and glaze firing are not included
- Ask on WhatsApp for room options, pricing and availability
Five-day retreat highlights
What the longer package holds
- Five consecutive nights of lodging at Lily's in Tapovan
- Daily meals at the restaurant beside the waterfall stream
- Clay practice at Rishikesh Pottery Studio with instructors and volunteers
- Wheel throwing and hand-building with unlimited clay, tools, and studio materials
- Daily morning yoga class on site
- One complimentary massage therapy session - tell us any day of your retreat
- Yoga hall access for quiet evenings, sound healing, or gathering
- Arrive on the day that suits you, subject to room and studio availability
- Intimate house scale, not a festival campus
The retreat experience
Come for the clay. Stay long enough to feel it.
Not a drop-in class. You sleep and eat at Lily's on Secret Waterfall Road. Clay practice happens at Rishikesh Pottery Studio itself - mornings on the wheel, evenings by the stream, the Ganga just beyond.
Some people arrive having never touched a wheel. Some arrive with notebooks full of forms they want to throw again. Both sit at the same tables. Both leave with clay under their nails and something they made - imperfect, theirs.
The five-day rhythm below is your personal Day 1 through Day 5 - meals at Lily's, morning yoga, unlimited clay and studio materials at Rishikesh Pottery Studio, plus one complimentary massage on any day you choose - just tell us.
Arrive. Soften. Touch clay.
- Afternoon Check-in at Lily's, settle into your room, chai by the waterfall stream
- Late afternoon Meet the studio team at Rishikesh Pottery Studio - first feel of clay, no performance
- Evening Dinner at Lily's · optional walk to river aarti · tell us which day you want your complimentary massage
Centre. Open. Throw.
- Morning Daily yoga class, then breakfast · wheel throwing at the studio - centring, opening, first forms
- Midday Lunch back at Lily's
- Afternoon More wheel time with instructors and volunteers · unlimited clay as you practise
- Evening Dinner · quiet time in the yoga hall if you want it
Build by hand.
- Morning Yoga class · breakfast · coil and slab hand-building with studio volunteers
- Midday Lunch at the waterfall-stream restaurant
- Afternoon Texture and form work · short river-path walk for ideas that stick to the clay · or take your complimentary massage if you chose today
- Evening Dinner · rest or soft gathering on site
Trim. Decorate. Load.
- Morning Yoga class · breakfast · leather-hard trimming and finishing on the wheel
- Midday Lunch
- Afternoon Slip, underglaze, decoration · kiln loading as a shared ritual
- Evening Dinner · returning makers often go quieter and deeper here
Close the stretch.
- Morning Yoga class · breakfast · final studio time - share what you made
- Midday Plan for greenware or fired pieces · firing / shipping coordinated when needed
- Afternoon Goodbye chai · checkout · the road home with clay still in the seams of your bag
Package
What's included
Included
- AC room at Lily's for five days
- Meals at the waterfall-stream restaurant
- Clay practice at Rishikesh Pottery Studio
- Unlimited clay at the pottery studio
- Tools, wheels, and studio materials included
- Wheel throwing and hand-building blocks
- Daily morning yoga class
- One complimentary massage therapy session (any day - just tell us)
- Yoga hall access on site
- Firing / shipping coordinated after when needed
Not included
- Flights and visas
- Travel insurance
- Airport pickup unless arranged on WhatsApp
- Extra spa or private treatments beyond the included massage
- Personal shopping and extras outside the package
Accommodation
Choose how you stay
These room options apply to the five-day retreat. Both include five days at Lily's, meals, daily morning yoga, one complimentary massage on any day you tell us, and unlimited clay plus studio materials at Rishikesh Pottery Studio. Ask on WhatsApp for three-day room options and pricing.
Private room
₹25,000all in
Your own AC room with balcony quiet for the full five days. Stay, meals, morning yoga, one complimentary massage (any day you choose), unlimited clay, and studio materials included.
- AC room
- Balcony
- Meals included
- Morning yoga
- 1 free massage · any day
- Unlimited clay & studio materials
- Yoga hall access
Double sharing
₹22,500per person
Share a twin room with another guest. Meals, morning yoga, one complimentary massage (any day you choose), unlimited clay, and studio materials stay in the same package.
- Twin beds
- AC room
- Meals included
- Morning yoga
- 1 free massage · any day
- Unlimited clay & studio materials
- Yoga hall access
Food
Meals by the waterfall stream
Meals for the pottery retreat are held at Lily's restaurant beside the waterfall stream - the same house that holds your room, so you are not ferrying across town between clay and lunch.
- BreakfastQuiet start before studio time
- LunchBetween morning and afternoon clay blocks
- DinnerAfter the wheel day softens
Collaboration
Lily's hosts. Clay lives at the studio.
You sleep and eat at Lily's Retreats & Stays on Secret Waterfall Road, Tapovan. Clay practice happens at Rishikesh Pottery Studio itself - on their wheels, with their instructors and volunteers, the people who live this craft in the valley every week.
Getting here
Tapovan, Rishikesh
Address
Secret Waterfall Road, near Arista Haven & Tulsi Restaurant, Tapovan, Rishikesh, Uttarakhand.
Airport
Dehradun Jolly Grant (DED), about 45 minutes. Pickup can be arranged for direct bookings via WhatsApp.
Before you message
Common questions
Is this a class or a retreat?
A pottery retreat. Choose three days or five days at Lily's with meals, and practise clay at Rishikesh Pottery Studio - not a single drop-in session. If you only want an afternoon taster, the studio's regular workshops are the better fit.
What is included in the three-day retreat?
The three-day package includes 2.5 hours of instructor-led pottery each day, additional practice subject to studio availability, clay, wheels, tools, studio facilities, wheel throwing, handbuilding, trimming, surface decoration, individual guidance, accommodation and breakfast, lunch and dinner. Pricing and room options are shared on WhatsApp.
Can I arrive any day?
Yes. Tell us whether you want the three-day or five-day retreat and your preferred arrival date on WhatsApp. Subject to room and studio availability, we hold the selected number of consecutive days from that start.
Where do we practise clay?
At Rishikesh Pottery Studio itself. Instructors and volunteers there guide the floor - hands-on help when a form wants to fall, quiet when you are in the work.
What if I have never sat at a wheel?
Then this stretch was built with you in mind. You will be guided, not graded. Unlimited clay, tools, and studio materials are provided. The only requirement is showing up with clean hands and a little patience.
What does it cost?
₹25,000 for a private room - stay and meals included. ₹22,500 per person for double sharing - meals included. Both include unlimited clay, tools, wheels, and other pottery studio materials at Rishikesh Pottery Studio, daily morning yoga, and one complimentary massage therapy session on any day of the retreat - just tell us which day.
How do I hold a place?
Message Lily's on WhatsApp (+91 93896 49659). Ask for the three-day or five-day Pottery Retreat, share your preferred arrival date, and tell us your room preference. A 50% booking amount is required to reserve your place and is non-refundable. We will reply with availability and payment details.