Cover A drone view of Bali’s Nuanu, the island’s new creative city (Photo: courtesy of Nuanu)
A drone view of Bali’s Nuanu, the island’s new creative city (Photo: courtesy of Nuanu)
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A spa, an interactive park, an alcohol-free zone and a butterfly nursery: these luxury experiences in Nuanu combine wellness and creativity while nurturing Bali’s local communities
Some cities carry well their names. Japan’s Kyoto means “capital city” or “imperial capital”. Morroco’s Casa Blanca was named after the Mausoleum of Allal al-Qairawani, which looked like a white building from the sea.
In Indonesia’s Bali, Nuanu was named after a Balinese expression meaning “in process”. Indeed, Nuanu is a city in a state of continuous development.
Located an hour-long drive away from Bali’s Denpasar International Airport, Nuanu, which stretches across 44 hectares of land is dedicated to embracing one’s creativity. Local and global artists were tasked to design different spaces where education, arts, and wellness would collide harmoniously. This blend is the reason why Nuanu hosts a music festival with wellness talks and some endangered butterfly releases, offers luxury tree houses with spaces dedicated to meditation and creativity, and much more.
In other words, Nuanu is an ambitious creative playground that has only started to surprise you.
Today, a dozen communal spaces, from restaurants to schools, have opened, others are about to be launched—and there is much more to come. For your next trip to the islands of Gods, Tatler wanted to give you a sneak peek of seven unmissable experiences you can have in Nuanu, Bali.
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1. Nuanu’s Art Village
Above Nuanu’s Art Village offers free classes to children living in surrounding areas (Photo: Instagram / @artvillage_bali)
Above Artists, craftsmen and designers teach classes and workshops in the Art Village (Photo: Instagram / @artvillage_bali)
Nuanu’s Art Village offers free classes to children living in surrounding areas (Photo: Instagram / @artvillage_bali)
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On an island where craftsmanship is slowly dying, Nuanu has committed to preserving and revitalising local artistry by employing artisans from Beraban, Tabanan. The Art Village has been transformed into a dynamic space for workshops and exhibitions, where local artists, craftsmen, and designers create and teach.
A distinctive aspect of Art Village lies in its sustainable practices. The community actively gathers materials themselves, often repurposing washed-up items found on beaches and collecting waste from construction sites, particularly bamboo—most of the decorations for Suara’s festival and Nuanu events are created there too.
Additionally, the area includes the Nuanu Art Academy, a free school that offers artistic education to local children, ensuring the island's rich traditions continue to thrive.
2. Suara Music and Arts Festival
Above Suara’s offers a blend of modern and traditional performances (Photo: courtesy of Nuanu)
Suara’s offers a blend of modern and traditional performances (Photo: courtesy of Nuanu)
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Bali’s Suara Music and Arts Festival is a three-day highly curated and intimate festival experience at the heart of Nuanu. For its third edition, which took place from July 26 to 28, it welcomed international, regional and local talents on seven different stages, with talks conducted by thought leaders, art installations, culinary and wellness experiences, and traditional Balinese performances.
This year, the standout music performances included Australia’s Angus & Julia Stone, Singapore’s Yung Raja, Indonesia’s Ramengvrl and Hong Kong’s Yeti Out.
3. Nuanu’s Aurora Media Park
Above “Wishes Circle” in the Aurora Media Park (Photo: courtesy of Nuanu)
Above “Crystal Oasis” in the Aurora Media Park (Photo: courtesy of Nuanu)
“Wishes Circle” in the Aurora Media Park (Photo: courtesy of Nuanu)
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The Aurora Media Park is Bali’s very first outdoor multimedia park. It features eight permanent interactive art installations along a one-kilometre riverbank in Nuanu’s jungle.
It’s been curated by Delivered., a global multimedia production company in collaboration with local artisans from Nuanu Art Village. Aurora has also integrated AI technology, a programme also named Aurora. This park underscores Nuanu’s commitment to enhancing pedestrian infrastructure and expanding public spaces for visitors in Bali.
4. Nuanu’s Lumeira Spa
Above Render of Nuanu’s Lumeira Spa (Photo: courtesy of Nuanu)
Render of Nuanu’s Lumeira Spa (Photo: courtesy of Nuanu)
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Lumeira Spa, which will premiere in August 2024, delivers ancient healing traditions in a modern environment. Designed as a phone-free sanctuary, the spa offers a range of holistic treatments, including ancient Slavic steam therapies, breathwork, sound healing, meditation, water therapies, Balinese massages, lymphatic drainage, scrubs, facials, and more. The complex also features hot and cold plunge pools, infinity pools, and a restaurant.
A standout feature of Lumeira is the world’s largest wood-fired dome sauna, accommodating groups of 30 to 35 people at a time.
5. Nuanu’s THK Tower
Above Nuanu’s THK Tower (Photo: courtesy of Nuanu)
Nuanu’s THK Tower (Photo: courtesy of Nuanu)
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Inspired by the Balinese philosophy of Tri Hita Karana, the 24-meter THK Tower, designed by French architect Arthur Mamou-Mani in collaboration with local artisans, merges innovation with tradition.
Constructed from reclaimed railway timber and a rattan exterior, the tower features 360° projection mapping and 1,000 light fixtures curated by team Delivered. Visitors can interact with the installation by sending messages to distant stars via their smartphones, creating a truly immersive and memorable experience.
6. Nuanu’s Magic Garden
Above The Magic Garden is a farm and nursery to protect the local ecosystem such as butterflies (Photo: courtesy of Nuanu)
Above Since 2023, the nursery has documented 12,232 butterflies (Photo: courtesy of Nuanu)
The Magic Garden is a farm and nursery to protect the local ecosystem such as butterflies (Photo: courtesy of Nuanu)
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The Magic Garden is a farm and nursery to protect the local ecosystem such as butterflies, insects and plants. Since 2023, the nursery has documented 12,232 butterflies and successfully guided 2,548 of them through metamorphosis into adulthood
—recording a remarkable survival rate of 21 per cent, in stark contrast to the natural rate of 2 per cent.
7. Nuanu’s Hearth
Above Hearth (formerly known as Stone Stage), also known as the alcohol-free zone of the city (Photo: courtesy of Nuanu)
Above Hearth focuses on wellness and transformational retreats (Photo: courtesy of Nuanu)
Hearth (formerly known as Stone Stage), also known as the alcohol-free zone of the city (Photo: courtesy of Nuanu)
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Hearth (formerly known as Stone Stage), also known as the alcohol-free zone of the city, is a space focusing on wellness. The sacred site, revered by the local Balinese people, is believed to be inhabited by the spirits of the river.
Workshops are being held there, with sound healing labs, cacao and tea ceremonies, yoga classes, breathwork, transformational retreats and more.
8. Bonus: Nuanu’s Art Museum with Eugene Kangawa
Above Nuanu and Japanese American artist Eugene Kangawa will launch a permanent Art Museum in Bali (Photo: courtesy of Nuanu)
Nuanu and Japanese American artist Eugene Kangawa will launch a permanent Art Museum in Bali (Photo: courtesy of Nuanu)
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The Eugene Museum is a unique collaboration between Nuanu and Japanese American artist Eugene Kangawa, with architectural design led by Indonesian architect Andra Matin. Kangawa is the youngest artist in history to have a solo show at the Museum of Contemporary Art Tokyo.
Launching in 2025, the Eugene Museum will span more than 3,000 square metres. It will feature more than 15 gallery spaces, a café, a library and a reading room. Beyond its role as an exhibition space, the museum aims to be a centre for education, research and community engagement, with a strong emphasis on social involvement.
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Salomé Grouard was Digital Editor and Front & Female Content Lead at Tatler Hong Kong. Primarily focused on managing Tatler Hong Kong’s digital platform and content, she also covers gender equality, the music scene and sports through interviews with industry leaders, experts and trendsetters.
Interview highlights include renowned conservationist Dr Jane Goodall, Korean actor Park Seo Jun, singer Jorja Smith, Chinese TV host Yue-Sai Kan, YouTuber Kimono Mom, Japanese rapper Awich, and Brazilian jiu-jitsu fighter Mikey Musumeci.
She has also produced stories on revolutionising sexual wellness in Asia, activism within the surfing community, Asian trans musicians reclaiming their narratives through music and looked at the toxicity of gym culture through the lens of the plus-size community. She also covers music festivals, such as Hong Kong’s Clockenflap and Bali’s Suara.
