Made Warnata is Anantara Ubud Bali Resort's Director of Spa, Wellness & Recreation. Born into a lineage of Balinese High Priests and raised in the island’s sacred landscape, he blends inherited wisdom and innate healing gifts with a global perspective.
Backed by a Master of Science and extensive fitness expertise, Made offers a transformative wellness journey infused with Bali’s spiritual energy – an experience found nowhere else. Here he speaks to us about his own experiences as a healer, and his personal transformation.
Made, you’re descended from a line of High Priests?
Yes, I was born into the priest bloodline – my first ancestors became priests in the 13th century. I grew up in a village just 15 minutes away from Anantara Ubud and my mum and dad are priests and energy healers – my mother passed on the gift to me. I can sense energy and rebalance chakras.
So, did you grow up assuming you’d be a priest?
I grew up determined I did not want to be a priest! Being a priest takes a lot of sacrifice. It is tough. You are at the temple every day, you dedicate yourself to your villagers. I knew I had the gift; I could see and feel things my friends couldn’t, and it would scare me. So, for a long time I didn’t want it, but now I accept it is my destiny. Not yet, but when my father retires, I will become the priest of my village.
What changed for you?
By the time I was a teenager I was a bad boy – smoking, drinking, street fighting (I am a master for Muay Thai and Taijutsu). Maybe I was fighting against my destiny. One night I went out drinking, got hurt and ended up in a coma. When I was in the coma I could see above my body and all my family crying around me. I came back to my body and when I woke up everything was different. I completely changed. I went through many rituals. And I accepted that this was my fate, my purpose.
You talk about having a gift – what does that mean?
I was born with my third eye chakra open [this is the chakra of spiritual insight that sees beyond the visible and gives access to higher knowledge and spiritual wisdom]. In some cultures it might be called a sixth sense. I see stuff that other people cannot see. This is my way, my faith and my destiny. I am guided my Mother Nature and God.
How does it aid healing?
Because my third eye chakra is open, to me when I look at someone their body looks pale, almost transparent and I can see paths of electricity going through it. So, I can see where there may be energy blockages or the chakras are unbalanced. Some healers feel the electricity; each healer has their own mechanism. Often, I will say to someone, ‘This happened to you’. And they will ask me how I know. It’s because I can see it in their body, I can see their trauma or anxiety. Their body is their memory.
Tell us about what kind of spiritual healing we might experience at Anantara Ubud?
Well, we offer an incredibly comprehensive wellness menu. We take a three-pronged approach – the physical, mental and spiritual dimensions and we have treatments and programmes that address all three. You can receive tailored fitness coaching for example, and experience Balinese therapies in the spa that will leave you feeling calm and serene. For spiritual therapies, I have curated a small team of healers, who have different specialities, and even a high priest, who can conduct an energy consultation and water purification ceremony in his home.
And you perform healing too don’t you?
Yes, I perform an ancient energy healing called Vajra Githa. It’s traditionally performed by a High Priest and uses a combination of sound vibrations and acupressure to unblock the meridian line energy. It will bring you to the deepest stage of relaxtion.
You’re known as the Bali Wellness Whisperer – what is it that you bring to Anantara Ubud?
Ubud is my home. I grew up here in the ways of my community. We believe that you create harmony in three ways; human to God, human to human and human to nature. I know that Bali, and Ubud in particular, is not for everyone but if you connect to its energy there is no other place like it. I’m able to take Anantara Ubud’s guests to places they may not experience otherwise. There are temples, beautiful temples, all over Bali and anyone can gain access to them. But I will know the temple that will perform the right ritual for you. For example, if you want to experience an authentic water purification ceremony, I can take you there. It is an honour to share that with our guests.
Words by Katie Mulloy
