Clean Living: Why second homes are becoming the new wellness retreats for urban Indians

There is a quiet yet decisive shift happening across India. For decades, the idea of a second home meant a holiday escape: a summer house, a winter getaway, a place to retreat to during long weekends. But the realities of urban living have grown harsher in the past decade. Rising pollution, surging stress levels, and long work commutes have pushed many Indians to seek spaces that offer breathing room.  

Quite literally. 

This is the story of why second homes have become wellness retreats in the truest sense of the word as lifelines for a healthier, more fulfilling life – and why the mountains have become India’s preferred canvas for this new lifestyle shift.

The Growing Health Crisis: Why Indian cities are losing their appeal 

It is no secret that air pollution in India’s metros is at dangerous levels. According to the World Health Organisation, fine-particle pollution (PM2.5) contributes to millions of deaths each year and is strongly linked to heart disease, stroke, lung cancer, and respiratory infections – and India carries a disproportionate share of this health burden. Multiple reports have attributed well over a million premature deaths in India to air pollution in recent years. A 2024 study published in The Lancet Planetary Health revealed that, in ten major Indian cities, 7.2% of daily deaths were linked to short-term exposure to PM2.5 levels above safe limits. Delhi alone, the hardest-hit metropolis, records around 12,000 pollution-related deaths every year. 

But you don’t need a blog to tell you this. If you live in a metropolitan area such as Delhi and the NCR, you are already familiar with how your throat itches when you get out for a walk in the evening, or the early morning smog that greets you on your way to work. You are keenly aware of the pollution with every laboured breath, every worried coughing fit, from someone you know and love. 

For many, this is prompting a fundamental question: if the city can fuel your ambitions but harm your health, what does “quality of life” really mean?

Hillside Health: Why the mountains have become a natural formula for wellness 

This question is pushing people towards environments where the air is cleaner, the water is purer, and the pace of life is gentler. The pursuit of wellbeing is, to not put too fine a point, more urgent than ever before for urban Indians – and the mountains have emerged as the perfect answer to the conundrum. 

Why? Because, in mountain towns, wellness is not something to schedule but built into the living. These regions enjoy low traffic, minimal industrial activity, abundant forest cover, and natural water sources, creating a powerful combination: cleaner air, cleaner water, lower noise, lower stress. These are all factors linked to better mental and physical health. For many city-dwellers, mountain living becomes a lifestyle reset.

It is why recent real estate insights indicate a 50% growth in demand for residential hill-station properties year-on-year. But beyond the numbers lies something more subtle: a slower, more mindful rhythm. People rediscover walking. They sleep better. They live with the sun rather than a skyline of office towers. The mountains provide safety from pollution, and sanctuary from speed and stress. 

Work From the Mountains: A feasible, better choice for the modern Indian 

One of the most transformative enablers of this shift is remote and hybrid work, as well as the governmental push to ‘modernise’ mountain areas such as Almora, Mukteshwar, Rainkhet, and Nainital with better digital and physical connectivity. Broadband access in these regions has been improving significantly, road networks have been expanding, and there are more amenities, products, and services that urban Indians are used to. 

As a result, many professionals, especially those in tech, consulting, design, marketing, and other knowledge-work sectors, now spend a significant part of the year in mountain homes. For them, living and working from well-connected belts (like Almora, Nainital, Mukteshwar, Ranikhet, Kasauli, Coorg, and parts of Uttarakhand and Himachal) has become not just possible but preferable. 

It helps that a mountain home is more than a private retreat; it becomes a social asset. Families use it for extended stays. Friends visit for long weekends. Children experience nature beyond textbooks. 

And when the home is not in use, it becomes a revenue generator. Short-stay rentals in hill stations often outperform long-term city rentals, offering superior yields along with seasonal surges tied to tourism and holiday travel. This makes a second home in the mountains a rare combination of wellness investment, financial asset, lifestyle enhancement, and memory creator.

The realities behind the romance: What buyers should know 

Yet, the charm of mountain living is best embraced with clear eyes. 

Connectivity, for instance, varies from town to town. While many regions have strong broadband and improving 4G/5G access, pockets of instability remain. If your mountain home is also your workspace, checking connectivity, road access, and weather resilience is crucial.

Seasonality also shapes rental income. Summer, autumn, and festive months bring full bookings; monsoon and mid-winter may bring quieter periods. This is not a flaw of the market – it is the nature of leisure-driven demand – but it is important to build your financial assumptions around it rather than against it.

Environmental regulations in hill states are also strict by necessity. Limited buildable land, slope stability, forest protection and groundwater management shape what can be developed and how. These regulations protect both the environment and your long-term investment, but they also demand proper diligence and transparent development practices. Clear land titles, proper permissions, and environmentally responsible development practices are essential checks, not optional formalities.

Maintenance, too, has its own character in the mountains. Moisture, temperature changes, and monsoon intensity do call for thoughtful design and regular upkeep, but they are nothing that a well-planned property cannot withstand.

In essence, buying a second home in the hills is a wonderful decision when made with both heart and homework. A thoughtfully chosen home becomes a sanctuary for generations: a place for slow mornings, clean air, and memories that stretch across a lifetime. But, like all meaningful decisions, it rewards those who walk into it informed, prepared, and aware of the terrain – literally and figuratively. 

The team at SevenOs Infra is here to assist you with all aspects of owning your dream second home in the mountains - from evaluating why it makes sense to invest in a second home in the hills and where to buy a land, to regulations, construction restrictions, and building your property to your specifications. So if cleaner air, purer water, and better, more mindful living speak to you, let us know of your interest and our experts will get in touch to answer all your questions!