Wellness with a star glow as Mrunal Thakur joins EBG’s Carlton journey

MUMBAI: When wellness meets star power, the spotlight shifts from indulgence to intention. EBG Group has onboarded Mrunal Thakur as brand ambassador for Carlton Wellness, marking a strategic step in its push to build a regulated, premium wellness-hospitality platform in India. The partnership comes into effect from FY 2025–26 and will anchor Carlton’s next phase of brand building and expansion.

Under the association, Mrunal Thakur will front Carlton Wellness’s brand films, digital narratives, experiential campaigns and flagship property launches, which will roll out in phases across the country. The move signals EBG Group’s intent to position Carlton Wellness at the intersection of preventive healthcare, longevity and conscious luxury.

Announcing the partnership, EBG Group chairman and founder Irfan Khan said the actor’s public persona aligns closely with Carlton’s philosophy of balance, authenticity and mindful living. The brand, he added, is focused on building a scalable wellness ecosystem that blends clinical depth with experiential wellbeing rather than superficial luxury.

Carlton Wellness is being developed as an integrated platform spanning wellness resorts, destination retreats, city and hotel-based spas, and wellness-led residences. Its model combines Ayurveda, naturopathy, mindfulness and hydrotherapy, adapting global wellness standards to Indian lifestyles with a clear focus on preventive care and long-term quality of life.

Several Carlton Wellness spa formats are already operational within premium hospitality and real-estate developments, while flagship retreat and resort projects are at advanced stages in Ahmedabad, Indore and Manipal. Expansion plans are also underway across Hyderabad, Bhubaneswar, Surat, Lucknow, Bengaluru and Manipal, strengthening the brand’s metro and Tier-1 presence.

Looking ahead to 2026, the roadmap becomes more ambitious. Carlton Wellness plans 20–30 new urban spas, 4–6 destination retreats, 2–3 boutique wellness resorts, and 1–2 luxury wellness residential or vacation home projects across Maharashtra, Goa, Karnataka, Kerala, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand and select NCR markets.

Backed by this pipeline, the EBG–Carlton platform is projecting revenues of Rs 80–120 crore in FY 2025–26, scaling to Rs 180–250 crore in FY 2026–27, driven by spa operations, memberships, retreats, licensing models and managed wellness residences.

Over the next five years, the alliance aims to cross 50 wellness touchpoints nationwide by 2027–28 and position itself by 2029–30 as India’s largest regulated wellness network, with international forays planned into GCC and Southeast Asia.

With Mrunal Thakur as its public face, Carlton Wellness is signalling a shift in how wellness is sold in India less about fleeting luxury, more about longevity, credibility and scale.