Over the centuries, Ayurveda branched off into two main streams of treatment. Down south, in Kerala, the emphasis is on the lavish use of medicated oils which are washed away by applying gram paste at the end of the treatment. In the north, physicians use aromatic oils which work more effectively the longer they are left on the body.
Regardless of which stream one follows, Ayurveda, it is believed has a cure for most ailments, particularly rheumatism and arthritis. The story told at one clinic is about a patient who was barely able to walk when he first came to their door. At the end of the treatment he checked out and started to walk towards the exit. Just as he reached the foyer he realised that he had forgotten his walking stick at the reception desk. He turned to retrieve it and then... "No, I won't need that anymore," he declared and walked right out into the world.
Nothing quite that dramatic happened as we lay back in the ultra-luxurious Jiva spa, the signature spa of the Taj Group of Hotels at Usha Kiran Palace Hotel in Gwalior. However, they had a different kind of surprise in store for us - the music that accompanied our treatment was provided by live musicians, silhouettes behind a muslin-draped marble screen. It was an appropriate and classy gesture that reminded us that Gwalior is the final resting place of the legendary musician Tansen who was one of the nine jewels in Mughal Emperor Akbar's court.
At the Taj Green Cove Kovalarn's Jiva spa,they treated us to one of their exclusive range of aromatherapy massages, body scrubs and wraps which incorporates ancient' A,urvedcC tenets. M'he oils are specially concocted for the three Jiva Spas in the country}. They first coated our supine bodies with a mud-like paste, swaddled us in white
sheets, and told us to lie there like long-¬forgotten Egyptian mummies. Soon we lost all track of time. After 45 minutes, they hosed us down within an inch of our lives. We were then led back to our dimly lit treatment room wreathed in soft Buddhist chants, where the masseuse massaged us with soft butterfly-like strokes.
Likewise, many of the more reputed spas have unique features that make them stand out from the rest. Take the spa at Oberoi Amar vilas Agra where one can soak in a bathtub filled with medicated water and gaze out at the Taj Mahal; an exquisite symphony in marble framed within the window of the treatment room.
In fact the ambience is often part of the cure...the extensive use of glass which merges the indoors and outdoors, yet envelopes these temples to rejuvenation in a sense of privacy and peace. Petal-strewn luxurious bathtubs, blood ¬red hibiscus protruding lushly from fluffy towels, wooden floors, rockeries, flower-filled copper bowls, lotus pools with a blur of green lawns outside. The sound of trickling water completes the spa experience.
After entrusting our much abused bodies, flabby midriff et ai, to the ministrations of sundry therapists at some of the best spas in the country, we have become fans of what is termed the -indulgence industry." But, naturally!
Tradition is a force to reckon with at Kaira/i Ayurvedic Health Resort in Palakkad, at the foot of the Western Ghats in Kerala. The resort spreads over 50 acres of lush greenery near the Tamil Nadu border and offers a five star holiday with health as the focus.
The Ayurvedic Health and Fitness Programme for weight loss, arthritis, spondylitis, sinusitis, migraine, rejuvenation, and beauty care is steered by Dr. Chandrashekar, the chief physician for over 35 years. Kairali's holistic approach to health means that guests have to subsist on a vegetarian diet tailored for their constitutions, practice yoga and meditation and have ready access to an astrologer and palmist as well. Mental and spiritual well-being is as important as physical health, and a valambiri conch, said to impart positive vibrations, is placed in each of the 30 guest villas. A personal priest is at hand to perform agnihotra and pujas. A swimming pool, library, cyber centre, indoor games, tennis court, etc cater to more temporal needs.