I really, really wished I liked ayurveda treatments more than I do. I truly believe in their efficacy and as a medical discipline I have nothing but wonder and admiration for its philosophy of prevention other than cure.
I have also visited some of the most extraordinary and wonderful ayurvedic retreats in the world – and some of the most basic ( a heated wooden coffin anyone?)- and I have had oils introduced into parts of my body where I was unaware of any apertures. Plus I have met some extraordinary talented ayurvedic doctors and practitioners…and yet..
Although I must say that my latest such massage (you can’t say that I don’t try) was a particularly good one. It was at the rather grand underground spa at Umaid Bhawan Palace in Jodphur (it’s the place where Liz Hurley got married – the palace, not the spa) where Dr Mony, the resident ayurvedic doctor despatched me for the full abhyanga. Many people still expect a traditional type of massage, but the ayurvedic version is more of an application of oil, so that by the end of it you are slithering around on a table resembling a butcher’s block like an out of control eel. But I have to admit the masseuse was so adept that I was asleep before I knew what was happening, and my body felt relaxed and mobile by the time she had finished. And yet hours later, after a couple of showers and a bath I could still get a whiff of the herbal oils deep in my pores – is that why I still don’t love it?
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