Dayspa

JUL 2014

DAYSPA is the magazine of spa management. Spa owners and spa managers turn to DAYSPA for spa management trends, spa management tips and more.

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54 DAYSPA | JULY 2014 GLOBAL SPEAK and knowledge (veda), and is more a way of life than a medical system, teaching that living in harmony with nature will provide good health. India has hundreds of ayurvedic medical colleges and hospitals, and about two- thirds of the population still practices ayurveda, although allopathic hospitals can also be found. "In ayurveda, we look at the body as one, whole eco- system, rather than compartmentalizing like in Western medicine," remarks Rosemarie Sepulveda, general man- ager of Pratima Ayurvedic Skincare Spa Clinic in New York City. "For example, if someone is suffering from eczema, there are internal factors that are causing this. So, while Western medicine will most likely prescribe a topical cream to 'heal' the eczema—which is essentially only putting a Band-Aid over the issue—ayurveda likes to get to the real root of the problem, so that patients experience true, lasting healing." A visit to India in the 1970s so intrigued hairdress- er Horst Rechelbacher that he later founded his skin-, hair- and bodycare company based on the principles of plants and botanical ingredients, and named it Aveda. Today, as consumers worldwide turn away from al- lopathic, sickness-based medicine models and search for healthier options, ayurveda is experiencing a resur- gence. Some of the popular ayurvedic spa treatments that have made their way to America include shirodhara (the gentle fl ow of warm oil onto the third eye chakra) and abhyanga (a massage-type treatment with specifi c herbal oils for dosha balancing). Numerous ayurvedic retreats can be found in the south of India, in the state of Kerala, although they're also sprinkled throughout the country, and the government continues to promote wellness tourism. The surging popularity of yoga in America has also contributed to the renewed interest in ancient healing modalities. Yoga is believed to have begun in India more than 3,000 years ago. Just fi ve or 10 years ago, yoga studios were found mostly in large cities—but today, the interest in this system of mental and physical exercise has created a boom in the yoga industry in America, and has led many practitioners to embrace the concept of whole- body medicine. Yoga practitioners tend to be active par- ticipants in their personal wellness and, therefore, make ideal spa clients, both in the U.S. and in India. HEAVENLY EXPERIENCES Indian culture in general lends itself to client care; Indian hospitality is based on the principle atithi devo bhava, Sanskrit for "the guest is God", and this provides for a PHOTO COURTESY OBEROI KOLKATA (TOP) AND OBEROI UDAIPUR Massage is India's most popular spa treatment. G l o b a l S p e a k . i n d d 5 4 Global Speak.indd 54 6 / 3 / 1 4 1 1 : 3 7 A M 6/3/14 11:37 AM

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