In India, Ayurvedic doctors require many years of training. they diagnose illnesses and imbalances through darsana (observing the way a person moves, walks and behaves); sparsana (touching) and prasna, (asking questions). The goal of Ayurveda is detoxification and restoration of one's overall balance.
Ayurveda Treatment includes a prescribed diet, yoga, meditation, and massage to prepare the body for elimination of waste, called agni. Ayurveda is recognized by the World Health Organization as an effective health science.
Ayurveda spas should offer a true Avurvedic health experience, with trained Ayurveda practitioners, and authentic treatments. While many spas in the U.S. have introduced Ayurveda-inspired treatments, like Shirodhara or four-handed massage, very few offer a true Avurvedic health experience. Even fewer offer the 7 to 21 day cleansing programs called panchakarma.
Here are some of the spas that do offer more authentic Ayurveda treatments and programs:
- Elemental Embrace, just outside Brighton, 90 miles east of Toronto. It offers panchakarma and has an Ayurvedic physician on staff.
- The Raj Ayurveda Health Spa outside Fairfield, Iowa is steeped in the Ayurveda philosophy.
- Stoweflake Mountain Resort in Stowe Vermont has become a center for authentic Ayurvedic therapies alongside more traditional spa treatments. The spa director is an Ayurvedic lifestyle consultant and even does treatments.
