One of the oldest forms of holistic healing in the world, Ayurveda promotes natural beauty, positive health and a long life. Sri Lanka heaves with Ayurveda practitioners, and treatments vary from wandering into a centre for a relaxing massage to an intensive stay at an Ayurvedic retreat in Sri Lanka where you’ll be revived physically, emotionally and spiritually.

Before booking your plane tickets and going all zen-like, here’s the lowdown on what to expect at an Ayurveda resort in Sri Lanka.

1.       Up close & personal

It’s going to be confronting. There will be much poking and prodding and expect questions about your diet, exercise regime, lifestyle and medical history. The physical examination gets to the root of any ailments and leaves no sin unturned.

2.       Dosha

When your dosha (life force) is in harmony, your body is in good health. Employing the five elements of earth, water, fire, air and space, there are three doshas:

• Vata: air and space relating to body, movement, mind and senses
• Pitta: fire and water relating to heat, metabolism, energy and digestion
• Kapha: earth and water relating to physical stability, body structure and fluids

Practitioners assess the dosha of each quest to determine their diet, medicinal herbs and treatments throughout their stay. The prognosis isn’t open to negotiation; doctor’s orders.

3.       Potions

Every guest is provided with bespoke herbal medicines using herbs and plants native to Sri Lanka like leaves, bark, berries, roots and flowers. Taken several times a day, it’s an acquired taste.

4.       Treatments

The daily treatments use a lot of oil and include head, face, and body massages (sometimes synchronised), herbal inhalation, herbal water baths and herbal steam baths. Unique treatments include:

Shirodhara: Oil is gently poured from a special vessel for 30 minutes onto the third eye on the forehead.

Eye therapy: eyeballs are washed with oil to relieve tired eyes

Panchakarma: an intensive cleanse incorporating several treatments

The food at Siddhalepa is as healthy as it is tasty

5.       Food

An Ayurvedic menu is mainly vegetarian with a small amount of fish. Food is classified into six taste categories of sweet, sour, salty, bitter, pungent and astringent. The philosophy recommends all categories are to be included in every meal to achieve proper nutritional balance. Guests are advised to only eat the dishes aligned with their dosha.

6.       Sacrifice

Caffeine junkies and smokers may suffer as stimulants aren’t welcome at some retreats, while other retreats accept moderation. There won’t be any gin and tonics at sunset either. It’s also advised to avoid the sun as skin will be sensitive after treatments. It’s best to bring your old bathers and sarongs as the oils don’t come out of fabric. Intensive treatments may induce side effects as both body and soul are cleansed.

Photo credit: Tourism Sri Lanka

7.       Appearance

Allow your inner beauty to shine and forgo the hair styling and makeup because the oily treatments will undo any work spent in front of the mirror. On that note, contact lens wearers should bring some spares and glasses because oil can get in the eye depending on the treatment and damage your contact lenses.

8.       Behaviour

As buried emotions are released, the behaviours of some guests can be erratic, with some appearing ecstatic, angry, sad or withdrawn. Give your fellow guests space, after all, you are all there to heal and relax in your own way.

A elixir for the soul and body

9.       Indulge

There are very few times in life where total self-immersion is possible.  Rest whenever you feel tired and indulge in the pampering. Succumb to the treatments, nutrition and potions because there is true freedom and leaving yourself in the hands of professionals.

10.   Results

Ayurveda alleviates many ailments, from headaches to chronic back pain and more serious diseases, including detoxing after invasive treatments such as chemo. Some even swear it’s anti-aging and since Sri Lankans are believed to have the longest life expectancy in South East Asia, the proof is right before you. If nothing else, swanning around in little more than a sarong adorning your radiant skin is a liberating experience.

Photo credit Siddhalepa Ayurveda Health Resort

Want to try it for yourself? With so many to choose from, I highly recommend Wedagedara Spa (Kandy), Ayusha Weda Madura (Ella), Shine Spa (Sheraton Kosgoda Turtle Beach Resort, by Marriott Bonvoy) and Good Spa Weligama. If you’re looking for something more involved, try one of the four Barberyn Ayurveda Resorts or Siddhalepa Ayurveda Resort in Mount Lavinia (Colombo) and Wadduwa, about 30 minutes south of Colombo.

If you enjoyed this fleeting insight into what an Ayurveda retreat in Sri Lanka is really like, you might enjoy A funny thing happened at the Ayurveda spa in Sri Lanka and while you’re researching or dreaming about a trip to this magical island, check out 10 unforgettable things to do in Sri Lanka.

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Receiving an Ayurveda treatment is a life-changing experience for the body, mind and soul – but be prepared to have your Western sensitivities challenged, as I discovered on a recent trip to an Ayurveda spa in Sri Lanka.

Deemed the science of life, the ancient tradition of Ayurveda is believed to be a contributing factor to Sri Lankans having the longest life expectancy in southeast Asia. Any Ayurveda spa in Sri Lanka aims to restore good health through a range of holistic and indigenous herbal therapies such as nutrition, baths, massage, cleansing, yoga and meditation.

I’ve visited several Ayurveda spas in Sri Lanka, ranging from high-end retreats to rustic affairs in rural areas. At an Ayurvedic centre in the hilltop town of Ella, I’m kneaded into submission and basted in a mix of oils and herbs during my massage. I’m then led into a room best described as a saffron-coloured tagine – like one you’d find in Morocco holding tagine. Kind of apt, given the national dish in Sri Lanka is rice and curry. My belongings have been shoved into a plastic shopping bag likened to a stiff tote bag and my slippery body is wrapped in a tiny towel, barely covering my modesty, despite my petite stature. My lack of attire and fair skin attracts plenty of attention from the many staff members milling around.

The journey to the tagine is via an open passageway with views into the surrounding homes and businesses, rewarding several unsuspecting locals with a glimpse of a greasy white woman in a towel with a shopping bag being led by the hand by a local female therapist.

With my hazy journey over, the door to the tagine opens to reveal two attractive and amused Swedish girls who are as surprised to see me as I am them. As I settle onto the stone bench, I can’t help but think this scenario is the making of many a man’s fantasy, until we all make eye contact and burst into hysterics. Enter Kat, aka the Travelling Greek, also clad in a teeny towel, her shopping bag and a confused WTF expression.

The door shuts behind us, creating a seal much like an oven door, except mercifully, there’s no additional heat source in the humidity, just four oily and bewildered women. There’s an assortment of herbs on the ground – perhaps that’s what they meant when they offered me an “aromatic shower,” except there’s no water either apart from our tears of laughter mingling with oil down our pitiful faces. Maybe those herbs had hallucinogenic qualities, like the ones I learned about at an Ayurveda factory tour.

Our laughter subsides after a while as we ponder how long they will leave us. Perhaps they’ve forgotten about us? Where are the cameras? Does the door only open from the outside? These are all questions thrown around until the brief silence invites another eruption of laughter, escalating to the point where several curious therapists suddenly appear at the door.

They too start laughing, mostly likely at our ridiculousness. The general consensus is that we have marinated long enough and we’re individually escorted out of the tagine clutching our shopping bags and what’s left of our dignity.

I follow the same open pathway back to the massage room in hysterics while the therapist attempts to keep my towel and modesty intact. Her attempts are futile, but finally, my walk of shame is over and I pray for the opportunity to wipe away some of the oil and dress in privacy. Given my wobbly state, she decides I’m not fit to be left alone and proceeds to dress me before delivering me to Kat, who is waiting for me in an equally deplorable state. There’s no sign of the Swedish girls, just the faint echoes of their laughter following us into the surreal daylight.

If you enjoyed this story, you might also like reading about more Sri Lankan adventures.

In 2023, I was a guest of Destination Sri Lanka and for more information go to www.destinationsrilanka.travel 

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The post A funny thing happened at the Ayurveda spa in Sri Lanka appeared first on Fluffy Towel Travel.