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BODYLICIOUS

It’s goodbye to stress

RUBBING IT IN The Ayurvedic treatment in progress

Indulge In: Swastikapindaswedam

The Technicalities: Swastikapindaswedam is derived from the Sanskrit words ‘swastika’ meaning cereal; ‘pinda’, which means bolus and ‘swedam’, meaning perspiration.

The Navara variety of rice from Kerala is cooked in milk that’s saturated with herbs. A paste made out of it is then poured into a towel or porous cotton cloth and tied. This is the bolus. It is then dipped in hot milk and herb decoction, and rubbed on to the body. Before this paste is applied, you are given a massage with Ayurvedic oil or a combination of oils depending on your vata, pitta and kapha type. The entire process nourishes the skin and collagen, and is a treasure house of powerful anti-oxidants and phyto-nutrients.

The Process: After a brief bout of illness, I am not looking or feeling great. And, the complimentary body pain the fever gifted me makes me feel worse.

At this point, what I really need is a rejuvenating massage. The minute I recover, I walk into Sowkhya, an Ayurvedic centre. At Sowkhya, Dr. Manu Das makes me fill a form and then, based on my requirements, suggests the Swastikapindaswedam.

The treatment starts with an Ayurvedic oil massage. I am hoisted onto the massage table by not one, not two, but three masseuses. A pot of milk boils by the side of the table. Sowmya and Rema pour liberal amounts of oil on me and start massaging in synchrony; it is like watching a dance.

This treatment is a stress-buster; it hydrates the skin, restores suppleness in joints and improves blood circulation.

Trickle...trickle...more oil is being poured on me. And, then, I feel something hot dripping on my back. “This is the rice paste from the bolus and it’s hot because it’s been dipped in the milk,” says Sowmya. The paste is rubbed in, and the hot paste seeping into my skin feels great. I can imagine the back pain reluctantly waving good bye.

Explore some of the city’s most decadent treatments with the MetroPlus team as we scour the city’s spas and beauty parlours hunting down unusual, quirky, luxurious body bliss.

With my body pain near gone, I feel fresh and bouncy, and ready for any amount of work. The treatment lasts an hour-and-a-half, and costs Rs.1,200.

Sowkhya, No. 9, Jagannathan Road, Nungambakkam. Phone: 42059797

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