Pulse May 2018 | Page 35

to living include eating a colorful, flavorful diet, getting abundant and restful sleep, living in tune with nature, tuning into your body through exercise, and strength- ening your digestive power. In a way, Ayurvedic living has been reintroduced and modernized to fit perfectly for today’s wellness-minded spa consumer. The Wellness Travel Movement as it pertains to Ayurveda More and more people are traveling to different parts of the world just to experience yoga on mountain tops. They don’t bat an eye while booking a long weekend in Spain to attend a mindfulness retreat or to experience how other cultures are digitally detoxing. The consumer demand for the wellness travel movement is the perfect segue into Ayruvedic offerings. According to Health and Fitness Travel, an online wellness holiday specialist, destinations who specialize in preventative health, food as medicine, mindful movement, and spirituality and community wellness will be extremely popular in 2018. All these principals are incorporated in Ayurvedic teachings. Popular Ayurvedic Treatments in Spa Spas can offer an array of Ayurvedic treatments servicing every facet of the lifestyle. Trained therapists can work with the body to encourage healing, growth and physical stress relief, with the goal of bringing guests into an open, blissful and restored state. One of the more popular Ayurvedic treatments is Shirodhara, which is a relax- ation therapy. Shirodhara is a continuous pouring of warm oil in a slow steady stream on the forehead that helps to pacify the subtle aspects of the doshas, nourishing the nervous system, promoting relaxation and tranquility and improving mental clarity and comprehension. Another interesting and well-known Ayurvedic treatment is the Netra Tarpana or eye bathing. Ayurveda enthusiasts know better than anyone that many eyesight problems result from mental stress, as the eye is closely related to the mind. The Netra Tarpana is a rejuvenating treatment that relieves tired, achy, sore eyes and improves vision. Warmed ghee is gently poured on the eyes while the guest is led through relaxing, simple eye exercises, and leaves the treatment happy and relaxed. While Ayurveda can seem like a difficult and expensive practice to adopt, spas who include just a few treatment or product offerings could position themselves to meet the needs of a growing population of enthusiasts. Another great option for any type of spa is to seek out partnerships with nearby Ayurvedic doctors or facilities. The results from a 2017 Snapshot Survey on wellness show that only 40 percent of respondents partner with a medical facility to offer a wider range of programming to their guests. Taking steps to increase these partnerships could position your spa as not only a destination for Ayurvedic treatments and practices, but also a well-rounded wellness destination. n BUYER’S GUIDE: Ayurveda Incorporate this trend ShiroBliss LLC V7 System SHIRoBLISS.coM into your service and retail offerings with this sampling of ISPA resource partner products. Gharieni Ayurvedic Massage Bed GHARIEnI.coM Sundari Chamomile Eye Oil SUndARI.coM ESPA Cooling Body Moisturizer US.ESPASKIncARE.coM ESS Massage Oil Shirodhara Oil Shankara Tri-Dosha Muscle Release Oil UnIvERSALcoMPAnIES.coM SHAnKARA.coM TARA Spa Therapy Ayurvedic Dosha Oils TARASPA.coM May 2018 ■ PULSE 33