Is this Kerala's most luxurious spa?
I am lying on a wooden table with warm oil steadily dripping onto my forehead. My body is covered only by a white sheet, while two women gently direct the stream of oil onto my 'mind's eye' just above my brow. Gradually, the deeply ingrained tension I've carried for years begins to dissolve, and a relaxation sweeps through my forehead I’ve never felt before.
This is shirodhara, an Ayurvedic treatment designed to heal both mental and physical conditions: from anxiety and stress to insomnia, neurological disorders, and sinusitis. Its name comes from the Sanskrit words ‘shiro’ (head) and ‘dhara’ (flow), and it traces its origins to ancient India.
My shirodhara session was at what’s considered the world’s first official Ayurveda resort—Somatheeram. Established in 1985 in Kerala, the Indian region famed for its Ayurveda and holistic healing, it has since helped thousands of visitors improve their health. Many of the guests I encountered from all over Europe were repeat visitors, seeking dramatic weight loss, general health improvements, or, in one case, detoxification after chemotherapy.
This relentless focus on health sets Somatheeram apart from a typical spa resort. It offers daily full-body massages, a pool, and free yoga classes—but the resort describes itself as an Ayurvedic hospital, and visitors expecting typical Western spa luxury may find themselves surprised by its clinical authenticity.
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Treatments are kept traditional—meaning those who are uncomfortable with nudity may feel challenged—and the facilities are simple yet clean, with basic cottages that feature outdoor hammocks. After treatments, guests wander about in green gowns, faces covered with dark red sandalwood masks. Everyone is there for bespoke Ayurvedic packages, from rejuvenation therapy and anti-ageing to full body purification.
Each guest receives a personalized schedule after a thorough consultation with an Ayurvedic doctor, who examines their health, digestion, personality, and ‘dosha’. In Ayurvedic science, each person is made up of three doshas or body/personality types: vata (air and space), pitta (fire), and kapha (earth). Doctors use these to prescribe specific diets and treatments, with packages ranging from seven to 28 nights.
My package focused on relieving stress, with a daily routine of yoga, meditation, and treatments. Alongside shirodhara, I had a milk bath—being immersed in buttermilk—a vigorous massage using heated herbal pouches, and pizhichil, where warm medicated oil is poured over the shoulders to ease tension.
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When my doctor discovered I had an ear infection, the next morning I found a therapist lighting a fire in the treatment room. She used it to send medicated fumes into my ear with a large traditional horn that cupped onto my head—and within two days of this unusual procedure, the infection had subsided.
Each of my treatments were based on abhyanga, a long massage performed by two therapists, and my days ended with sunset yoga and meditation. I learned pranayama—a series of breathing techniques to increase my body’s energy (prana, meaning ‘life force’)—and was urged to continue incorporating these into my daily life.
No wonder I left the resort feeling both lighter and less stressed than I had when I arrived. My daily meals, tailored to my dosha (as a vata, I had unlimited dosas and warm curries—but no chili), were both delicious and healthy. And the combination of intensive treatments and quiet evening meditations overlooking the Arabian Sea erased several years’ worth of stress in just one week.