Mauritius has no shortage of spas. But Ayurveda spas are, well... islands unto themselves.

And what is this Ayurveda?

Ayurveda is an Indian healing method of antiquity, still practiced in India, Nepal Sri Lanka and to a smaller, simpler extent in other countries worldwide. It means “knowledge of life.” A healthy body is achieved only when there’s a balance between the physical, mental, social and spiritual aspects of the body; the doshas in Ayurveda speak.

What does massage have to do with it?

Let’s start with the doshas or the bodily features. There are three of them, vata, pitta and kapha. Vata is all about the nervous system. Pitta is the energy system concerned with digestion. Kapha is the mostly about the distribution of nutrients around the body and lubrication.  According to Ayurveda, we are all a combination of all of these doshas with one or two dominating.

The doshas can be disturbed by environment, temperature or diet. Ayurvedic practioners believe that’s how disease comes about. There are many ways to restore the balance and thus curing the disease. Massage is one of them.

Where in Mauritius?

Surya and Shanti Ananda spas are some of the most prominent Ayurvedic spas in Mauritius. True to the traditional healing system, the massages on offer are tailored according to individual need.

Before they begin your dosha body type is established. Are you a thin, restless vata type who should go easy on the alcohol while being liberal with sour taste? A pitta type with a big appetite who should give warm milk a proper chance? Or a big boned kapha who should bid fatty food a well-deserved adieu?

After pinpointing your dominant dosha, treatment can begin.

Therapies include Abhyanga, a full body relaxation massage using specific oil from Kerala, India. Incidentally, in India the state of Kerala is renowned for its massage development. There’s Dhara, which is used to treat headaches, stress, insomnia and mental imbalance. The medicated oil used in the treatment, flows gently on the forehead from a prescribed height - that’s how specific Ayurveda is.

Shanti Ananda also offers more western beauty and hair therapies including thalassotherapy (all the sea related treatments – seaweed, seawater, sea salt, etc).

 Don’t upset your doshas anymore than you need to; check out our easily accessible Mauritius packages.