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Treatment room at Kempinski Mall of the Emirates.

Ayurveda spa operators should capitalise on current consumer lifestyle trends towards alternative medicines to increase treatment take-up.

The success of the Softouch Ayurveda spa at Ajman Kempinski and plans for India's Kare Academy -a retreat centred on Ayurveda and Iyengar yoga - to launch in Dubai this year, are testament to the growing popularity of Ayurveda in the Middle East.

The 5000-year-old Indian medical system was officially introduced to the UAE in 2001, when Dr V L Shyam, director of Softouch Spa for Kempinski Hotel Mall of the Emirates and a regional director for the Kerala-based Softouch Spa brand, was awarded the first licence to practice Ayurveda in the country by the Ministry of Health (MOH).

Dr Shyam, who trained in western medicine but grew up in Kerala in India surrounded by the principles of Ayurveda, says: "In India, Ayurveda is medicine, plain and simple, and is necessary for the treatment of sick people and as a repository of advice about how to preserve health."

"In the UAE also, Ayurveda is recognised by the Ministry of Health as a traditional complementary and alternative medicine."

"However, in the Middle East Ayurveda is undergoing a process of modernisation and globalisation similar to that which took place earlier with yoga."

"Ayurveda is changing and adapting, as it moves from its pre-modern conservative role to a new position as one part of a portfolio of alternative and complementary therapies offered alongside modern medicine," continues Shyam.

"During the 20th century, the practice of a branch of ‘physical yoga' (stretching and breathing) has become a worldwide phenomenon rather than getting popularity as a whole philosophy."

A similar process of globalisation is currently happening in the Middle East to the tradition of Ayurveda.

It is not the curative aspects or health idea, but the wellness part of Ayurveda like massages, oil treatments and rejuvenation therapies that are gaining attractiveness."

Although more education on Ayurveda is needed, as will be discussed later, the growing awareness of the wellness side of Ayurveda does not have to be seen as negative.

Wellness is a growing trend worldwide, so if consumers are buying into this idea, it makes commercial sense to market Ayurveda alongside it.

Indeed Dr Suni Paul, Ayurvedic consultant at Softouch spa at Kempinski Hotel Ajman, says that public perception of Ayurveda has improved a lot and that spa plays a large role in attracting people in the region to Ayurveda.

"If it's known as purely medical, they would be less likely to experience it," she says.

Softouch at Kempinski Hotel Ajman offers everything from a basic 60-minute Ayurveda massage (Abhyangam), to signature treatments such as Softouch Anti Voyage Fatigue to 14-28 day purification treatments (Panchakarma therapy) and a Spine Care programme, meaning it covers preventative and curative forms of Ayurveda.

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