Pummel vision
At an Ayurvedic resort in Sri Lanka you will be kneaded, needled, steamed and scrubbed all in the name of relaxation, writes Mark Andrews
So much for the new Calvin Kleins. Warm, thick brown oil drips down my body as the hands of masseurs Manjula and Kumara work in unison. I have had my fair share of massages, but none quite like this. Cut the sniggering - this is a serious part of Ayurvedic treatment and the two men working on me are masters, leading me to a near slumber state.
Founded in 1968, Barberyn Reef Resort, located at Moragalla near Beruwala on the west coast of Sri Lanka, in 1984 became the country's first health resort to offer Ayurvedic treatments, and remains one of its top destinations for such treatments.
The family-owned resort takes a holistic approach to treating lifestyle illnesses, such as obesity. As with all treatments, mine begins with a doctor's consultation. Ayurvedic medicine's basic premise is that there are three elemental substances (doshas) in the body - vata, pitta, and kapha - and that illnesses are caused by an imbalance of these. The consultation results in a treatment programme to rebalance the doshas.
I never thought I would actually live to see myself lying in a wooden box but that is exactly what I experience in the steam bath. With all but my head entombed, I undergo external "oiliation" to reduce vata and draw out toxins through the skin.
Thoroughly steamed, I am led to the herbal garden. In the garden, medicated packs are placed on my back and right leg, which have been causing me problems, and a honey and papaya mixture is spread over my face. I lie for half an hour with cucumber over my eyes listening to gentle music and squirrels chattering.
It is then time to remove all the oil with a special scrub. On days when I don't have the steam bath this is followed by a herbal bath to calm the vata and finish the treatment.