From Lisa Fine of Irving and Fine
“A few years ago, I went to Ananda, the spa in the Himalayas, for ten days with my mother to do an ayurevedic panchakarma detox. It’s a purification treatment that eliminates toxins and balances the doshas (biological energies). When you arrive, you see this big old magical palace, and it’s a bit disappointing at first because that is not where the rooms are. You are ushered down to these modern rooms, which are plain and simple, but the entire back wall of each of them is all glass with incredible views of the Himalayas and Rishikesh below; it’s incredible. I ended up loving the rooms and finding them more beautiful than I would have if they had been in the palace because they felt like tree houses.
“The best part of Ananda is the yoga because it’s located near the sacred city of Rishikesh, which is the world’s yoga and meditation capital. Ananda attracts amazing teachers. Not only will you love the yoga when you are doing it there, but the way they teach you makes you want to become better at it. The food is delicious as well. When you do the detox, it’s important to follow a particular diet, and everything is organic. They also offer fantastic cooking classes. I also did a similar cleanse at Kalluri, which was stricter because you couldn’t have wine with dinner but it was a little too zen for me. It was in a beautiful place but was dreadfully dull. There was no TV, no internet, nothing to do but eat little and meditate.”
Bottom line: “I would love to go back; the yoga and the cooking classes were really special.”
TIP: “I preferred it during the week when it was less crowded; the weekends got busy. I was also amazed at how inexpensive it was—of course, with the dollar it’s more now—but compared to other luxury spas, it was a deal.”
A three-night wellness package starts at $2,100; seven-night detox package starts at $4,500, during the high season. Prices from April through September are lower.
For Fine’s tips on visiting Bombay, click here.
For Fine’s Istanbul advice, click here.
