Bangkok"s first Ayurvedic Centre, Ayuvedic Penthouse, was recently opened at The Oriental. Housed in the penthouse that was once the residence of the hotel"s General Manager, the airy quarters offer river views and are tastefully decorated with Indian antiques and wall hangings.

The penthouse has four large suites each of which contains an authentic Ayurvedic set-up. There is the wooden Ayurvedic bed carved from a single plank so that guests don"t have to endure rickety joints.

The bed is said to have been carved from a hundred-year-old tree.  The spa boasts a wooden steam cabinet for a massage treatment after oiling, which allows the essential oils to further soak into the skin while keeping the head cool. A therapist administers snana (scrub-down) of ground beans in a spacious shower, after which guests can enjoy a long soak in the copper bathtub which is bacteria-resistant.

The Ayurvedic Penthouse offers customized treatments that serve individual requirements. Guests have to fill in a  brief questionnaire which enables the therapists or the Ayurvedic doctor to select the pertinent treatment(s). The therapist then mixes the oils in the right proportions with the aim being to balance your dosha"s tendencies.

Above and beyond the one-off treatments are three- to four-day long-stay programmes encompassing spa treatments, sessions with the Ayurvedic doctor and yoga trainer – that could result in an entire lifestyle overhaul, if the guest wants to go that extra mile in the interests of well-being. Ayurveda is an Indian lifestyle choice and holistic system of healing.

Report by The Mole