Spa Ayurda and adding massage to your life

I was one of the many who couldn’t wait for Spa Ayurda to open in Ponsonby, and recently attended the truly feelgood official opening of the very special beauty and wellness spot in a large, airy villa opposite Rocket Kitchen. As a frequent visitor to healthy and beauty spas around the globe, I know all too well that not all are created equal, but had heard nothing but good things about this beautifully decorated oasis on one of Central Auckland’s busiest roads. In the words of its director Rippan Sandhu, Spa Ayurda is based on “5000 year old traditions of wellness and the principle that what we see happening on the outside - as in our skin and body - is a direct reflection of our inner self”. This basic principle is based on the ancient Indian science known as Ayurvedic medicine, which is known for its holistic approach to wellness and the simple desire to correct the cause of an illness or imbalance, rather than merely masking symptoms. Rippan and her team’s goal in life is to “redefine the concept of spa for those of us who just see them as a place for getting pampered with relaxing facials and other beauty treatments”, and one of their main strengths is the quality of their massage. The spacious spa offers unique, customised Ayurvedic facials, body rituals, highly effective body wraps and hand and feet rituals, as well as a plethora of other treatments that will leave clients not just feeling pampered, but also relaxed and rejuvenated. They also offer wellness packages especially tailored to each client's needs, in the true nurturing spirit of Ayurveda.
I visited one cold afternoon to experience a Tri Dosha massage, and due to the fact that the Winter months are my most frantic time of year when it comes to work, my goal was to emerge as blissed out as possible. The state I arrived in can best be described as “frazzled as all hell”, but after just a few minutes sipping a tea and taking in the soothing surrounds I was feeling better already. I filled out a form dealing with any health problems as well as what I hoped to achieve from my treatment that day, then it was into one of the dimly lit, fragrant treatment rooms for a slow train to heaven.
The massage I’d chosen involved a mix of warmed oils that helped thaw me out as well as lifted my spirits, and my hour long massage seemed to go all too quickly. All of Rippan’s well trained Ayurvedic beauty therapists are masters when it comes to good massage, and as I sat up for my head and neck to be rubbed at the end of my treatment I have to say I felt beyond amazing. In an ideal world I’d have added a Shirodhara treatment on to my massage for its added relaxation properties, a process which sees a continuous, rhythmic flow of medicated oil poured at a specific temperature from a specific height onto the third eye area. It induces an almost meditative state, and after my last treatment I left with such an intense feeling of deep relaxation I was almost too nervous to drive! The warm oil helps to calm the aggravated vata in the nervous system, thus restoring the nervous function and remove feelings of helplessness, hopelessness or that cloudy, dull feeling we sometimes get. Added to a massage, the 30-minute treatment leaves you fully restored and better able to face the stresses that life throws at you. Pop into Spa Ayurda and give it a go – I guarantee that you won’t leave disappointed!