Spas and Resorts in Mumbai

An Ancient Spa Culture

Cheap Hotels

With a wealth of traditional health-giving remedies, therapies, and massages, India had a spa culture long before the word became popular in the West.  Childhood memories here include the weekly oil bath, brides are scrubbed with turmeric and gram flour to force a bashful glow, and new mothers are pampered with luxurious herbal massages to ease away aches and pains.  Added to this bountiful knowledge of natural treatments is the level of spiritual awareness.  In fact, spa tourism here probably goes back to the 1960s when Western flower children descended in droves to practice yoga, imbibe the values of healthy living, and seek “spiritual enlightenment.”  These days, such enlightenment can be had in substantially more comfortable surroundings, perhaps while gazing out at an infinity pool in your spa suite.   

A Marriage of Physical Well Being and Spiritual Fulfillment

Many of Mumbai’s spas have jumped on to the growing trend of combining holistic treatments with spiritual well being.  Spas at most five star hotels have begun to combine meditation classes and chanting sessions to offer clients a more well rounded healing experience.  Massage menus include Thai, Swedish, and Balinese treatments and there is a variety of Indian specialties on offer here – from vigorous almost masochistic oil rubdowns generally used on professional wrestlers to “third eye” hot oil treatments based on Ayurvedic principles.  Other options include what are pretentiously called “health farms” usually located on the city’s outskirts, but it seems a pity to make a stressful three hour commute out of Mumbai when luxury five star spas located in the heart of the city beckon. If you don’t fancy making the long trek southwards to Kerala or up north to the Himalayas where some of the best Ayurvedic retreats are located, check in at one of the many Ayurvedic resorts that offers traditional massages and herbal baths that compare favorably with those mentioned above.