7 minute read
9 Days of Massage in Kerala
By Claire French
Kerala 9 Days of Massage, Was it Worth it?
If you got an idea in your head to explore the potential benefits of daily massage, just where in the world would you go to conduct this somewhat indulgent experiment? After much consideration, I opted for the south Indian state of Kerala. It’s serene, it’s beautiful, it’s a lush land of tea plantations, idyllic backwaters, teetering mountains and golden beaches. Kerala is, above all, the home of Ayurveda, the age-old Hindu system of medicine, nutrition, yoga and, crucially for my purposes, massage.
Kerala evokes the laid-back, dreamy sensations that you may have hoped for from its sister state of Goa. Less developed than that smaller, more famed, more crowded, and well, more tourist-honed hotspot, Kerala is vaster, more diverse, and to a large extent less discovered by holiday makers. Although there are pockets are of growing popularity, these tend to be frequented mostly during the mild winter November to March when days are long and sunny, and palms sway gently in the breeze that floats in off the Arabian Sea. Low season, May to September, tells a different story, temperatures rise, monsoon rains arrive, tourist sites shut up shop, and locals take a wellearned rest. This is the perfect time for self care. A period of restoration and rejuvenation. Time to cocoon oneself in a warm, dimly lit, incense filled treatment room, and let yourself be safely taken care of as the soft sounds of monsoon showers pepper a bamboo roof.
I’ve chosen to stay in Varkala, a busy tourist town near the state capital Trivandrum, but actually I could just as easily have picked any town along the coast, as Ayurvedic centres seem to be thriving everywhere. It’s not always easy to get information online, so my suggestion would be to go with word of mouth, or visit a few suitable looking establishments and ask questions there until you find one that clicks, which was my method. You can take individual treatments such as a massage or something more exotic, like shirodhara – where warm oil is run continuously over your third eye chakra. Or, go for a full panchakarma detox program which can include purging and enema. The latter isn’t really my idea of a good time, so I’ll give that a miss thanks. What I am really after is nine days of pampering, to experience authentic Ayurvedic oil massage, and to observe what comes. So, let’s see how that goes.
Day 1
It’s with a mixture of excitement and trepidation that I hand over my credit card following a consultation with Dr Ray. After a bit of pulse reading and tongue checking, Dr Ray has determined that I need three different times of kizhi – pronounced ‘kirri’. These are pairs of small hessian sacks filled with different medicated contents, dipped in hot oil and rubbed all over the body. It’s cheap compared to prices back in Europe, but is still a fair investment considering I am not working for a month. But, still, it does sound interesting. We agree on a 4pm start. After a surreal first experience, I feel knocked out. I can barely stay awake to finish a rather delicious palak paneer.
Day 2
Wider awake, I take a closer look at the baggies. They are beautifully made, and these first three days I am assigned podikizhi, bolus stuffed with medicated powder. My therapist, Vijee, says a prayer in front of the small altar, and then we get started. I’m rubbed from head to foot with the bags, the fine powder leaving an oily grit on my skin. In fact by the end there is so much oil, I have to practically be carried to the shower. ‘Do people really fall over?’, I ask. ‘Oh yes,’ she replies. By the way she is tightly gripping my arm, I imagine it is fairly frequent.
Day 3
Today at the centre I am grumpy. I’m wearing a paper nappy. It’s next to useless. I may as well be naked. I’m really tired, and think these treatments are exhausting me energetically. I’m frustrated that my commitment to this project is getting in the way of my other missions. I have lots of reading to do, the sea is wonderfully warm for swimming, I’m taking yoga classes, and I want to pick up some souvenirs. And now I feel like all the massaging, showering, shampooing, resting and restoring is taking up all my time. I’m exposed, vulnerable, sad.
Day 4
New type of kizhi today. Elakkizhi. It’s interesting to try this alternative stuffing of medicated leaves. The sensation is smoother, silkier, and the herbs are said to relief back aches and joint pain. I enjoy the treatment, it’s relaxing and hopefully doing my body good, but I’m fed up with having to wash my hair yet again. I’m beginning to think this experiment was a big mistake. A waste of time and money. I’m sceptical, but more positively,
Vijee is really lovely. She’s the kind of massage therapist I would aim to be, friendly but professional. Her gentle but firm pressure feels reassuring and caring, grounding.
Day 5
Half way through the package now, and I’m getting ready after my swim when I catch sight of something in the my wardrobe mirror. Hold on just one minute! Is that my ass?! I do believe it is. I take a closer look. Yes, it is most definitely smoother, perter, and much less cellulitey. Suddenly I am feeling far more optimistic about this whole experience, and head off to see Vijee with a skip in my step. Today she asks me to say our daily prayer. Under pressure, I manage a brief ‘lokah samastah sukinho bhavantu’ - ‘may all beings everywhere be happy and free’, which I hope fits the bill. Vijee seems pleased with me anyway.
Day 6
I’m relaxing into the process a lot more now, feeling liberal with my nakedness. After this last day of the herbs sacks, I’m healthy, strong and pain free. Later this afternoon at the beach, I recommend the centre to Nikki and Chris, a lovely couple from London who I keep bumping into. ‘You have to try it’, I say, ‘you can’t come to Kerala and leave without an Ayurvedic massage’. They seem unconvinced, especially Chris, but agree to check it out.
Day 7
Excited to be trying a new type of baggy today. Now we are on njavarakizhi, translated rather dubiously as rice pudding bundle. It is, I discover, medicated rice, not the basmati kind for eating. Who even knew there was such a thing. This is the strangest experience yet. I am coated from head to foot in a milky goo. It’s applied, rubbed in, and then scraped off with a spatula, but my god, does my skin feel soft after a shower. I imagine myself as a kind of Indian Cleopatra.
Day 8
I’m loving the rice baggies, it’s certainly messy though, sticking to my hair like paper mache, and I’m grateful for the on site shower room. I see Nikki and she tells me that she and Chris went for a couples massage. ‘So bizarre,’ she says, ‘me and Chris were given a male and female therapist respectively, but then for the treatment, we were all together. It was the first time I have been naked in a room with two men at the same time.’ Well I guess there is a first time for everything Nikki.
Day 9
I spend a lot of today looking at my backside in the mirror, squeezing my glutes and marvelling at the results. After the last of my treatments I am feeling emotional. I express my gratitude to Vijee and take some photos before a last goodbye.
So, nine days of massage, was it worth it? Without a shadow of a doubt, yes. I am feeling the best I have in years, in body, mind and spirit. My skin is smooth, my muscles toned, I’m calm and relaxed. And yes, I did still find time for reading, yoga and shopping. Life is good, very good.
