Friday, the Gulf News English daily’s weekly magazine, runs a popular column by an Ayurvedic doctor. There are at least 50 Ayurvedic Centres in the UAE.
DUBAI: Indian Ayurvedic panchakarma therapy is holding on in the UAE despite not having a level playing field with its Chinese counterparts which offer ‘much more’ than just a massage.
Massage as a therapy has been accepted the world over, and so too in the Middle East, where many Arabs go to Ayurvedic centres like Kottakkal in Kerala for cure and comfort but the Chinese variety is giving the Indian technique a tough run.
“Many calls to our centre finally ends with the question: Who does the massage for men, girls or boys? And when we say only men massage male patients, the call goes dead”, says Dr K P Murali of Healing Touch Ayurvedic Centre, Sharjah.
‘But awareness of Ayurveda system is increasing” says Dr Simple Hinduja. “We get genuine patients both men and women who look at and believe in Ayurvedic massage as part of a treatment,” she says.
The English dailies carry in their Classifieds several ads for massage of the sleazy variety without the name of the firm or the person. “An offer exclusively for men. Come for total care” says one. “Full body relaxation from head to toe” says another. Both give only cell numbers.
These are mostly by Chinese, Koreans or Thai which give the Indian centres a run for their money. They get many customers as girls offer massage for men, though it is illegal.
Many of the Chinese centres operate out of flats or villas and close down after some time when neighbours complain about their activity. Ras Al Khaimah emirate closed down a number of such Chinese parlours some time ago.
Dr Abdul Latif, who runs Ayurvedic Herbal Health Centre in Sharjah says it was very difficult to get permission when he started off ten years ago. “The officials will simply not accept that there is a system of medicine like Ayurveda.” Yogacharya Das who has been the personal therapist for many highly placed Arabs for over two decades agrees.
Now the times have changed with well known five star hotels like the Kempinsky in Ajman emirate and Taj in Dubai offering authentic Ayurvedic massage and treatment.
Kottakkal Ayurveda pharmacy has wholesale and retail outlets here. As there are regular buyers, the Indian groceries and supermarkets also stock many Ayurvedic medicines on the shelves which is not exactly legal.
Friday, the Gulf News English daily’s weekly magazine, runs a popular column by an Ayurvedic doctor. There are at least 50 Ayurvedic Centres in the UAE.
UAE has a tradition in herbal medicine and Dubai has opened an indigeneous herbal massage centre frequented by local VIPS. Interestingly, many massage therapists there, both men and women, are Indians trained in the Ayurvedic system.
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