A monster with the head of a cement-mixer is tramping over the dusty border town of Amritsar, snuffing out graceful old houses and replacing them with icing-cake hotels, identikit luxury villas and steel-hearted malls. Against these accretions of a brash, disregarding future, Ranjit’s Svaasa — a 200-year-old bungalow that’s been transformed into a heritage hotel and spa — offers space, privacy and tranquility; rare indulgences of a bygone era.
Set against fishtail palms, frangipanis and fruit trees, this lovingly restored haveli once housed the British guests of the Mehra family, yesteryear’s Ansals who’d started out as tea estate owners and were anointed Rai Bahadurs by the Raj. Their history can be traced all along the entry passage, past yellowed blueprints of ancestral bungalows, vintage tea labels, and sepia photos of dashing ancestors sporting ceremonial uniforms of gentlemen’s clubs.
The origin of the building’s present avatar, however, goes back just five years, when the owner Rama Mehra experienced, first-hand, the powerful effects of alternative medicine; following a shocking simultaneous diagnosis of cancer for both her and her husband. At Svaasa, this conviction is borne out through Ayurvedic treatments, herbal supplements, meditation and yoga. A combination is tailored to guests’ requirements by an in-house team of Ayurvedic specialists, who treat ailments ranging from arthritis to depression, and also offer a host of spa treatments for those looking to be pampered.
The dimly-lit spa where all the massaging and oiling takes place used to be stables for horses and cows; today, it’s satisfied clients who do the contented whinnying. Mine, for instance, was kneaded out of me by the able Indira from Thrissur, as she administered the most popular spa treatment, Abhyangam. A full-body massage with medicated oil chosen according to your constitution, it’s guaranteed to improve your circulation and plunge you a soporific swoon. Next up: a relaxing and apparently detoxifying soak in a warm herbal swill burbling around a jacuzzi.
If you’d like some place to linger between treatments, sightseeing trips and organic feasts served in the dining hall, try the wifi-enabled study. Or the lounge — a long room brimming with sunlight, it’s fitted out with sumptuous Calcutta sofas and gilded velvet thrones, a novelty chessboard, TV set, and, so Junior can torture the bats out of the trees with his unique rendition of Chopsticks, a custom-made small piano.
There’s also a selection of 17 suites to retire to, each completely different, and named for an eminent Mehra ancestor. The lavishly appointed Presidential Suite I was staying in, for example, was named after Amravati, a social worker. If you don’t mind doing without the option of tinkling Worldspace muzak, a mini-fridge and an extra queen-sized day bed to loll about on, try the Svaasa suites and luxury suites.
Seasoned spa-goers may continue to speak of Ananda in hushed tones, but it’s worth finding out why this rookie retreat has already lured a clutch of foreign ambassadors, captains of industry, and even celebrities like Suneet Varma and Shweta Bachchan to its fold.
The information
Treatments Ayurveda, salt baths, fruit scrubs, body wraps, milk baths, hair therapy, nutritional counselling
Treatment Rates Rs 500-2,800
Treatment Packages (3-10 days): Rs 10,499-1,47,800 (including room tariffs)
Room Tariff Rs 5,250-11,500 (valid till September 30)
Contact 0183-2566618, www.welcomheritagehotels.com
Recommended
Abhyangam, a 50-minute ‘all-in-one’ scalp and full-body massage. Rs 1,400