One single step into the centre and you will immediately feel more relaxed… The warm colours, the subdued light and the smell of essential oils would put anyone in the mood for a massage to please the senses… The voice of the lady welcoming customers is as calm and sweet as the whole atmosphere. While waiting for the massage, all customers are greeted with a cup of herb tea. The Indian background music contributes to the quietness of the place. This is all part of Surya, the brand-new Ayurvedic Spa in Péreybère.

Although the massage centre has been open since February, Surya has not been officially inaugurated yet. Nivedita Nattoo, the spa manager and owner, explains that a certain number of details remain to be worked upon before the official opening. “But it should take place by the end of August,” she adds.

Nivedita speaks calmly – always with a smile on her face. This might be one of the effects of a career as a masseuse in one of the most prestigious hotels in the island, the Royal Palm. “I worked at the Royal Palm for seven years – as from the age of 18.” And we can imagine what someone who has learned the ropes of her job in such a hotel is able to do…

And we can also imagine how difficult it was for her to stop working when she got married. “I lived in Vacoas and it was so easy to go to work everyday… But then, I couldn’t stand it anymore. I had always worked and couldn’t imagine staying at home… So my husband helped me a lot!”

Since that period, Nivedita’s life has really changed. Thanks to her husband who financed the project, she was able to open a first massage centre in Grand-Bay called Anais at the time – today, for obvious reasons the name has been changed to Surya as well. “Since that time, I have never looked back,” she says laughing. She manages the spas and massage centres of several hotels such as the Victoria,the Grand-Gaube hotel, Le Méridien, Club Med…

<B>A way of attracting tourists</B>

She also owns a beauty treatment school in Quatre-Bornes called ‘Complexions School of Beauty Therapy’ where students can be trained in this specific field. “In fact, when we started in the business, we had to employ a certain number of people. And we quickly realised that there was no skilled staff here in Mauritius. This is why we set up the school.” However, she insists that her students are not bound to work in one of her centres after their studies… “But a lot of them actually do,” she points out.

With all these businesses already to her credit, why did she have to open one more spa? Well, this one is quite different, it seems. None of her spas had ever been Ayur Vedic… And she really appears attracted by the philosophy. It seems it was first a way of expressing her spirituality.

“I had been working on this project for five years. I’ve been to India several times to learn about the philosophy and the precepts of the Ayur Veda… This therapy has existed for five thousand years and it has been proved efficient!” When Nivedita saw the success Ayurveda had worldwide, she immediately thought this could be a way of attracting more tourists to Mauritius. “When I was in India, I was astonished to see the great number of tourists coming to be treated in Ayurvedic centres. And this corresponded to the period when the government was talking about diversifying tourism in Mauritius!” She was sure this would work!

And she was not wrong… Although the spa opened only recently, Nivedita can already feel that people are interested in it. For the moment, she receives more tourists than Mauritians but the latter will soon realise that the centre is open to them.

“The aim of opening such a centre was to make it available to Mauritians. Practically all hotels have a spa now,but they are too expensive for most Mauritians. So we introduced special tariffs for locals to make sure they can benefit from the centre.” All massages include a session in Turkish baths to open the pores and soften the skin. Then, the customer has a complete body scrub before the massage. All massages involve these different stages and cost as from Rs 1,000. Member-ship will be available for Mauritians very soon.

After the massage, a special corner is reserved at the back. Customers can relax on deckchairs on a small terrace. In front of them, a small fountain bubbles and flows… Another cup of herb tea is served to prolong this moment of relaxation… And customers can enjoy it to the sound of the birds singing in the blue sky of Pereybère.

FACTS

<B>What is Ayurveda?</B>

The body is governed by three Doshas, which are themselves governed by the four elements: earth, air, water, fire. The Ayur Vedic philosophy says that the three Doshas have to be balanced for a person to be in good health. This balance can be achieved through massage and a special diet. The centre is there to give advice on the way you should eat to remain healthy. According to Ayurveda, digestion is at the centre of good health. Food is digested thanks to the agni (fire) in the stomach. So simple advice such as drinking hot water instead of cold with your meals will help you keep fit. Moreover, the essential oils of Ayurveda are known to promote good cells and eliminate bad ones.