On a hill overlooking Hangzhou’s West Lake, on the site of an ancient temple dedicated to the Chinese god of medicine, is China’s first genuine Ayurvedic spa, the Avaida Therapy Lounge. Check in for three days, put yourself in the care of the resident doctors and emerge restored in both body and mind.

Roughly speaking, Ayurvedic medicine is the Indian equivalent of Traditional Chinese Medicine. It’s a holistic approach to health with thousands of years of history which employs yoga, massage, meditation, nutrition and a whole host of therapies to bring your bodily humors into balance.

Avaida employs only Indian doctors and therapists. It’s headed by Dr. Pramod Mane, who used to work at the world’s most famous destination spa for Indian medicine, Ananda in the Himalayas. Other spas in China claim to provide Ayurvedic treatments, but none boast a combined two decades of experience from its doctors.

A stay at the spa starts with a one-on-one diagnostic session. Getting a read on an individual’s habits is critical to designing the proper course of treatment. Actually all that’s really needed is the patient’s pulse, but the Q&A helps to create an accessible personal narrative.

Ayurvedic physician Dr. Murali Naik determined that my “dotha” is “pitta”—water and fire. He prescribed an abhyanga (a four-hand pressure point massage) followed by a choormaswedana (a hot bundle massage, great for sports injuries). Afterwards, there was a one-on-one discussion with Dr. Mane. Being able to communicate with your doctor in English is one of the key reasons Ayurveda will be a hit with expats.

He patiently explained to me how the treatments worked with my body chemistry. He asked me to eat only vegetables that night for dinner. He told me to come back the next day at 11am for an udwartana—a dry powder massage that would restore hormonal balance. I came out smelling like Indian spices, but there was noticeable improvement. For one, I didn’t feel hungry the rest of the day. The next treatment would be the famed shirodhara, where warm oil is dripped on your forehead for half an hour. It was profoundly enjoyable.

The spa is located on the summit of Wushan at the southeast corner of West Lake on the grounds of an ancient Chinese temple and not far from the city proper. The surroundings are lush, green and peaceful. YogaSummit has been operating a yoga club up there for years now, and along the winding pathways you’ll come upon locals doing tai chi, yoga or just staring soundlessly into space. The spa will book you into the hotel that’s right for your budget and arrange your transportation, so you can concentrate on the business of regaining balance.

Ayurveda is one of those things that needs to be maintained over a lifetime in order to get the most out of it, but Avaida has one- two-, three- and four-day packages ranging from RMB1,560 to RMB5,400 for those who need a quicker fix. These involve a regimen of yoga, special meals and treatments tailored to who you are and—more importantly—who you want to be.

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