As anyone who has flown from Australia to the UK can attest, it’s a long journey by even the most seasoned traveller’s standards.
And when you’re on the ground for just over a week before turning around, it’s even tougher. After their nine-day tour of Australia and Samoa, King Charles and Queen Camilla broke up the lengthy journey home by stopping at Soukya Holistic Health Centre, a wellness resort on the outskirts of the southern Indian city of Bangalore.
Describing itself as a place to restore the “body’s natural balance of mind, body and spirit”, the centre is a favourite of the royal couple, who have visited multiple times, and is where Charles spent his 71st birthday in 2019. The entire resort was closed for the three days of Charles and Camilla’s visit, with no outsiders allowed at the property.
Rumoured to cost $1970 a night, the resort specialises in ayurvedic treatments, a traditional type of Indian medicine that has been used for over 3000 years.
Ayurveda derives from the Sanskrit words ayur (meaning life) and veda (the science or knowledge) and is based on the idea that health and wellness depend on a balance between the mind, body, spirit, and environment. When this balance is disrupted, disease occurs.
In addition to the ayurvedic treatments involving oil, herbs and spices, the centre also offers homeopathy, yoga, naturopathy and complementary therapies like reflexology, acupuncture and dietetics.
While it sounds undoubtedly relaxing, there are several rules. Guests are banned from smoking, drinking alcohol or eating non-vegetarian food during their stay, with lights out at 9pm.
Dr Issac Mathai founded the centre in 2002, who first met Charles at a conference that same year in London, where the pair bonded over a shared interest in natural and holistic therapies. Then, in 2010 Camilla made her first visit to the Indian resort, reportedly diligent with her morning yoga practice.
Dr Mathai has also become a ‘personal holistic physician’ and close friend of his majesty, travelling to the UK regularly to offer him treatments there (as well as attending his coronation).
Previous guests to stay at the sprawling 30-acre property, include actor Emma Thompson, South African bishop Desmond Tutu and the royal family of Saudi Arabia.
