“ No health resort is free from shortcomings and failures, even if it charges several hundred dollars per day."

There are people who go to a health resort every year, without fail.These people have discovered the immense physical, mental, and emotional benefits of Ayurveda, yoga, naturopathy and other forms of holistic health and traditional medicine. For these benefits, they are willing to forgo the pleasures of the world and their normal routines for a couple of weeks, and also put up with some inconveniences that are characteristic of developing countries.

Then there are people who, despite having the financial means, have never been to a health resort or to an Ayurveda retreat . These people either don't know about  the benefits of Ayurveda or claim that it is "unscientific" because of personal biases and beliefs.

Some people are simply unwilling to pay for healthcare or live under the illusion that they are in "perfect health", while others are simply scared of the unknown or don't know where to go. The majority fall into this camp, along with those who employ the most famous excuse of all: "I don't have time"

Then there are people who have been to a health resort, once or twice,and vow NEVER to go back! If you ask this lot why they will never go back, the answer is likely to be found somewhere on the list below.

Over the past four years, we at Ayurooms have compiled the following list of things that can go wrong at health spas, yoga retreats and wellness resorts, whether budget-friendly, premium or luxury:

1. No one is at the airport to pick you up or you can't find the driver.
2. The food is horrible, minimal and/or monotonous.
3. You are charged extra for things that you thought were included.
4. Your room has no air conditioning or it doesn’t work.
5. Your room is very different from what you saw online.
6. The resort refuses to give you a better room or doesn’t have one.
7. The bed is too hard or too soft.
8. The sheets are stained.
9. The pillows are horrible.
10. There is no TV in your room. Nobody told you about this.
11. The resort is full when you arrive, so you ’re moved to a different resort.
12. The doctors do not have time for you.
13. The doctors are not interested in your health or feedback.
14. Your therapists are too tired to give you a proper massage.
15. You want a different therapist, but your requests are denied.
16. The resort has too many people. It’s noisy and crowded.
17. The resort is lonely. There are only two or three other guests.
18. The doctors are all men. You feel uncomfortable talking to them.
19. Your room has an insect problem. There are cockroaches and ants.
20. There are too many mosquitoes. They are eating you alive!
21. Your treatments are being cut short because the resort is understaffed.
22. The yoga is awful at the resort. You expected better.
23. The yoga class is too crowded. The teacher is not helping you personally.
24. You can’t hear or understand anything that the yoga teacher says.
25. You love the resort but your spouse hates it, or vice versa.
26. The resort is isolated. There is nothing to do. You are insanely bored.
27. The resort is near the beach but it’s not safe for swimming.
28. The resort has a pool but it’s dirty.
29. There is no gym or fitness centre. If there is, the equipment is crap.
30. Your body reacted badly to a treatment . Now you have a new problem.
31. The doctors are “hard selling” supplements to you.
32. Your travel agent charged you more than the resort's published rates.
33. The treatments are inflexible and repetitive.
34. You want specific kinds of treatments but the doctor won’t cooperate.
35. The resort does not provide foreign exchange.
36. The resort provides money exchange, but the forex rates are a rip-off.
37. Your room does not have a kettle to make hot water or tea.
38. You are refused coffee and tea. You are caffeine deprived!
39. Housekeeping is incompetent and irregular. Your room is unclean.
40. Your room doesn’t have a safe. You’re worried about your valuables.
41. The shower has no hot water or the temperature fluctuates constantly.
42. There are frequent power outages at the resort. It’s driving you mad.
43. The wifi is too slow and doesn't work most of the time.
44. You wanted to lose weight but instead you gained weight.
45. You learn from another guest that they got a better deal than you.
46. You were promised 3 hours of treatments per day, but getting much less.
47. Laundry at the resort is too expensive.
48. Laundry at the resort is awful. They butchered your t-shirts and socks.
49. The shampoo is horrible. You can’t get the oil out of your hair.
50. Massages are done in the nude. You’re not comfortable with that.

If you encounter only one or two of the above issues at a health resort, consider yourself extremely fortunate. The reality is that every health resort or retreat has its own challenges and may throw multiple inconveniences at you. That's part of the detox: learning to accept other people’s errors and shortcomings and taking them in stride.

If you encounter several issues during your stay at a health resort, it can severely affect your state of mind. And if you can't course correct or, at the very least, control your anger, then it is likely that the treatments will be of little benefit. As the Buddha said,"Anger is like drinking poison and expecting the other to die."

Problems at health resorts are inevitable, but there is good news: you're not alone and you can avoid having to deal with many problems by (1) going to the right health resort given your set of unique needs, and (2) working with a professional who can explain to you the pros and cons of each resort and manage your expectations properly and, also,step up to troubleshoot when issues arise. That is what we do at Ayurooms. We help you find the right resort given your unique needs, objectives and pet peeves.

Keep in mind also that what works for someone else may not work for you. Just because your friend or relative liked a particular retreat does not mean that you will like it too. And TripAdvisor, sadly, is not always accurate or tells you everything you need to know about a particular destination.

To reiterate: the above is just a shortlist of things that can go wrong. Every resort has strengths and weaknesses. You can try to figure out the trade-offs on your own or you can  consult a professional. The choice is yours.

At Ayurooms, we conduct a management audit of health resorts with a fine-tooth comb and we educate and inform our clients about what they can expect, both the positives and the limitations. We are thus transparent and proactive because we want our clients to arrive prepared, happy and excited, and we want them to leave feeling refreshed and transformed. We almost always achieve our goal and we have a track record of very happy clients.

And we are constantly learning. Much of our time goes into travelling around India and visiting clients at least once during their stay, not only to offer more personalized service but also to receive feedback, both good and bad.

We invite you to learn more about the story of Ayurooms by watching the video below.

If you're contemplating a visit to a holistic health centre or yoga retreat in India,or if you would like to find if Ayurveda can help you deal with a particular health issue, please send us an email at  info@ayurooms.com or send us a confidential message via our secure help site