by Grace Wilson
Remember when Kenny G was so popular, but nobody you knew owned any of his CDs? Well, Shirodhara, a new treatment appearing on spa menus everywhere these days, is one of those things that everyone has heard of, but few have experienced. Shirodhara (pronounced shee-ro dah-rah with shiro meaning “head” and dhara meaning “flow” or “pour”), is a five-thousand-year-old Ayurvedic treatment from India used to treat patients suffering from a wide variety of disorders, most frequently involving brain function and/or the nervous system. In Shirodhara, a continuous stream of warm, herbalized oil is poured slowly over your forehead, mainly over the third eye point in between the eyebrows, for anywhere from fifteen to forty-five minutes. Sounds delicious, doesn’t it?

To some, however, it may sound like the Chinese water torture. Spa guests ask me about it every day. Not only do I explain that it’s far from torturous, I’ve convinced many people to try it. Once they’ve experienced it, the majority fall in love and indulge regularly in the practice for its rejuvenating benefits.

Many people report that Shirodhara takes them into a different state, somewhere in between being asleep and awake. Most, however, find it hard to describe why it feels so good. One spa guest, a long-time sufferer of clinical anxiety and insomnia, finds it difficult to convey just how powerfully Shirodhara therapy affects his mental state. “It makes me feel more calm and relaxed than I feel most any other time,” he says.

The best way to experience Shirodhara is to first have a massage. I’ve given thousands of “shiros” over the years, and received hundreds of them myself, and I strongly suggest getting the massage first. You have to get the tension out of your muscles or you won’t be able to relax. Relax the body and the mind will follow.

Oddly enough, the main reason people seem to be tentative about trying Shirodhara is because they don’t want their hair to get oily. You can wash your hair afterward — most spas have shampoo. Just don’t schedule your salon appointment the day before your Shirodhara treatment, and you’ll be fine. Do book a Shirodhara if you’re mentally fatigued from stress or worry, and you’re drawn to the idea of being still and quiet in a profoundly deep, almost magical meditation for thirty minutes or so. If you’ve tried meditation and find it difficult to quiet your thoughts, then Shirodhara is for you. You may feel a little woozy coming out of it at first, but ultimately you’ll feel mentally refreshed, as if any gunk in your brain was swept clean.

The music of Kenny G may have come and gone, but Shirodhara is an age-old practice that is here to stay.