Airport massage nearly killed her

TNN

NEW DELHI, 02 May 2010: This was one massage that did little to soothe body and mind. When a foreign diplomat flying out of Delhi in the early hours of April 29 decided to treat herself to a head and neck massage at an airport spa while she waited for her flight, little did she know what lay in store.

The massage began and she intuitively felt that something was wrong. "It was rough and strenuous, her head was turned left and then moved backwards," said a colleague who later came to the rescue. Before she knew it, she had fainted. When she woke, she felt disoriented and vomited several times. She managed to contact her embassy, which rushed help. "It’s likely the masseur compressed the carotid artery, which, in turn, temporarily cut off oxygen," said her colleague. The officials requested anonymity since they were diplomats.

Ritesh, managing director of O2, the airport spa, denies the massage had anything to do with the diplomat’s ill-health. He claimed the masseur was experienced and this was the first such incident at his spa.

Nonetheless, the incident highlights the potential dangers of having a random luxury massage at a spa or ayurvedic centre anywhere in India. There are no health guidelines for wellness spas in India, which rather oddly relegates them to the shops and establishments category. "We have been asking for spas to be certified," says a spokesperson for Ananda, one of India’s top spas.

Stringent standards are a must, with foreign tourists (52,82,603 arrivals in 2008, according to the Bureau of Immigration) making a beeline for wellness centres, lifestyle destinations and "rejuvenating" ayurvedic hospitals in "incredible India", which the government advertises as "the global healthcare destination". According to estimates, there are 2,300 spas in India and they earn roughly $400 million a year.

A senior health ministry official told TOI that only ayurvedic spas lie within the ministry’s purview. The Kerala government has made guidelines for ayurvedic centres. Based on that, the ministry too has prepared guidelines. However, these aren’t mandatory. It’s similar to accreditation given to hotels, she says.

Even more worrying, there is no formal training institute for masseurs, a lacunae the health ministry official admits. "We told states last year to start programmes for them."

So where do spas get their staff? O2 uses nurses and physiotherapists as masseurs, says Ritesh, after a three-week training where they are taught anatomy, physiology, pressure points on the body, etc. Ananda’s staff is trained at its eponymous institute in Hyderabad. Vaidyaratnam Oushadhasala, a well-known ayurvedic centre at Ollur, 50 km from Kochi airport, says it uses only government-recognized masseurs who have undergone a year’s training.

Dr Rajlaxmi, Vaidyaratnam superintendent, says they don’t do head and neck massages. "Some areas in the head and neck are sensitive. There is no need to use force—a gentle massage with appropriate oil is all that’s needed." Ananda insists on customers filling in two medical forms—ayurvedic and generic—but experts say most Indian spas aren’t that careful.

Add to that the lack of trained manpower, with Confederation of Indian Industry sources estimating India needs some 20,000 qualified therapists, and it is a crippling inadequacy for an industry globally estimated at more than $250 billion.