Health, Beauty and Fitness: Spiritual healing

Edinburgh's One Spa at the Sheraton is widely considered to be among the best in Scotland, easily rivalling some of the top day spas across Europe.

However, it's not one to rest on its laurels, and has recently added Ayurveda to its impressive roster of treatments. Put simply, Ayurveda, which originates in India, is the belief that to achieve health, we must be in physical, emotional and spiritual balance.

With celebrity followers from Jennifer Aniston to Oprah Winfrey, it's no surprise that this ancient Eastern approach to wellbeing has become fairly well established in the West. However, One Spa is one of the few places in Scotland where sybarites can experience it. My therapist, Jamie received his training at the Ayurvedic spa Ananda in the Himalayas, often name-checked as the best spa in the world, and his treatment room is an instantly calm space. Following a ceremonial foot-cleansing ritual I am fully relaxed and ready to answer intimate questions about my bowel movements. No, really.

The principle behind Ayurveda is that inside the body we have three "doshas"; vata, pitta and kapha. It is essential that these elements are balanced, however. Clients are diagnosed as one particular dosha (or a combination of two) based on their answers to questions about everything from temperament to diet. This is a detailed process, and while an immediate diagnosis is made, the results are later analysed in detail and sent to clients with diet and lifestyle advice to suit their dosha.

The nature of my treatment is not yet entirely clear, but that's because it's based upon Jamie's analysis. He "prescribes" treatments based on my answers. Happily, I am prescribed a rather luxurious massage, which is a key element of Ayurveda. It's a thorough experience, incorporating a facial cleanse and gentle exfoliation.

Whether you buy into Ayurveda or not, the experience is pleasant. Introducing a more spiritual element to a massage really does take you to a higher plateau of relaxation, and it helps to have such a calming and attentive therapist, who passionately believes in the benefits of Ayurveda and the rituals surrounding it.

A few days later I receive a detailed pack, with advice tailored to my particular dosha. It's the first time I've had a massage with aftercare and it makes me feel very well looked after. Unlike, sadly, my dosha, which I've thoroughly neglected since my trip to One Spa. Perhaps it's time for another visit...

One Spa, Sheraton Grand Hotel, 8 Conference Square, Edinburgh. Tel: [phone] or visit onespa.com

• This article was first published in the Scotsman, July 31, 2010