Mannalil Ayurveda Hospital

Out here in Punnathara, near Kottayam, things move at a bit of a slower pace. Mannalil Ayurveda Hospital is located in Madappadu, and we’ve been practicing traditional ways for a long time now. It’s a very green area, quiet compared to the big cities. We do a lot of treatments with oils and herbs that we prepare ourselves in the back. The smell of boiling herbs is something you get used to pretty quickly here. It’s not a place with white walls and cold floors. We have rooms for people to stay while they get their treatments over a few days or even weeks. The building fits right into the Kerala landscape. We get people coming from all over because they want the old-fashioned Ayurvedic methods. We don't have a lot of office staff; it’s mostly the practitioners and the people who help with the massages and oil pours. In the rainy season, the sound of the water on the roof is very loud, but it’s actually quite nice for the patients who are resting. We don't go in for big advertisements or anything like that. People mostly find out about us from their relatives or neighbors who have been here before. We focus on the traditional routine, starting early in the morning when the air is still cool. It’s a simple way of working that hasn't changed much over the years. We just try to provide a space where people can come and follow the Ayurvedic path.