spa p_8r ~ e first DY She has worked with dedication over the years, along with her husband Ashok Khanna in making Ananda in the Himalayas one of the finest spa destinations in India. She keeps a low profile, is dignified, elegant and practices what she preaches - incorporating wellness intd her everyday Iife. She demystifies the spa culture with a fresh and innovative approach. asiaspa introd,::,ces you to the unassuming lady: Neelam 'Khanna - our Spa Personality! By: Arati Thapa Astrict disciplinarian and a yoga practitioner, Neelam Khanna and her better half Ashok Khanna are responsible for bringing the Indian spa industry into the international wellness map with Ananda in the Himalayas. She, however, gives the credit to her husband Ashok Khanna who pursued the dream of instituting a wellness destination with an unprecedented zeal. A thoroughly unassuming person, she recently brought luxury brand Hermes to India. She won this year's Spa Personality for Pevonia asiaspa India awards,- while Ananda was awarded the best Destination Spa. Khanna shares her thoughts about the growing wellness industry in India. What difference do you see from the time Ananda was established and now? When we started Ananda, in 2000, the word "spa" was unknown. We had to explain everything to people. Today people are familiar with it. We have come a long way in the terms of wellness. How has the spa culture progressed? Was it a grad~al growth? Spa has become a mega industry now. Many spas have come up lately, like day spa, hotel spa and destinati - promoters and users are not aware of the differe~ - various categories of spa which is not good for the -_ Tell us about the force behind Ananda's concept? It is my husband Ashok's dream. He is a hotelier a the wellness sector before any of us even kne\
~,elled extensively looking for a perfect destination for a - -,,'ic place like Rishikesh, where the Ganges and sages ~2 e it a tranquil qualitv. 18 months and he did it. Once you have experienced Ananda, you will want to come back again and all our efforts are to bring you back. _ old. How has it evolved? -\nanda was a comple e it in What is wellness according to you? Anything that enhances our quality of life is wellness. Ananda ensures physical wellness by its massages and rejuvenating
:>...-,,;.. packages. We~design our guests' diet and share our kitchen secrets, which they take back with them. When our guests leave, the staff keeps in touch with them depending on their feedback and sends them more recipes. Our clients are usually regulars. Our Yogi Programme, which involves guests to spend a couple of days at Ananda, is a current favourite. We also do 'havan' for some guests and have Vedanta teachers who teach people to draw the maximum out of life. Both our European and Indian ~.., guests love it. Ananda has received We keep evolving. accolades for its work... Recently, we introduced a whole range of Tibetan treatments and aligned it with a product which we have introduced after research. When we set up Ananda, we realised that there was a dearth of trained therapist and we ended up training everyone we recruited. So, we set up the Ananda Institute. We have got a mixed response for it. People are showing interest, but not many are signing up. At Ananda Institute, we have incorporated three
ersonalit,ananda is my husband Ashok's dream. He is a hotel ier and explored the wellness sector before any of us even knew about it. essential factors in the curriculum, " Ayurveda, Yoga and international therapy. I hope by 2010 when the economy stabilises our institute will become a frontrunner in the wellness industry. Association with Hermes We have a joint venture with Hermes. It is actually a friendship culminating into business association. The president of Hermes Jean-Loljis Dumas is a friend. I am bcisically not a high fashion person, but I have a chain of boutique called "Christina" which is spread across Bombay, Pune, Delhi and Kolkata. In Delhi, my boutiques are at Santushti and Galaxy. Do you feel there is a lack of proper spa outfit and clothing? At Ananda, we wear cotton kurta pajamas. It is very popular among the guest. At a spa the idea is to destress ~nd feel relaxed without worrying about the ensemble. We do not need high fashion to de-stress. Tell us about your wellness regime ahd your lifestyle... For the past 12 years, me and my husband start our day with an hour long yoga session. We follow a simple lifestyle, out of choice, and eat simple diet. We prefer vegetarian food. Late night norms are not for us. We spend our evenings at home. We make sure we eat quality food and on time. We firmly believe in a healthy lifestyle as a way of life. What is your take on the asiaspa award... I was profoundly moved to be crowned the spa personality of the year. I feel my husband is the true spa personality. The event was wonderfully organised. Everything was put together well The categories mentioned were praiseworthy. It had a fantastic turnout. In fact, it is one of the few events where I saw such an overwhelming audience presence. I was delighted to be part of the brilliant event._"