Delhi: Ayurveda, Culture, and Culinary Day Tour

Three things Delhi does well, in one day

A treatment, a monument or two, and food — arranged so the day starts slow and builds, rather than the usual sprint between forts.

The Ayurveda

First thing, at a wellness centre with trained therapists. There is a short consultation before anything happens: what you want out of it, what is stiff, what is stressed, and whether you have conditions that rule anything out.

The standard treatment is abhyanga — warm medicated oil worked in long strokes along the limbs and torso, usually by one or two therapists working in rhythm. It is firmer than a spa massage and considerably more oil is involved. You are meant to leave it on your skin for a while rather than shower it straight off.

Ayurveda has been practised in India for something like three thousand years, and its logic is constitutional: the treatment and oil are chosen for you rather than from a menu.

Same-sex therapists as standard. Say in advance about pregnancy, injuries, recent surgery or blood pressure.

The culture

Delhi's sites in the middle of the day, chosen for interest rather than checklist — Humayun's Tomb, the 1560s garden tomb that the Taj descends from, is the usual anchor, with Qutub Minar or the crafts museum depending on your interest and the traffic.

The food

The culinary half is either a cooking session or a guided eating walk, depending on the option and the day.

If it is a walk, expect Old Delhi: parathas fried in ghee at Paranthe Wali Gali, chaat, jalebi with rabri, and a guide who knows which stalls turn their oil over.

If it is a class, expect a home kitchen and a north Indian menu you cook and then eat.

Practical

Private air-conditioned transport throughout, with hotel pickup and drop-off.

Eat lightly before the treatment. Bring loose clothes you do not mind getting oil on, and expect your hair to need washing afterwards.