Ayurveda and wellness tourism stakeholders have decried unscrupulous practices in vogue under the garb of unisex beauty parlours and spas in the State and the rampant misuse of the ‘Ayurveda’ tag.
It will ultimately dent the State’s image as an acclaimed destination for discerning tourists who come seeking Ayurvedic treatments, they say. Earlier this week, Ayurveda Promotion Society (APS) submitted a memorandum to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, seeking his intervention to curb, among others, sex trade that was being reported from various districts under the garb of Ayurvedic massage at beauty parlours and spas.
The immediate reason to submit the memorandum following its annual general body meeting was that many APS members were aggrieved about such parlours and spas coming up with names that were very much like those of popular Ayurveda hospitals, resorts, and clinics that had been practising Ayurveda in its traditional form, said Sajeev Kurup, its president.
