BAA ATOLL, MALDIVES - Dr. Avinash Tiwari gently takes my hand in his and firmly presses his thumb against my pulse.

The good doctor, whom I’d never met before, then instructs me to close my eyes, stay quiet and relax as he begins my examination, using Ayurveda, the traditional Indian system of medicine, to establish my physical and emotional well being.

Tiwari, the resident Ayurveda expert at the fairytale Four Seasons Resort on Landaa Giraavaru, one of the 1,190 coral reef islands that make up this stunningly beautiful Indian Ocean nation, stands over me in an almost trance-like state for about a minute before releasing my hand and delivering his diagnosis.

“Your body type is pitta, a combination of fire and water,” the doctor tells me.

Good news, because I always thought my body type was pitta-ful.

Tiwari continues: “You are prone to pain in your joints (right on); your favourite colour is blue (right again); you’re a very emotional person (true); you like to spend money freely (my credit-card statement can attest to that); your temperament is even, you don’t overreact to situations (wrong!).

The doctor makes a few more observations and then asks me to sum up his diagnosis on a scale from 1 to 10.

My verdict: A very impressive 9.

“Good,” says Dr. Tiwari, “now I can instruct my assistants on which herb-based oils will be used in your treatment.”

Ayurveda has become a much sought-after treatment at this fabulous Four Season Spa and Ayurvedic Resort at Landaa Giraavaru, one of the most unique facilities in the world. Here, treatment rooms are set amidst tropical splendour or suspended on stilts over the turquoise Indian Ocean.

Left: Dr. Avinash Tiwari offers guests some unique treatments.

As I wait for the assistants to make up the treatment oils, using herbs grown in Tiwari’s own spa garden, he fills me in on the history and importance of Ayurveda, which “started thousands of years ago in India – maybe even 10,000 years ago – and it still plays an important role in Indian medicine,” says the man with the Bollywood good looks, who learnt his specialty from masters of the art.

“Elders believe Ayurveda will cure everything, but of course we know it can’t reset broken bones. We use Ayurveda as a preventative medicine because it allows us to recognize and treat conditions before they become too serious.”

Tiwari says the word “Ayurveda” is actually a combination of two Indian words, “ayu” which means life and “veda” which means science.

“Ayurveda is based on the five elements theory – space, air, fire, water and earth,” the doctor tells me. “Ayurveda says that these five elements are present in our body in the form of three entities called ‘doshas.’ ”

The three doshas Ayurveda refers to are “vata” (a combination of space and air), “pitta” (fire and water), and “kapha” (water and earth).

“The Ayurvedic consultation helps me understand your unique dosha type and gives me the information I need for diet and lifestyle recommendations,” says the doctor as an assistant comes to collect me for my Ayurvedic spa treatment.

“Please go, and by the time you are finished I will have a list of recommendations that will help you live a healthier lifestyle,” says Dr. Tiwari, whose patients come from around the world and spend as many as 28 days at this super spa being taught how to life the Ayurveda lifestyle.

The Ayurvedic treatment – a two-hour procedure of sheer bliss - begins with a head massage and washing of the feet in the specially-prepared herbed oil, followed by chants with two therapists who then massage a litre and a half of the oil into your skin. The fourhanded massage is in itself one of the best spa treatments this traveller has ever experienced. The treatment ends with a steam bath and then more washing of the feet.

As promised, by the time I return to my well appointed sea-side villa, a note from Tiwari is waiting, with instructions on how to change my diet – “take less salt … pitta people can happily skip breakfast … fast one day a week … be mindful of food for emotional support …” – as well as suggestions for a daily eating routine; a shopping list of foods that will better suit my pitta personality, including some recipes; what food to order when eating out; an exercise program; and finally, a herbal tea recipe that will help cleanse my body of toxins.

Inspired by the Ayurvedic treatment and its soothing, long-lasting effects – my skin was smooth and silky for days after and I felt more relaxed than I had in years – I decided to book another of the resort’s signature massages the next morning, one involving hot sea shells being rubbed over my well oiled body – a traditional Maldivian treatment.

The stilted treatment rooms hang over the resort’s lagoon and are divided into two parts; the changing area comes complete with soaking tub and breathtaking views of the turquoise sea; the treatment rooms all have two massage tables and glass floors which afford guests remarkable views of the area’s sea life during treatments.

The super spa is nestled in the heart of the magnificent resort and its lush garden and seaside setting is one of the most beautiful in the world. The setting alone is enough to renew and rejuvenate ones mind and body but that would not give due credit to the spa’s well-trained staff, a United Nations collection of expert therapists from places like Bali, Thailand, the Philippines, Malaysia and all other global communities where spa is not a business, but a religion.

The spa also offers daily yoga, overseen by an expert in the art on an open-air platform that is also suspended over the calm ocean.

Bt the Ayurvedic treatment is what makes the Four Seasons Resort at Landaa Giraavaru distinct and the in-depth programs overseen by Tiwari, which range from seven to 28 days, are journeys of endless self-discovery that can lead to a life-changing experience.