India has always been thanks to the stories of the colonialists, the movie makers and the snakes of Disney, that exotic land far removed from the rest of the world where sages in saffron could walk the waves and live for thousands years. All the stories, myths and mythologies that have made the rounds of the European and American minds for centuries at last seem to bear fruits for the good. With a pretty much continual boom in the tourism industry, India has now learned to sell its tradition and heritage for hefty bucks. A luxury tour to India has come to mean for most millionaires around the world, a rejuvenating glance into the healing qualities of the age old Indian sciences of life.

Add to the growing awareness among Indian entrepreneurs to sell their tradition, the international awareness among people to learn to love and take care of their bodies; and the headiest cocktail you get out of them is a spa and ayurveda luxury tour to India. While some of the hotel chains in India specialize in spa treatments, like the Taj Group, there are also, spa pockets in the country's tourism map which stand out primarily as spa destinations. Kerala on the southern tip of India is particularly known for its spa resorts. In fact ayurveda is such a tourist fad there, that temporary shacks line the beaches in places like Kovalam and Varkala claiming to offer ayurvedic beauty treatments.

They would offer herbal face packs and pedicures in one fourth the price of the resorts and one can never really cross check the authenticity of their claims. However, the well known spas offer expert opinions and are known to suggest the best of therapies and treatments for their prized clients. To add to this, are the yoga classes. Though far removed from ayurveda, yoga is another branch of India tradition that continues to fascinate the west and has become an important aspect of any luxury tour to India. Though it is true that one cannot possibly expect to learn so much as a miniscule part of this huge discipline; yet most people that go for those short yoga packages say they have been greatly relieved by the exercise and that it has been quite beneficial to their body and soul.

The same things as Kerala are also offered in the glorious heights of the Himalayas on the banks of the nascent Ganges in Rishikesh. The herbs that are used in the study of ayurveda are available in plenty on the slopes of the Himalayas and the traditions of yoga flourished at the hands of the sages and who were known for their prowess in yoga. Rishikesh like Kerala has huge foreign tourist footfall and the Ananda in Rishikesh is an internationally famous spa. Luxury tour to India is now for the most part a story of toning up tired bodies and minds to the subtle humming of the age old hymns of an exotic land.