Aside from the gruelling exercise, the


other thing the Ashram is known for is the food, which is largely vegan (give or take the occasional egg) and organic, with much of the produce grown on-site and picked a couple of hours before being served. Unfor- tunately, articles in the press have tended to focus not on the quality of the food but on the alleged lack of it; some sources have put standard rations at around the 1,000-a-day mark (a claim Hedberg denies). While Hedberg admits that portion con-


trol is strict – and guests who want to have been known to lose anything from 6 to 12lbs, not to mention several inches of fat – she rejects the suggestion that the Ashram is a


‘fat camp’. “People don’t complain about feel- ing hungry, because we feed them,” she says.


“We want them to feel good and have the energy to work out, and not everyone wants to lose weight, which is great. If someone wants extra food, they can have it.” In fact, today’s guests are a lot less inter-


ested in shedding pounds than they were 30 years ago, says Hedberg. “In the 70s and 80s,


SPA BUSINESS 2 2011 ©Cybertrek 2011


Each day starts with yoga, followed by a four- to six-hour hike. There are exercise classes in the afternoon and an hour-long massage


people always asked, ‘How much weight will I lose?’ when they called up. In the 90s and now, people are more likely to say, ‘I just need a place where I can realign myself and think about some things’.” Another label Hedberg rejects is that


“The ones [celebrities] who are divas I won’t take. They have to be nice! If they want a private room and there isn’t one, they can’t come. And they have to share bathrooms”


of ‘boot camp’, although she admits the programme is tough. “Boot camp to me is military-style, and that’s not what the Ashram is about at all… it’s a gentler approach. We give people a lot of love, we take care of them and listen to them,” she says. “Yes, they work very hard physically, and with that comes a lot of emotional detox, but it’s a very individualised journey.” As such, Hedberg has a consultation with


every guest on arrival to discuss concerns and goals. During the week, the staff keep tabs on each person’s progress, and while boundaries are pushed, they are not obliter- ated. “If someone can’t go up a hill, we’ll take them by a flatter route,” says Hedberg. “But this is rarely a problem these days, as most guests are in good shape – in the beginning we could hardly get them up the driveway!”


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