Santhigram Wellness Kerala Ayurveda Center, Chicago

Near the thriving Indian marketplace on Devon Avenue sits the new location of Santhigram Wellness Kerala Ayurveda Center, and new location on Peterson Avenue, a satellite location of a renowned healing center in India. A mash-up of the Sanskrit words ayur (meaning life and longevity) and veda (science), Ayurveda originated in India more than 5,000 years ago and is still widely practiced today as a side-effect free alternative to modern medicine. Here, patients can find ancient treatments used for both preventive and curative purposes. An herbal steam treatment known as Swedana helps the body release impurities through perspiration. In another treatment, Shirodhara, the practitioner pours a steady stream of warm aromatic oils over the forehead to calm the mind and soothe the nervous system. Though the primary goal of Ayurveda is to restore internal balance, the center offers a variety of holistic and aesthetic treatments as well, including anti-aging packages and hair treatments that reduces hairs' tendencies to turn grey or into a nest of snakes.