Reviews on Mitra Hermitage Ayurveda Hospital

Review of Mitra Hermitage Ayurvedic Hospital, Trivandrum 'The Customer is Always Wrong'. 'Admit Nothing Deny Everything' I recently spent 50 out of a planned 90 days at Mitra Hermitage Ayurvedic Hospital, Thiruvallam, Trivandrum. However, the way in which I was treated was so detrimental that, after many weeks in a stressful limbo, I was forced to take the decision to terminate the booking early. My review is quite long as I wanted to give readers an in depth view of the place, including descriptions of key incidents which occurred. After searching for an Ayurvedic weight loss program for a long time, it felt great to finally discover somewhere as highly rated as Mitra Hermitage. Therefore, to encounter such fundamental problems was really shocking and bitterly disappointing. Any positive aspects of the experience were totally eclipsed by their staggeringly poor treatment of me. Having read about how accustomed Mitra Hermitage were to accommodating Europeans, it never once occurred to me that, as a young female, travelling solo, I would face such treatment. Although some of the support staff were wonderful and kind, certainly neither of the Maheshs nor their manager, Ratheesh, treated me with any kindness or care. Right from the evening of my arrival, Ratheesh brought the credibility of the place into question. Upon my arrival at the airport and throughout my stay, I dressed conservatively (long sleeves, long trousers etc). Ratheesh met me at the airport and in the vehicle on the way back to the hospital he talked about how he used to be a masseur in North India, his enjoyment of cross-sex massage and attempted to elicit my views on the matter. At the time, as I was so excited to have finally arrived, I naively didn't think too much into the direction of the discussion and was just my usual friendly self. I guess my guard was also lowered as I was riding on the complacent assumption that such a reputable facility as Mitra would not have such a man on staff. When we arrived at Mitra, Anitha Mahesh was there. She and Ratheesh had an exchange in Malayalam and then he showed me to the bedroom. He proceeded to give me some practical information and then, seemingly from nowhere, stated that I should not cause problems for them with the neighbours and should not roam around naked in the bedroom with the lights on and that I was required to close the curtains to avoid complaints. This was said seriously and was not intended as a joke (the place was utterly humourless - more on that later). Although feeling a little odd and bewildered at the time, I managed to brush off his comments as I had just arrived for potentially a 3 month stay and wanted to maintain a positive mindset. Neither did I want to contemplate the thought that Mitra had prejudged me as a European woman. Looking back, it just wasn't a positive, happy, warm and welcoming start to my stay. In the subsequent days, Ratheesh's sleazy behaviour caused me to feel uncomfortable and it became clear he had preconceived ideas about European women. He invaded my personal space and repeatedly stared at me in a sleazy way as though expecting an invitation. I realised early on that it was going to be necessary to keep my interactions with him formal, brief and confined to the public area. As a naturally bubbly and friendly person, this just caused such an unnecessary expanse of my energy and didn't feel good. Fortunately he got the message soon enough. For any establishment, particularly a healing facility, courting European business, to have such a person on staff is a liability. The day following my arrival, I had what I believed would be the first of many consultations with Mahesh. However, as it transpired, it was my only one in a 50 day period. Although I was sometimes able to grab a quick moment with him as he walked past me in the public area whilst I was eating a meal, it was not the same as having a designated, private consultation in a consultation room, where sensitive or personal matters could be properly discussed and where I knew it was okay to begin a discussion as it was my specified time with him. I was never sure if I was interrupting him or not. This absence of a consultation time reduced the opportunities for communication, resulting in an information vacuum for both them and I. During this initial consultation I found him austere, aloof and stilted, not even once threatening to crack a smile. The consultation was solemn, disconcertingly devoid of warmth or welcome. This was inhibiting and I felt unable to raise some of the matters I was hoping to address whilst at Mitra. Although on some subsequent occasions he appeared marginally less austere, he came across as quietly supercilious. It seemed to me that he lacked interpersonal warmth as well as fundamental rapport building and people skills which severely limited his interactions. This resulted in his chances of connecting with and gaining an understanding of the person he was treating, beyond a few physical signs and superficial appearance, being dramatically diminished. Personally, I felt this very seriously impeded his ability and desire to provide me with an acceptable standard of care and hospitality. As time passed, I became increasingly uncertain about the program. I had been put on diuretics and consequently in the early days of treatment, it appeared that I had started to lose weight which felt exciting. However, it soon became apparent that this was no more than retained fluid. My weight pretty much plateaued in the subsequent weeks and then actually started to increase again once the diuretics were stopped. It soon became apparent that the doctors' inability to develop rapport, thinly veiled sense of superiority, lack of a frame of reference for me, all compounded by the absence of proper consultations, severely militated against beneficial, productive communication. Typical reactions included blank or po-faced expressions, invalidating, defensive or condescending verbal responses. The absence of any comeback, follow up, explanation or even further dialogue on several important matters I attempted to raise created an awkward void and left me feeling uncertain and exposed. This was only exacerbated by the fact that the doctors lacked basic courtesies. Many mornings I didn't even get looked at by them, let alone a "good morning" at the breakfast table unless I initiated it! Frequently they would just solemnly walk past me. Neither of the Maheshs effused the slightest whiff of happiness or joy which really dampened the atmosphere. At times they were very sullen and dour around me, as if passively acting out some perceived grievance with me! I always made a point of saying a bright and cheerful "good morning" to them!! Quite often if I asked any questions or broached any matters, doctors would react defensively and simply argue with me, no matter how silly. Their arguments would often be accompanied by gurning, mocking, condescending or confrontational non-verbal expressions. There was an occasion when I requested a jug of water and glass for my room. I was firmly told there was already a glass and jug in my room and they vehemently argued with me on that point. There wasn't a glass or jug in my room yet they insisted there was. I even had to suggest they come and see for themselves! Were they really oblivious to the negativity generated by persisting in such a ridiculous argument with their patient? On another occasion, I had experienced discomfort during the insertion of an enema nozzle. It was clear to me that this was a lubrication issue because of the way the skin felt pulled. I happened to mention this to the doctors afterwards and again they argued with me, insisting that the therapist had definitely used sufficient lubrication and that there was no way I could have experienced any discomfort - even though they weren't even witness to the procedure! This became a recurring theme - 'the customer is always wrong' and 'admit nothing, deny everything'! In the end it just became farcical. They always had to come up with an answer for everything, no matter how absurd or blatantly untrue. Time and again they demonstrate an inability to accept any form of challenge or critical feedback. Some of the support staff were real gems, genuinely good and sincere people. Indeed the Maheshs should consider taking a tips from them in how to treat a guest! Sadly, during the latter part of my stay, there was no mistaking the increased level of caution with which support staff interacted with patients unless instructed to do so, particularly in the main building where Anitha and Ratheesh were visibly monitoring them. This appeared to be yet another of Anitha's control strategies. I suspect that petty jealousies came into play with her also (more on her later). Both myself and other guests had formed the impression from reading Mitra's website that we would be eating vegetables which were organically home-grown in Mitra's garden. Although there was a window box-type strip apparently growing herbs alongside the entrance steps, there was certainly no vegetable patch or indeed any space for one in what remained of Mitra's garden. Food was just bought in normally from shops etc. We had also been led to believe that we would be receiving an individually tailored diet. I was therefore extremely surprised to discover that I was being given exactly the same food and portion sizes as all the other normal weight and even underweight guests. All guests received the same food. There were no individually tailored plans. Any modifications to this diet came only at the guest's request. Quite aside from the fact that some of the food was unpalatable, on a twice daily basis I was given big portions of white rice or rice based cakes, pancakes etc, frequently in combination with other starchy carbohydrates such as potatoes. As high carbohydrate consumption and associated craving cycle were significant factors in my weight gain, this worried me, especially as they discouraged aerobic exercise during the treatment. On a daily basis they even served all guests cheap bought biscuits out of a packet (with refined sugar and processed flour etc!) which was really shocking. Given the previously described communication barriers, I was never able to successfully initiate a two-way discussion in order to understand their plan or give them an understanding of my previous eating/dietary problems, fears and experiences etc. As usual I received invalidating, defensive or stonewall responses. It was simply a case of "we don't want to know about you as an individual, we have a one size fits all weight loss package and if you don't fit into it, then, irrespective of the fact that you are a paying guest, we will passively aggressively act out our disdain for you". I also received contradictory messages regarding my diet. On the one hand Mahesh was saying that I should avoid eating creamy foods, yet on the other hand Anitha and the chef were serving creamy sauces, mayonnaise dressings etc. There was clearly a dissonance here. Often it felt like they were at sixes and sevens with it all yet failing to engage in straightforward, honest communication with me. Both myself and another guest also suspected that these creamy sauces and some of the other dishes served may not have been entirely homemade or at least were not made from 100% natural and healthy ingredients. The chef said that many of the sauces and curries contained cornflour which I prefer not to eat anymore (by that stage I knew that any attempt to convey that to them would be futile). As someone who had been eating bought, processed food etc for many years, I felt the texture and taste of these sauces was questionable. The last 2 evening meals I ate at Mitra also contained a creamy sauce. I was the sole guest in the property at the time. On both occasions the sauce tasted exactly the same and on both evenings I experienced diarrhoea afterwards. Aside from the question of whether or not this sauce was homemade from natural ingredients, it also raised a suspicion in my mind that some of the food was not freshly prepared and I was being served recycled, stale food (more on that later), particularly when there were no other guests requiring food. Following later discussions with other people, I came to realise that in a culture where hospitality and food are so important, this was likely a further passive aggressive demonstration of their disregard and disdain for me. Worryingly, early on in the treatment, I had been put on vanilla flavoured protein milk shakes as a breakfast replacement. Naively, at the time I automatically trusted that these shakes were Ayurvedic, because of Mitra's reputation the possibility that they weren't hadn't entered my head. However, I later came to discover that they were neither Ayurvedic, nor natural, nor healthy. I was angered to subsequently discover that these shakes can actually damage the body's protein metabolism over time. It was very revealing to also learn that these shakes are very aggressively marketed in India by pharmaceutical companies who offer lucrative cash incentives to doctors for giving it to their patients. Indeed, this discovery dovetailed with the fact that I frequently saw reps from various pharmaceutical companies meeting with Mahesh in the public area, showing him their products, brochures etc whilst I was eating my meals. During the 3 weeks I was consuming the shakes my weight plateaued. At the end of this period, as per form, Mahesh looked for ways to blame me for this failure. Another example of their policies of 'the customer is always wrong' and 'admit nothing, deny everything'. He came up with the excuse that I had not been drinking enough water (despite drinking an average of 2-3litres per day - whilst on diuretics!). The bottom line is that these shakes did not work for me, were unhealthy and neither Ayurvedic nor natural. Another example of the absence of individualised, attentive care. I believed that I would be receiving natural Ayurvedic medicines, either prepared at Mitra from herbs and plants growing in their grounds or at least prepared by them from raw herbs, spices etc grown elsewhere. However, this was not the case. Medicines were just bought in from various pharmaceutical companies and this was visible for patients to see both on the pharmacy shelves as well as their pill packets. This would appear to have added in a financial incentive for the Maheshs to give out proprietary medicines and strongly encourage guests to purchase large quantities to take back home at the end of their stay. I later visited several other Ayurvedic doctors in the area. Not only was I told that aspects of the diet and absence of aerobic exercise were inappropriate for me but also the ghee I was given for a week was unsuitable for my current condition and would have put more unnecessary stress on my liver. Furthermore, the reasons behind the swift commencement of numerous proprietary medications and protein shakes without any period of observation of my body's current functioning and capability were questionable at best. Yet further examples of their one size fits all package. There were significant problems with the standard of the accommodation, particularly the cottages which were in a shabby state of disrepair. They have a thatched roof with a crawl space where large, nocturnal feral cats go in the night. The cats loudly rummage around and fight causing dirt, insects and debris from the ceiling to fall on to the bed and floor beneath. Several guests who were at Mitra during my stay were really troubled by this. Once they had eventually managed to block out the noise from the cats' activities and actually fall asleep they were then again disturbed by a significant amount of dirt and insects raining down on their hair and face! Power cuts in the middle of the night also caused the fan to switch off. This created a further disturbance as it was then necessary to get up to manually switch the fan back on once power was restored or else be woken by the heat! The bathrooms looked awful. Furthermore, the beds in the cottages consisted of a hard board with barely a 2 inch thick so-called mattress on top. Consequently some guests complained of random back and neck pains which they attributed to these substandard 'beds'. Overall the standard of the accommodation both in the main building and the cottages was 1 or possibly 2-star at best but this is not reflected in the hugely overinflated tariff. On several occasions I woke up in the morning with numerous small round red spots on my skin. The doctors claimed the spots were a rash caused by my skin being sensitive. However, I came to suspect they were either caused by bed bugs or other hygiene issues at Mitra. I also developed some bizarre looking lesions on my thighs. The doctors said they were caused by the expulsion of toxins following the massages. At the time that sounded plausible. However, it subsequently transpired that they were actually the result of an infection which other doctors suspect was contracted through these poor hygiene practices (more on that later). Rightly or wrongly the subject of money came up in discussions between myself and other guests as these things do. It transpired that one guest seemed to be paying quite a bit more than both myself and another guest. I had made an honest mistake in telling her that my tariff was slightly less than it was (by 10 euros), nevertheless it was still less that she was paying anyway. I later realised my mistake and informed her accordingly. However, in the meantime she had understandably been to discuss the maintenance problems with the cottage with the Maheshs and requested a nominal reduction in her accommodation tariff. During this discussion, the subject of what I and another guest had told her we were paying arose. The primary reason she went through the stress and hassle of approaching them to request a reduced tariff was the poor state of maintenance of the cottage. Incidentally, these maintenance issues were not new and the Maheshs had already been fully informed of the problems by a previous guest that I know of and possibly even before that! Instead of simply apologising to her for the discomfort, focusing on the real problems at hand and immediately agreeing to her request, true to form they argued with her! They used the most ludicrous arguments including claiming her room was a few cm bigger than other rooms!! The whole incident was just absurd and very revealing both about their attitude towards their guests, particularly when challenged, as well as further evidence of their tuppence-halfpenny, money-grubbing mentality. Yet another example of their policies of 'the customer is always wrong' and 'admit nothing, deny everything'. Just out of interest, I couldn't help but wonder, would they have had the brass neck to treat a man like this? As my name had come up during this discussion (the other guest mentioned had already left by that stage), the Maheshs turned their attention to me because of my honest mistake in incorrectly advising her of my tariff. Instead of taking responsibility for the real problems, namely their shody lack of maintenance and cheap furniture, they shifted their focus on to me. Incredibly the doctors even had the brazen gall to demand to see my receipt confirming my tariff!! Why not be adult about it by simply taking responsibility for the real problems at hand? I mean, these people are supposed to be mature medical professionals, right??!! I was frequently bothered by Anitha's manner and behaviour and have to say I really found her to be particularly unpleasant. For anyone to be talking of her as 'caring' and 'loving' is utterly unfathomable and really could not be further from my experience of her, right from the get-go. Frequently after I or other guests had asked her a simple question, or if we were dressed in a particular way or spoke in a certain way etc she would blatantly huddle in a corner with a nearby member of staff (usually the junior doctor) giving sideways glances, screwing up her face or sniggering like an immature, malicious schoolgirl! Is this the behaviour of a respectable professional person, in a caring profession no less?! Are these the actions of 'loving' and 'caring' people? Several concerning incidents occurred with Anitha. On one occasion I had been given an enema and unfortunately this caused me to soil the bed in the afternoon. Feeling quite embarrassed I went downstairs to ask for help. Instead of being given a sympathetic response, I was tutted at and irritation was acted out. Anitha said I could have some tissues to cover the soiled patch. I offered to clean the mattress myself if she would provide me with some products. I was immediately talked down to as if I were an imbecile. The upshot of it all was that I was not given any cleaning products and had to sleep on a soiled mattress. Is this the 'haven of hygiene' which they talk of in their website? Indeed a nasty incident with Anitha occurred shortly before my premature departure. I had frequently eaten the coconut chutney and was therefore familiar with how it was supposed to taste. One evening whilst I was the sole guest at the property, Anitha went inside the kitchen for several minutes and then a bowl of coconut chutney was produced from which I took a mouthful. It was putrid, rancid and caused me to vomit there and then at the table in my hand and then again in the sink adjacent to the table. All of this took place in Anitha's presence. Whilst I understand that mistakes happen, I'm struggling to believe that this was even an innocent mistake. Am I really expected to believe that someone who, according to their website, is an expert and has supposedly conducted seminars throughout Europe on this specific cuisine would make such a basic error? The way Anitha acted both pre and post the incident gave me reason to believe that it could have been a spiteful act. At best it was careless and negligent. The incident was further exacerbated by the fact that Anitha proceeded to lie to me on 2 counts along with the absence of any apology or follow up which absolutely incensed me. I was dismayed that Anitha immediately lied to me and stated that the chutney was not rancid and that it simply contained extra tamarind!!!! Prior to this incident I had already asked the chef how he made the coconut chutney and he never even mentioned using tamarind in the recipe! She then quickly followed that statement by claiming it had been made freshly. I later confirmed it had been made the previous day (coconut can turn rancid very quickly). Even more despicable was the fact that, despite vomiting several times in her presence, no apology ever came, nobody bothered to check on me to see how I was. The next day, nobody said anything and I was just ignored as usual. I was so incensed by this that I actually raised the matter with Mahesh. His response was indifferent and po-faced. He just wobbled his head, not even coming close to offering an apology. At that point I was just like what is going on with these people?! Where is this the 'loving' and 'caring' treatment?? Or the freshly prepared food?! What utter rubbish!! On the subject of hygiene, the smell of the some of the oils and formulations used in the treatments was really damp and stale. The stemple massage boluses stank like damp running shoes which had been kept in a plastic bag for weeks. Initially I foolishly assumed that this meant it was 'authentic' and just supposed to smell this way. It is also normal for copious amounts of oil to be used in Ayurvedic massages, necessitating a shower afterwards. I noticed the way that this oil was saved following the massages. The therapists would use muslin-type cloths to scrape oil off the table and my body and then squeeze it into a bowl already containing oil. This bowl was then stored under the massage table. I often noticed them pulling out the same bowl and using it's contents during subsequent oil massages and then repeating the saving process. I just hope that it was oil previously used only on me and not on other patients. Were the stemple massage boluses used between patients? They were certainly not freshly prepared. I later experienced massages using freshly prepared formulations in other Ayurvedic clinics so was able to make a clear comparison with both the appearance and smell. This practice of reusing oil and other massage formulations is known to happen in some Ayurvedic centres. Could this also account for the skin infection which I contracted? Myself and other patients also discussed our concerns about the nozzle inserted into the anus during enemas as it was not disposable. Was that also used between patients? Was it always properly sterilised? Having already observed their attitude towards money, it would come as no surprise to me whatsoever if they were sanctioning such cheap-skate practices for the sake of clawing back a bob or two. The location of the property was very disappointing and inaccurately depicted. I suspect that a significant proportion of the garden has been sold off since many previous reviews were written as I could not even recognise from where some of the old photos had been taken. Prior to booking, I had formed the impression that Mitra was a facility set in moderately sizeable grounds, where it would at least be possible to take a walk - this was not the case. Nobody has mentioned the large private house which stands slap bang in the middle of Mitra's rear garden - see photo. The occupants of this property have nothing to do with Mitra. Disturbing noise is sometimes generated from the property as they have a TV on with doors open, barking dogs and both small and teenage children. Work was also underway throughout my stay on a further large multi-storey structure in front of the private house, occupying yet more of what presumably used to be the garden (see photo). There is nothing 'peaceful' about this location. These properties have substantially reduced the size of Mitra's garden and it is now barely bigger than an ordinary suburban backyard. There are no communal facilities, ie tables, chairs etc where residents can sit out together and it is certainly too small for even the shortest of walks. There is a small patch of rough land in front of the river cottages containing weakly supported hammocks but unless you are staying in those cottages, you feel like you are trespassing. This lack of any communal space where guests can peacefully socialise together if they chose, further contributed to a very isolating, desolate feel. A frustrating aspect of my stay was the complete absence of anywhere to have a pleasant walk or run in proximity to the property. There were no paths to walk along the river banking, no footpaths on the road. It was necessary to take a taxi or rickshaw some distance to find anywhere to safely have a walk. In fact there was genuinely absolutely nothing to do at all in the vicinity of Mitra. Whilst prior to my arrival that sounded ideal, in practice, it is pretty tough! Neither the Maheshs or Ratheesh showed sufficient interest in advising guests about day to day activities in the local area. On several occasions I asked them about local boat rides etc but they were unhelpful, saying they didn't know of anything and seemed indifferent. The wifi rarely worked in the main building and not at all in the cottages. Mitra had several networks but Ratheesh conveniently kept "forgetting" the passwords so I was never able to have access to the wifi connection which allegedly worked properly! The property is located in a socially mixed neighbourhood on the edge of the city. Right on the doorstep of the property, there are clear elements of impoverishment. In the plot of land immediately adjacent to and visible from Mitra, there are makeshift, favela-type dwellings (see photo). This all brought further problems, the most unpleasant of which was waste dumping. It was not only domestic waste and plastic but also larger items such as an old rickshaw carcass etc abandoned amongst the greenery. A further problem which affected me was noise from adjacent properties (more on that later), aeroplanes passing at low altitude several times throughout the day and night, traffic from the nearby main road, horns honking, locals shouting, construction noise, howling dogs etc. Is this the 'serenity' they talk of in their website? As I was staying there long term and there was really nothing to do in or around Mitra, I often took rickshaws to visit other places where it was also possible to take a walk etc. As Mitra's driver started overcharging me, I had to find another driver myself who would charge me reasonable rates. I came to learn from the new driver that whilst he was waiting to pick me up or after he had dropped me off, Mitra's guard repeatedly asked him for details of where I was going and what I was doing etc. Apparently the guard told this driver that he been instructed to elicit these details by Ratheesh. A further example of their questionable credibility when it comes to hosting Europeans, their lack of cultural awareness and ignorance of behaviours which we consider totally unacceptable. A staggering incident and the final nail in the coffin on my stay at Mitra occurred on 2nd August, several days before my premature departure. On several previous occasions I had been kept awake in the night by loud heavy beat party music. When it occurred yet again I telephone the switchboard number at 22:45. I had identified that the music was coming from one of the houses across the street. Initially the line rang out. On my 2nd or 3rd attempt Mahesh answered the telephone and when I had just finished describing the problem, the telephone was abruptly disconnected. Initially, I naively thought maybe there was some technical problem with the phone and waited for him to call back. No call ever came and the music continued. I never heard the guard's phone ring either. Surely if it had been a technical problem from his end he could have called me back using his mobile? Let's say for argument's sake that there had been a technical problem, surely immediately upon his arrival the following morning he would have approached me to ask me how I had slept, express concern about the disturbance and inquire if the problem had been resolved etc? Some hope!! Alas I received a stern glare and no mentioned was ever made of the incident! This led me to conclude that he had deliberately hung up the phone on me. What other conclusion could I reasonably draw? Another example of their 'head in the sand' mentality, "if we don't acknowledge this problem, then it means we don't have to face it and admit that it actually happened". At that point I thought things couldn't get any worse. How wrong was I........ When I attempted to raise a few of the many problems I had experienced at Mitra with Mahesh on the morning of my early departure he completely blocked me, actually calling me a "liar" to my face! Further evidence of their 'admit nothing, deny everything' and 'the customer is always wrong' policies! This comment was made specifically in response to the issues of stale, spoilt food and my suspicion that some food I had been served had not been home-cooked from natural ingredients. By his own admission he wasn't even involved in the whole food preparation side of the business anyway, that was Anitha's domain. I was absolutely staggered, just when I thought their treatment of me couldn't possible get any worse! Until that point a thin veneer of strained formality had mostly been maintained in our verbal interactions, however this really put the tin hat on all that. I just lost my temper with him, something I rarely do, and was forced to remind him that I was actually a paying guest and that I was beyond disgusted at the atrocious way I had been treated at Mitra. Talk about being so self righteous and haughtily disdainful! During this altercation Anitha appeared and I nicely socked it to her too! I'm more than happy to discuss my experiences at Mitra with anyone who is interested.