"Do you want me to show you how to put on the loincloth?" asked Michael Sullivan, a doctor of chiropractic and ayurveda who's the owner of the River View Spa in Buckingham, Va.

"Yes, please," I replied.

My wife, Karen, and I had come to River View to receive ayurvedic treatments that included being bathed in sesame oil, a massage delivered by two people at once, a sauna/steam bath, an exfoliation and an oil rinse of the forehead. I'd be moving around to different areas within the spa during the treatment and didn't want to experience a so-called "wardrobe malfunction," so the loincloth sufficed as my personal sheet.

Sullivan instructed me to tie a string around my waist and then pull the cloth up through the front and back of the string, leaving a flap facing outward. Pretty simple. I tied the string in a double knot to be extra safe and fitted the cloth, which reminded me of a lace napkin.

Thus outfitted as Tarzan in a doily, I proceeded to the massage room. Ayurveda is an ancient discipline from India and the first medical science. The term is Sanskrit for "science of life." The science describes people roughly in three prakrutis or constitutions: vatta (thin-framed, energetic but insecure and nervous), pitta (medium stature, hot-blooded, goal-oriented and sort of "know-it-alls") and kapha (larger in size, calm, lethargic and greedy).

Within each person there are elements of each constitution, and different parts of the day reflect the vatta, pitta and kapha nature. An individual can also be broken down into subsets combining the constitutions. Thus, ayurveda teaches a person to base their diet and habits upon one's prakruti. The key to a healthy life in each prakruti is cleansing toxins out of the body, regular exercise including yoga, and re-hydration of the tissues with sesame oil to slow the aging process. It must work: Sullivan looks to be in his mid to late 30s when, in fact, he's 52.

River View Spa offers weeklong and weekend ayurvedic packages with stays at the nearby Satchidananda Ashram — Yogaville, an ayurvedic sampler, and a la carte services. My sampler began with Sullivan and his assistant Carmen pouring hot sesame oil up and down the two sides of my body as I lay facedown on the table. This was followed by 14 full-body strokes and a simultaneous massage of both sides from my feet to my head. So far I was liking ancient Indian medicine. Sullivan then proceeded to perform a vigorous scalp massage while Carmen rhythmically massaged my back. I flipped over and they repeated the process for the front of my body. Feeling like Jell-O, I was led to the sauna so that any toxins in my body would sweat out while the sesame oil continued to penetrate and rejuvenate my dry skin. Sullivan told me to stay until he came and got me or until I felt done. My wife, who just loves basking in heat, calls me a sauna wimp. Thus, I was determined not to move until Sullivan came for me.

I only lasted five minutes. It's official: I'm a sauna wimp.

The exfoliation consisted of being covered in chickpea flour and then rubbed with hot towels. It occurred to me as I laid faceup on the table that I had been covered in oil, cooked and now breaded with flour ? like a piece of chicken. Just then Sullivan whispered, "I'm now going to cover your eyes with potatoes." Uh oh! I mentioned my cannibalistic concern, and he replied, "Well, there are all of those vegetarians over at Yogaville. I thought they might like a change of pace." Funny guy.

He pulled a blanket up to my neck, and Carmen started an oil drip. The flowing sensation was so soothing that I lost track of time and almost fell asleep. As the oil flow ebbed, Sullivan roused me from my dreamlike state and told me to take my time getting up before going to take a shower.

Karen was scheduled for the sampler the following morning, so we headed 1.5 miles down the road to Yogaville and dined at the main hall of the ashram. The vegetarian fare included salad, rice, a lentil curry and a spicy green-pepper stew. Earlier, we had visited the renowned LOTUS Temple. (The name is an acronym for Light Of Truth Universal Shrine.) Surrounded by a lake, the interfaith shrine resembles a delicate lotus blossom floating upon the water. It features artifacts and altars for all of the major religions. LOTUS and the surrounding 750-acre wooded complex were founded in 1979 by the late Swami Satchidananda, to explore the common themes and teachings in all religions and bring the faiths together. Workshops, weekend getaways and daily classes in yoga and mediation are provided.

Ayurveda prescribes going to bed early and rising with the sun. We hit the pillows before 10 p.m. and woke at 6 o'clock for a crack-of-dawn yoga class. Having taken a couple of level-one beginner yoga classes, I opted to try the level two with Karen, who's done yoga for years. Needless to say, I was quite lost during a few parts of the class. The teacher didn't seem to mind, and she helped me contort my body into the various postures.

Back at River View, Karen began her treatments while I sat in the living/waiting room and gazed out an enormous picture window with a view of the river. Sullivan joined me when Karen moved to the sauna. He mentioned that I was definitely a pitta and said that he could provide a consultation on ayurveda after Karen finished the exfoliation. "How about now?" I asked. I knew we would have some time. We pittas are like that.

The Essentials

Where to stay / What to do:

River View Spa, Route 1, Box 2054, Buckingham, Va., (434) 969-1400 or visit www.riverviewspa.com. Sample massage treatment described above is $250, and a rejuvenating weekend is $800.

Satchidananda Ashram — Yogaville, Route 1,
Box 1720, Buckingham, Va., (434) 969-3121 or www.yogaville.org.