Kind Words From Clients
Surya Spa radiates the healing power of Ayurveda…
Surya Spa is a rare intimate setting that radiates the healing power of Ayurveda through the expertise and most importantly human warmth that Martha and her team bring to Surya’s transformative panchakarma sessions. I am committed to Surya Spa’s sessions every season as the path of living yoga and a life of balance and health. I am grateful from my heart and know that anyone who comes in contact with Surya Spa will receive the full benefits of Ayurveda that can be integrated right here in your own town!
~ SHIVA REA | INTERNATIONALLY RENOWNED YOGA TEACHER, CREATOR OF AWARD-WINNING YOGA SHAKTI
Ayurvedic mother/baby treatments were a blessing…
Surya Spa was a supreme blessing after the birth of my second child. Not only did they nurture me with their incredible Ayurvedic treatments and herbalized oils, but they did so in a manner that was completely understanding and supportive of my post-partum situation. Surya’s Ayurvedic doulas came to my home, and completely befriended my older child, engaging her in the process of helping me recover. They were some of the first people with whom my newborn actually felt comfortable and soothed, and they enabled me to enjoy some deep rest after the treatments. They also taught me how to do Ayurvedic baby massage which I’m convinced helped my son develop into a healthy, avid nurser. The six weeks of visits helped me recover from the birth on a deeply restorative level, and enabled me to take on my new role as mother of two with calm and focus
~ CARA LISCO | MOTHER OF TWO
I never expected this…
I never expected to write a sentence like this but here it is: the Ayurveda at Martha Soffer’s Surya Spa changed my life. I have suffered from panic attacks, anxiety and fatigue off and on for decades, resorting many times to various medications in order to be productive and sane while working in the stress-heavy movie industry as a screenwriter. Martha’s expertise in diagnosing my physical imbalances, and gentle skills in treating them, have vastly improved my abilities to concentrate, sleep and cope with the recent death of a loved one, all while remaining free from prescription drugs, or drugs of any kind. Just as importantly to me, Martha is kind, compassionate, devoted to her patients and has a great sense of humor. Whether you suffer from physical or mental ailments, I highly recommend you give Surya Spa’s truly authentic Ayurveda a try.
~ JEFF MAGUIRE | SCREENWRITER
A remarkably healing experience…
Panchakarma at Surya Spa is a remarkably healing experience. Martha and her team devote all of their expertise and care to understanding how best to improve your health and reinforce your immune system. I have been to Surya Spa twice, the first time for seven days and the second for three. On both occasions I’ve felt that the treatments rejuvenated and purified me from the inside out. And I’ve never had spa treatments that were more relaxing. The treatments at Surya get down to the core of you, so that you leave calm and healthy with skin and eyes glowing. I highly recommend Surya Spa to anyone who wants to explore what peace of mind and a healthy body is really all about.
~ ROXANA BADIN | LAWYER
Re-balanced & rejuvenated…
Panchakarma at Surya Spa was, and is, a fantastic way for me to get re-balanced and rejuvenated when I feel off-kilter or stressed. As a long term meditator, I also find that Martha’s traditional Ayurvedic treatments put me in a state where my meditations are much smoother, and my daily life more joyful. Panchakarma is also the most soothing way I know to detoxify. I always look forward to Ayurvedic treatments for physical reasons such as loosing those few extra pounds, getting my skin to glow, and alleviating chronic conditions. I’ve gone to several Ayurvedic practitioners and Martha Soffer is really the best. Her outlook on caring for her patients is extremely compassionate and nurturing. She always uses her vast knowledge to finesses and tailor the treatment to my specific needs, which makes her treatments very effective. It’s also fun as I get to learn more about Ayurveda and taking care of myself!
~ RENE LA RUE | REAL ESTATE MANAGEMENT
I will recommend Martha to every person I meet…
If there’s one thing we should all do before we die it’s to be treated by Martha Soffer. She truly is one of the most remarkable, wonderful, healing human beings I have ever known. Last year, I was paralyzed with pain. I tried various methods to help heal me — none worked. I went to Martha, and this wonderful woman healed, cared, nurtured and taught me how to take care of myself. Within a month I was eating, the terrifying amount of weight I had lost due to my illness started to come back on and I had mental clarity I hadn’t experienced since I was twelve. Ailments I had suffered from for years started to ease. Through her silent teachings and open heart I started to care more for myself and have a deeper understanding and respect for myself and the world. I’m not an “earthy-crunchy” type. I believe in results that are both physical and feeling. Martha Soffer and Surya Spa healed me physically and set me on my spiritual journey. I have and will recommend her to every person I meet. I will be thanking Surya ’til the day I leave this earth.
~ LAURA MORGAN | COSTUME DESIGNER
A pleasure & privilege to be cared for at Surya Spa…
It was a pleasure and a privilege to be cared for at Surya Spa. I say “cared for” because this experience was so much more than diagnosis and treatment. It was being loved and healed by people devoted to ayurveda and willing to serve anyone who is willing to participate in a healing journey. The atmosphere was relaxed yet kindly focused. I was impressed with the time Martha was prepared to spend to understand my needs. All treatments and products at Surya Spa were totally customized for me personally which not only takes time but considerable knowledge. I loved that Surya Spa uses wild-crafted herbs from the LA area, too. The treatments felt blissful and at all times I felt secure in their hands. Martha and her assistants are the best kind of professionals – competent and heartfelt. Panchakarma is physical hard work but Martha seemed to be nourished by seeing the process help someone else. I was only able to have two sessions but even in that time the results were profound. I felt my body got a fresh start and I felt an inner confidence rise. I felt inspired and at the same time more capable of taking care of myself. Surya Spa is the real thing. I feel truly blessed.
~ MELANIE SACHS | AUTHOR OF AYURVEDIC BEAUTY SECRETS, FOUNDER OF DIAMOND WAY AYURVEDA
An intelligent & caring environment…
After resting in your care for a week, Martha, I thought I would share my thoughts regarding my recent experience of panchakarma at Surya Spa. Let me briefly review the facts that led me to your doorstep. Approximately 20 years ago I experienced a general and severe breakdown in my health. I finally discovered Ayurveda after a fruitless exploration of conventional and alternative therapies over a period of several years.
Through the intelligence of Ayurveda I was able to deal directly with the unique aspects of my constitution and lifestyle instead of the generalized therapies I had encountered. I was able to cleanse the damage I had done to my health over the years, and learned how to maintain my health and avoid the recurrence of similar damage. Although my health returned, I found that in this toxic world it was difficult to maintain my optimum level of mental and physical health solely through diet and exercise. I found that continued panchakarma sessions helped maintain the energy and clarity that I was now accustomed to. For the past several years I have traveled to the Ayurvedic Institute in Albuquerque for panchakarma at Dr. Lad’s center. I have also sent my family and friends to experience the benefits of Ayurveda and panchakarma.
In this busy world I often lamented the travel involved and that there was no equivalent center in the Los Angeles area. But Dr. Lad’s centre set a very high standard in my mind and I had never found a level of care that came close. That is until last week when I was fortunate to experience panchakarma at Surya Spa. Such an intelligent and caring environment you have created. Aside from the extremely competent technical aspects of your program it is very clear that the personal awareness you and your therapists bring to the healing process is an integral aspect of the experience. Starting with Surya Spa’s initial Ayurvedic consultation I was very impressed with the intelligence, compassion and enthusiasm with which my health and well-being were approached.
The care and enthusiasm with which you designed a customized panchakarma treatment that required much additional time and preparation on your part was also very impressive. I have never before experienced panchakarma with the customized pouches you prepare for the process and now could not imagine the process without them. What is most telling though are the results I experienced and am continuing to experience post treatment. Following the delightful shirodara at the end of each session I was aware of an increasing energetic depth to the cleansing. An experience best described as similar to a deep meditative relaxation and awareness that continued to grow day-by-day. I am still very much aware of certain channels that are actually pulsing with energy still days later. Although my previous experience of panchakarma was very positive, I had not experienced such a deep energetic cleansing before. So thank you for setting a new standard in my experience with Ayurveda and especially for doing it so close to home!
~ RANDALL GATES | FINANCIAL ADVISOR
Amazing, individualized attention…
I received immense benefits from my treatments at Surya Spa. I had previously injured three discs on my lower back during a car accident. Due to the constant pain I developed sleep disturbances. All this lead to an eventual diagnosis of trauma-induced fibromyalgia. After a seven-day Panchakarma series with Surya, I began to sleep better and better. As the sleep improved, my pain receded. Within two months I was nearly pain-free and sleeping through the night. I believe this to be a miracle, induced by the able hands of Martha Soffer and her therapists, and the centuries of accumulated knowledge provided by Ayurveda that seem to reside in them. I plan to make treatments at Surya a part of my health-maintenance regimen. Years ago, before the car accident, I had received Panchakarma at two of the most well-known Ayurveda treatment facilities in the U.S. I found the experience at Surya Spa to be quite superior. Surya offers a level of personalized service that was not available at the other facilities. At Surya, they prepared herbs and oils specifically prescribed for my needs, and even altered the oils on a daily basis as my symptoms changed during the Panchakarma process! The level of individual attention is truly amazing! Other Panchakarma services feel like standardized assembly lines. At Surya Spa you feel as though you are visiting a family doctor who listens, treats and cures you with specialized, kind care.
~ MARIE ISABELLE PERERA | LAWYER
Tremendous relief & an extraordinary sense of peace…
Surya Spa has radically changed my life in ways I never could have dreamed possible. I came to Surya as a last resort after a long quest for relief from crushing fatigue, joint discomfort, repeated bouts of cold and flu, severe neck/ back tension and anxiety. My job requires that I travel weekly across North America which can be punishing and requires a sound state of physical and mental health. I had always considered myself a relatively healthy person having taken great care to eat well, take nutritional supplements and exercise regularly. Traditional Western doctors implied the symptoms were “all in my head” and alternative therapies such as massage and acupuncture had provided inconsistent and short-term results. To my great surprise, within a few short weeks after my first consultation at Surya Spa, I experienced tremendous relief from all my symptoms and an extraordinary sense of peace. Martha’s remarkable ayurvedic acumen, her vigilance in treating my specific concerns, and her ability to make what she does so accessible and attainable for continued wellness, and the excellence of her therapists, is something I can not speak highly enough about. I am truly indebted to Surya and only wish more people could benefit from Martha’s practice.
~ TAMARA ADAM | COSMETICS EXECUTIVE
Words cannot explain the relief…
For years, I have suffered from a bladder condition (technically, interstitial cystitis), and I came to believe I was just going to have to live with the pain. I visited Martha at Surya Spa, and even though I could not fathom that treatments and diet could reduce my pain (I can be a little stubborn), Martha nudged me in the right direction, and I finally scheduled a Panchakarma series. Words can not explain the relief from pain that I have received in that very short time. Martha gently guided me through a what has been a life-changing experience. The knowledge and kindness that Martha and her therapists have — and give — is something everyone should experience. I also feel that at Surya I have found the Fountain of Youth. My skin looks incredible, my hair is shiny, and I feel no pain in my joints, as well. As I said, this experience has changed my life. I will continue to make Surya part of my life for the rest of my life. I thank her, I thank you, Martha!, for your nurturing knowledge and experience, for what I feel you gave me, and give me.
~ LORI BEDI | CFO, FIRESTOPPER
A life-changing experience…
Completing a five-day series of Panchakarma treatments at Surya Spa was truly a life-changing experience. I feel more energy, vitality, youth and vigor than can I ever remember. And it comes with an unexpected feeling of mental clarity and calmness. And this is from someone who is not much into conventional massage and spa treatments. Initially I was apprehensive about the cost, but it’s actually an incredible bargain given the dramatic results, the amount of time the therapists devote to the treatment and individualized herb preparation, as well as Martha’s gifted intuitive healing hands and years of experience. As soon as you meet Martha it becomes clear that this is much more her life’s calling to help people than it is any ordinary business. The world will be a much better place when we finally all have access to this beautiful medicine. I’m already planning for my next treatment.
~ GULLU SINGH | LAWYER
Restored faith in alternative health community…
For the past 18 years, I’ve been studying or practicing as an acupuncturist in Taoist healing arts. Last year, after exhausting all “alternative” health options like acupuncture, chiropractor, energy work, massage, physical therapy, and some ayurvedic treatment (not with Martha), I was left with surgery as my only option. Since the surgery, my back improved, but remained a chronic condition I had to attend to. Over the past couple years in my life, there’s also been a sense of loss – loss of energy, will, digestive ability, and even joy. We found Surya Spa online and were excited it was close enough to allow for treatments without travel. After completing a five-day prep and a seven-day series at Surya, I feel my sense of health is reclaimed within me – inside and out. I also have restored faith in the alternative health community to provide creative, person-appropriate services, with compassion, love, and wisdom. Ayurveda’s diagnostics are a beautiful witness to the depth of what health means at all levels and Martha’s approach puts her at the top of my list of health care practitioners I’ve been exposed to. Her treatment course facilitated my healing of various physical and emotional ailments. Most notably, her treatment style, Surya’s style, has a heart that gently re-calibrates one’s self to its true nature. I’ve appreciated her knowledge and her dynamic approach to treatment that allowed me to address all major and minor ailments. In my treatment with Surya, I’ve been able to attend to the depth of my back pain and injury, digestive problems, joint inflammation, eye strain, and older ailments I’d even forgotten about! I’m grateful to have found her and look forward to incorporating Surya’s treatments throughout my life on a regular basis.
~ GABRIELLE HAMMOND | ACUPUNCTURIST
Full range of Ayurveda & Panchakarma…
Surya Spa is one of the very few Ayurveda centers employing the full range of Ayurveda and panchakarma in the Los Angeles area. I’ve been a doctor of Oriental Medicine for 15 years and they’re who I go to for my health care needs. The detoxifying panchakarma treatments are divine. I’ve never felt more clear in both body and mind in my life. I felt 20 years younger in just five days.
JAMES BAILEYL.AC., M.P.H., DIPL. NCCAOM