Jeremy McCarthy is the Director of Spa Operations Development and Marketing for Starwood Hotels & Resorts and thelobby.com's expert on everything spa. He is currently on an "around the world" spa tour with Starwood and will be posting from his various destinations throughout the month. Today he crosses continents and writes to us from India.

The Westin Sohna-Gurgaon is Starwood's newest foray into India (with a rich pipeline of other new properties following close behind.) The Sohna region lies just outside the hustle and bustle of high-energy Delhi, and the Westin is a wellness retreat with the Heavenly Spa as the focal point. The spa offers not only the signature uplifting treatments that Heavenly Spa is known for, but also a variety of ayurvedic treatments using medicinal herbs and oils from India's ancient healing traditions.

Yoga and meditation classes ensure that mind, body and spirit are all brought back into alignment. The instructors, like Susmita (see above) are extremely well educated and happy to share the philosophy behind their teachings. In one half hour session, I learned more about the origins and concepts of yoga than I have in years of taking classes in the US.