Even as the medical field of Ayurveda and its offerings find a new lease of life, it’s the Ayurveda experience centres which are mushrooming in urban areas and adding to the growing popularity
Less than a decade ago, Ayurveda had not many takers in the age bracket of 25-40 years. It was for the old-schooled and the conservative, since it’s a long process of treatment. As Dr. Krishna Kumar, founder of Keva Ayurveda, recalls, “Coming from a family of doctors in different branches, my decision to start an Ayurveda experience centre in 2011 shocked my family, friends and relatives.” Cut short to 2019 when Dr. Kumar gets about 60-70 patients a day in each of his outlets, while he started his journey with just 4-5 patients in a day. Keva Ayurveda recently launched its fifth outlet, starting from one in Bengaluru and has grown to opening centres in Thane, Delhi and even as far away as in Poland.
While Ayurvedic massage centres and even retail outlets have existed in the market since long, it’s the idea of getting more under one roof that is clicking with the new-age customers. According to Dr. Shambu Hiremath, Founder and Director, Shree Dhanvantari Ayurveda Hospital, it’s the idea of wellness through Ayurveda that’s grabbing millennials’ attention. “From Ayurveda products to services like Ayurvedic massages and even salon offerings, these experience centres are equipped to serve the new-age patients who want convenience. Such one-stop-solutions were earlier not available with the regular Ayurvedic centres,” he says.
Dr. Hiremath maintains that from a home-maker to an IT professional and even students, the customer segment is a mix of various backgrounds who are giving attention to Ayurveda as they gain more access to the benefits of the ancient science and wisdom. In order to meet the increasing demand, on the premises of Shree Dhanvantri Ayurveda Hospital in Bengaluru, Dr. Hiremath has a separate wing for an experience centre, which gets about 50 customer walk-ins on any day.
GROWTH THROUGH FRANCHISING
Commenting about how franchising has helped Keva Ayurveda grow and what’s important for the franchisees, Dr. Kumar says, “Efficacy, accessibility and affordability becomes very important for any model to grow and sustain business. And when the brand gets these things right, it is easier to scale. For our international centre, we found the right local partnership that helped us open our first international outlet much before than we expected.”
Today, Keva Ayurveda gets about 50 franchise enquiries per day and according to Dr. Kumar investors from all backgrounds – even those who are not medical practitioners – are approaching the brand for franchise outlet. “We want to join hands with an investor who is passionate and firmly believes in the benefits of Ayurveda, and who understands that Ayurveda is a long-term solution,” says Dr. Kumar. He says their target is to enter all the metro cities in the next few years.
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