New Spa on Lincoln is First of its Kind in Chicago (PHOTOS)

A new spa in Northcenter is taking its mind and body treatments back to their roots—as in foreign practices that are thousands of years old.

It’s called Hamsa, an Ayurveda and yoga clinic, that opened on Feb. 16 at 3807 N. Lincoln Ave. Ayurveda is an ancient form of medicine from India that brings therapeutic yoga together with medicinal oils, herbs and altered diet.

Hamsa’s owner Monica Yearwood, who began studying the practice 11 years ago, says her center is the first of its kind in Chicago, but it’s certainly not new in India.

“Acupuncture is to Chinese medicine as Ayurveda is to Indian medicine,” Yearwood said. “They use needles to manage ch’i, and we use oils to manage prana. There are different oil applications, kind of like a massage, and all the treatments that we use are authentic as possible.”

Yearwood says she’s been training her staff for close to a year to consult with clients, and no two treatments are alike. The spa’s experience is completely customized to the person depending on everything from physical aches to stress levels.

And don’t think this is just another yoga studio. Hamsa doesn’t offer drop-in classes because the classes are taught in a series. Yearwood says it’s therapeutic yoga, used to help heal imbalances like excess stress or detoxification, not yoga used for exercise.

The entire spa is all about bringing out its Ayurvedic roots, especially when it comes to the ingredients in the herbs and oils used in treatments.

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“All our ingredients are harvested appropriately, and they’re all real ingredients,” Yearwood said. “A lot of spas you go to, especially in Chicago, will be using something like a maple coconut scrub, and they’re all made with synthetic ingredients.”

While Yearwood offers free monthly lectures at Hamsa to talk about Ayurveda and answer any questions, when it comes to the treatments, customers pay for the authentic Indian quality.

“Services start at $135 for an Ayurvedic treatment, and it can go up to $3,500,” Yearwood said. “That would be for an extensive, multiple day program. I just had a woman do a 15-day treatment with me. … Obviously that’s going to be a different price point.”

The next free introductory lecture is on March 5 from 6:30 to 8 p.m.

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