Dr. Parmela Sawhney opened Amaya Wellness Spa to promote holistic health and wellness through advanced medical treatments.
Why can’t Coronado be a blue zone? After all, the island meets some of the criteria.
If you’re not familiar with the concept, a blue zone is a region where people live significantly longer lives, often due to lifestyle factors like a plant-based diet and natural movement throughout the day. Blue zones are also known for having close-knit communities, neighbors with a sense of purpose and routines to manage stress.
The national average life expectancy is 77 years, but Coronado’s life expectancy is 84 — a full seven years older.
Dr. Parmela Sawhney, who just opened Amaya Wellness Spa at 1222 First Street, thinks Coronado could indeed potentially be a blue zone, and she’s poised to tackle some big health challenges: stress, gut health, aging and detoxification, to name a few.
But Amaya Wellness Spa isn’t like any other spa you’ve seen. It blends 5,000-year-old Ayurvedic medicine with cutting-edge technology to offer a unique and comprehensive approach to wellness.
“It’s modern technology meets ancient wisdom,” she said. “There are multiple ways to heal or stay well. It’s not just one way.”
The serene environment at Amaya Wellness Spa is filled with tranquil art and antiques from places like Nepal.
Not only does Dr. Sawhney bring 40 years experience as a primary care physician, but she’s an expert in Ayurveda, an ancient Indian holistic system of health that aims to promote well-being by balancing mind, body and spirit through natural remedies like herbs, diet and exercise. It’s all about prevention, not detection and treatment, according to Dr. Sawhney. And it’s rooted in nature.
“I like being able to use nature,” said Dr. Sawhney. “We have the plants and the crystals and the minerals. Nature have given us so much.”
Promoting longevity with infrared sauna
Central to Ayurvedic wellness is the process of detoxification.
“In Ayurveda, they have the sweat tents,” said Dr. Sawhney. “The Native Americans have the sweat lodges.”
The Amaya Wellness Spa has the Clearlight Infrared Sauna, which uses red light therapy and chronotherapy, which helps balance chakras. The sauna uses the same infrared heat that’s produced by the sun, and is required by all living things for optimal health.
The infrared sauna features red light therapy and chromotherapy lights to enhance relaxation and rejuvenation.
First of all, the sauna makes you sweat, which helps your body eliminate toxins like heavy metals, chemicals and environmental pollutants.
“20% of sauna-induced sweat is composed of cholesterol, soluble toxins, heavy metals, sulfuric acid, sodium and uric acid,” said Dr. Sawhney. “You don’t want all of these toxins staying in your body. You want balance.”
The sauna — which uses red light therapy, first developed by NASA — also helps with pain relief and muscle recovery, as the infrared heat penetrates deep into the muscles and joints, increasing blood flow and promoting faster healing. It also helps improve circulation.
The red light therapy also helps promote wound healing and tissue repair, as well as hair growth and scalp health.
The sauna is known for helping patients relax and destress, as it stimulates the parasympathetic nervous system which aids in “rest and digest,” and takes the user out of the sympathetic nervous system, known as “fight or flight.” Many people report better mood and sleep after regular sessions, improving mental health.
Finally, the sauna helps skin health, stimulating collagen production which can improve skin tone, reduce fine lines, and promote a healthy glow. It can also clear out pours, improving acne and other conditions.
Amaya Wellness Spa offers both individual sauna sessions and packages. Ultimately, patients would strive to use the sauna for 30 minute sessions, two times a week.
De-stress with an Ayurvedic massage
Massage can reduce stress, ease pain and improve mood, so it’s no surprise it’s a key offering at Amaya Wellness Center. What makes this massage experience special is that it utilizes a Shirodhara oil pull.
“You won’t get this anywhere else,” said Sawhney. “The oil penetrates your skin and is applied on the third eye. It helps with intuition, and helps with anxiety and stress.”
The massage table features a Shirodhara oil pull to help promote wellness and relaxation.
According to Sawhney, their Ayurvedic masseuse comes from the Chopra Center, and is well-trained in several types of massage, including energy massage, and one where you are bathed in warm milk. A second practitioner will specialize in CBD massage, aromatherapy, and massages mixed with breath work.
Improve your microbiome for optimal gut health
Amaya Wellness Spa offers Gut-ID testing, which is known for its cutting edge, bacterial DNA sequencing technology and AI-driven insights. It basically checks your microbiome to see what’s in balance, and what’s out of balance.
It’s important because the gut plays a vital role in inflammation control, immunity, brain function, and metabolic efficiency, all of which are drivers of how long you live, according to Sawhney. She’s one of only two doctors in San Diego to offer the test.
“We actually detox through our colon, in addition to our sweat and even our tears,” said Sawhney. “It’s part of how we detox and cleanse our systems.”
The test ensures accurate, reliable results tailored to each person’s unique microbiome, and offers personalized food, supplement, and lifestyle recommendations. With colon cancer rates on the rise — especially among young people — microbiome testing can help identify individuals at risk, and inform preventative strategies, according to the National Cancer Institute.
“This is something easy and preventative you can do that’s noninvasive,” said Dr. Sawhney.
Dr. Sawhney, with Lisa Panissidi, the spa’s interior designer.
Support youthfulness with NAD boost
NAD, or Nicotinamide Adenine Dinucleotide, can be described as a vital coenzyme found in every cell of your body. It plays a big role in energy production, DNA repair, cellular communication, aging and longevity.
NAD in your body starts decreasing big time — up to 65% — from the early 30s to age 70. In addition to aging, it can also get depleted by things such as sleep disruption, poor diet, environmental stressors, alcohol consumption, sun exposure, and sedentary lifestyle.
Now you can get a boost through an NAD supplement. It’s called Tru Niagen, and unlike most others that are taken through an IV, it’s taken orally, which is said to be more effective, said Sawhney.
Studies from the manufacturer show that taking Tru Niagen can boost NAD levels up to 50%.
The spa offers supplements and GUT ID tests in addition to fun coffee alternatives like Mushboom, a tasty, caffeine-free mushroom drink that blends adaptogenic mushrooms, ceremonial cacao, and warming chai spices.
The importance of decreasing stress
One of the biggest ways Dr. Sawhney says she helps patients is helping them manage stress.
“Most of the people I see are stressed,” she said. “Ayurveda and treatments help by decreasing anxiety and stress, and keep things in balance. This can help with prevention.”
After all, stress plays a significant role in almost every type of disease. Stress hormones can increase heart rate, blood pressure, and blood sugar, while prolonged stress can lead to high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and digestive issues, according to Yale Medicine.
She says feeling stressed out or anxious is a sign that you need to make a change.
“If you’re having anxiety, that’s a call to action,” she said.
Find your path to wellness
As part of her practice, Dr. Sawhney offers hour-long wellness consultations to provide patients with the information they need to move forward with a wellness treatment plan. She uses labs and Ayurveda body types to help determine if your body and energy are in balance. Often the solutions are simple and uncomplicated.
While she helps recommend nature-based supplements, lifestyle changes and activities to help keep the body and mind in balance, she’s also open to using technology to help move things along.
“You can use ancient wisdom but still be open and curious,” she said. “There’s no need to shut anything down that’s new and different. There may be a more effective way to do something.”
The Amaya Wellness Spa uses the infrared sauna, GI testing, and NAD, but it still relies on ancient wisdom and the power of nature.
“Mother nature has given us gifts,” said Dr. Sawhney. “We just need to use them.”
To request a consultation or book a service online, visit the website or call 619-435-4488.
Sawhney and Panissidi at the Bio Hackers Conference in 2025.Amaya Wellness Spa
1222 First Street, Suite 7, Coronado