Seeking Balance at The Juhi Center
Fashion is far from a grounding industry, so it’s no wonder wellness trends have caught on quickly with designers, models and editors seeking the ever-evasive idea of balance.
For the likes of Carine Roitfeld, Petra Nemcova, Winnie Harlow, Hannah Bronfman, Hannah Ferguson and more, their healer of choice is Juhi Singh, who offers all-around wellness at her Juhi Center in Manhattan, founded on the ayurvedic principles that saved her life.
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“I knew I wanted to be a doctor, from the age of four. But when I was 16, I was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis,” Singh says, from the Himalayan salt room of the center. “And, given that I had been born into this Eastern field of medicine, we did what most people do: went against the grain and went to Western medicine first. And for three and a half years, I went from doctor to doctor, looking for health, and it was just medication on top of medication.”
At 19, her organs started to shut down and the doctor recommended a colostomy bag. “The last-ditch was where my mother called my aunt in India, who is a doctor, and she gave me acupuncture and put me on an ayurvedic diet.” She stayed in India for two and a half months. “I’ve been fine since then,” she says. “And so it was at that point that I had to make a decision. Eastern medicine just saved my life, and though I don’t disparage Western medicine in the least bit, I think the congruence of the two are vitally important. And for me, as a practitioner, I immerse myself in every facet of Eastern medicine.”
Singh has studied in a variety of health methods, from Chinese medicine and homeopathy to yoga.
“I wanted patients to be empowered to know that they have options, and that they could take their health into their own hands and be empowered enough to know what was available to them,” she says. “So that they could decide what it was that they wanted to do.”
Having previously worked as an acupuncturist in sports clubs in Manhattan, she opened The Juhi Center, on 61st Street and Third Avenue, last September, with hopes to expand in the near future.
“What I wanted to do in creating the center was take all of my favorite things, so much like the centers we have in India, where you sit down with an MD, you sit down with a Chinese medicine doctor, a nutritionist, a physical therapist, a homeopath, you sit down with a whole team, and we come up with a protocol for you,” Singh says.
The center boasts a Himalayan salt room, an infrared sauna, a steam shower, and a machine called the Bemer (to boost circulation), as well as acupuncture, facial rejuvenation acupuncture, reiki, ayurvedic nutritional counseling and more.
Singh has caught on with the fashion industry, and will be doing a pre-Met Gala wellness suite at the Plaza Hotel for celebrities and models, in partnership with Clarins.
“I’ve known Juhi Singh for seven years, and her heart is as big as her talent,” Roitfeld says. “She’s a true healer.”
Singh’s intro to many fashion clients came through Nemcova, who is her best friend and the godmother of her son. “It was just word of mouth, honestly. It was just natural, from one person to another, and I’ve had the pleasure of treating some remarkable human beings that I really look up to and that have become personal mentors to me,” she says.
“I almost died,” Singh adds of her passion for treating others. “So I dedicated my life into wanting to improve the lives of others, because I have suffered and I can’t imagine looking at someone and saying, ‘I understand’ if I didn’t quite understand. My personal journey has helped me help my patients, because I know what was needed for me, and I try to provide that for them.”
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