Indian Wood Ayurvedic Bed

Four round hollows in a long dark board. Somebody needed the oil to stay put.

This Ayurvedic bed comes from India and dates to the 20th century. It is wood. Ayurveda, the traditional medicine of India, often calls for full-body massage with warm herbal oils, and long wooden treatment beds were made to support it. The top is a single thick plank, rounded at the ends and worn smooth and dark from long handling. Four shallow round cups are carved into its surface. Underneath, a deep trough-like base runs most of its length. It is 89 inches long, 26 deep and 15.5 high.

A bed that clearly expected its guests to lie very still.