HYDERABAD: Talk of good health and allopathy is almost relegated to the back and alternative therapies such as yoga, meditation, art therapy, self-healing, guided meditation and walks, moon healing, past life regression are what we get to hear.
Bringing all such therapies onto one digital wellness portal is Pinky Daga, CEO of Thriive Art & Soul, a new startup. Established in the year 2016 the portal says it showcases and registers a verified network of alternative healers and therapists from across 150+ alternative health modalities.
"We are building a collective community of healers, seekers and explorers through partnerships and collaborations and spread the light of wellness. This platform gives users, seeking solutions to any ailments, the facility to connect with the right therapist through various options which include phone, personal consulting, video call and online chat. It helps educate the user through wellness-related articles from top wellness experts and facilitates participation in wellness events," she says. We ask her more about the new therapies that we are getting to hear.
What was the research prior to launching the app which indicates the demand for information and contact details? Are users increasingly leaning towards alternate therapies?
The alternative therapies market in India is currently at Rs 180 billion, and is growing at 15% to 20% CAGR (Source: Global Wellness Institute). Having said that, the market for alternative health services is highly fragmented and unorganized, with no mainstream platform dedicated especially to alternative wellness. We aim to bridge the gap through trust and convenience in this space.
Since the launch of our app, organic traffic has increased by 20X in the last six months. We currently have over 50K users visiting us every month. Also, 10 per cent to 15 per cent of them are connecting with therapists either through call or chat options provided on the website.
Initially, users were looking for regular therapies like yoga, Ayurveda, acupuncture, etc. But in the past six months, we have seen a significant increase in users looking for solutions for mental health, career, and relationship issues. Users are also exploring unconventional therapies like past life regression, hypnotherapy, and life counselling to find solutions to their issues.
Some of the alternate therapies still are not treated as scientific. What is the strategy you adopt to find verified therapists?
We feature only verified experts. We have a therapist relationship management team that personally verifies the therapists with the help of photo IDs, certifications, and testimonials. We have over 2,500 therapists, who have either registered through reference or found us online through social media.
Is the app for free or does one have to subscribe to become a member and use the services. How different is the app from say, those like Practo or Zoylo?
We connect users with alternative wellness therapists and currently, we do not charge any fee for registration or for connecting with the therapist. We are a platform dedicated to the alternative wellness space, while Practo and Zoylo which are primarily into mainstream health.
What kind of treatments are in demand or have been searched for by users in the last three years of the app’s existence?
Mental health and relationship issues are more searched and users are mostly engaging with therapies like counselling, past life regression, hypnotherapy, meditation, and tarot consultation.
What is moon magic meditation? When is this being held? Where and how can your app users benefit from this?
Thriive Moon Magic meditation is a theme-based meditation workshop conducted on every full moon and new moon day. One can tap into the high energy on a full moon day, and sow the seeds for a fresh beginning on new moon day.
Group energies of the class also raise the vibrations to a level that automatically creates deep meditative experiences. We do have therapists listed from Hyderabad on our platform and we plan to conduct some in Hyderabad, too.
The writer can be contacted at kalanidhi@newindianexpress.com
Twitter: @mkalanidhi