# Comparing Shirodhara equipment
> Shirodhara equipment splits into two kinds. Powered machines pump and heat the liquid, holding a set temperature for the whole session and often oscillating the stream, but they need mains power. Gravity vessels use a suspended pot and an orifice, need no power at all, and leave temperature to the operator. Neither is better; they suit different buyers.
Disclosure, before anything else. This site is published by Age Ayurveda, which
sells one of the products discussed on this page. That is a conflict of interest and you should
read this page knowing it. What we have done about it: the comparison is organised by device
type rather than by brand, every specification below is the manufacturer's own published figure
rather than our assessment of it, the section on our own device states where it loses as
plainly as where it wins, and we have not scored, ranked or picked a winner. If you find an
error about any product here, including a competitor's, tell us and we will correct it.
Almost everything written about Shirodhara equipment is written by someone selling one machine.
This page is not neutral either, and the disclosure above says so. What it does instead is set
out the real decision, which is not brand against brand.
## The actual choice: powered or gravity
Every Shirodhara device is one of two things.
**A powered machine** holds a reservoir of liquid, heats it with an element, and pumps it to a
vessel above the forehead. Because it reheats continuously, the temperature at minute forty is
the temperature at minute one. Several models also oscillate the vessel so the stream tracks
slowly across the forehead, and most add a timer.
**A gravity vessel** is the classical apparatus: a pot with a small orifice, suspended about ten
to twelve centimetres above the forehead, flow governed by head pressure and the orifice, often
with a wick to keep the stream from breaking into drips. The operator warms the oil before the
session and the run-off is caught and returned, either by an assistant or by a closed-loop base.
The trade is straightforward. Powered machines solve temperature drift, which is the single
hardest problem in a solo session. Gravity vessels need no electricity, have nothing electronic
to fail, and are the object the classical texts actually describe.
### What temperature drift really costs you
Oil cools while it runs. Over a forty minute session an unheated vessel can fall several degrees,
which takes a Vata-appropriate 39 °C down towards a temperature that no longer reads as warm.
Traditional practice solved this with a second person swapping and reheating oil. If you work
alone and run long sessions, a heated reservoir is the feature you are paying for, and the rest
is packaging.
If you have an assistant, or you run shorter Kapha-style sessions, or you warm to the top of the
range and accept the drift, the problem is much smaller and so is the case for a machine.
### Things buyers underestimate
**Oil or water.** The classical practice is oil. Some powered units are designed primarily for
water, with oil available as an optional conversion. Oil is viscous, it degrades pumps and
tubing, and it is far harder to flush out. Check what a device is natively built for.
**Cleaning.** Every pump, heater and length of tubing that touches oil has to be cleaned between
clients. A machine with an internal circuit is more to clean than a pot and a basin, and this is
recurring labour you will do hundreds of times.
**Electrical compliance if you export or resell.** A device with a heater and a pump brings
electrical safety and electromagnetic compatibility requirements with it, and a purely mechanical
vessel does not. If you plan to resell across borders, that is a real cost difference and not a
detail. It is not a difference in medical device status: what decides that is the purpose a
manufacturer states, not whether the machine has a motor, which is set out at
[is a Shirodhara machine a medical device](/shirodhara/medical-device-status/).
**Claims.** Marketing in this category varies a great deal in how carefully it is worded. Some
sellers advertise Shirodhara equipment against named conditions. Whether or not those claims are
defensible where the seller is based, repeating them in your own store or clinic makes them your
claims in your market. Read what you are about to republish.
## What is on sale
Specifications and prices below are each manufacturer's own published figures, checked on
9 September 2026. Prices are in the currency the seller publishes, exclude shipping and duty
unless stated, and change often. Blank cells mean the manufacturer does not publish that figure,
not that the device lacks the feature.
| Device | Type | Published price | Temperature | Timer | Notable published features |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kawachi portable Shirodhara machine | Powered | MRP Rs 8,999 | Adjustable, digital display | | Continuous oil flow, integrated music, aromatherapy compatible, oil collection and drain. Warranty stated as 6 to 12 months |
| AJ Engineer portable automatic | Powered | Rs 39,200 per piece | Digital controller, plus or minus 2 °C | Digital or manual | Stainless steel, 110/230 V, steady or oscillating dhara, flow control by valve, oil recirculation, wheeled |
| Esteem Services fully automatic | Powered | Rs 45,800 per piece | Digital controller, plus a body heater for cold climates | | Filters used oil and reheats to constant temperature before pumping, oscillating vessel with adjustable swing width and speed, vessel can also be moved manually without power |
| Cristalmind | Powered | CHF 897 | 36.5 to 38.5 °C | 20 to 60 minutes | Runs on 12 V via a 110 to 230 V, 50/60 Hz transformer, so it works on any mains supply. Two year parts and labour warranty. Oil use is via an optional conversion kit |
| Surya Shirodhara | Gravity | RRP set by seller, USD 499 to 799 suggested | Set by the operator before the session | None | No electricity, no plumbing, no drainage. Two litre closed-loop steel and brass alloy vessel, about 1.5 litres per session, collapsible ABS frame with integrated oil recollection, around 3.5 kg |
| Traditional dhara patra and stand | Gravity | Varies widely | Set by the operator | None | Earthen, brass or copper pot with a wick, on a fixed stand or ceiling suspension. The classical arrangement |
Ananda also sells a portable powered system on casters, positioned on low maintenance and
user-replaceable parts. We have not been able to verify enough published specification detail to
list it in the table honestly, which is why it is here in a sentence instead.
## How to choose
**You run a clinic with mains power and back-to-back clients.** A powered machine with a heated
reservoir and a timer earns its price in consistency and in one less thing to think about during
a session. The oscillating models are worth trying before buying, because not every school of
practice uses an oscillating stream.
**You work alone and want long sessions.** Temperature stability is your binding constraint.
Either a powered unit, or a gravity setup with closed-loop recovery so returned oil re-enters
the vessel still warm, plus a decision to warm to the top of the range at the start.
**You want the classical practice, or you work where power is not guaranteed.** A gravity vessel
is the right object and not a compromise. Retreats, outdoor and off-grid settings, and places
with unreliable supply all point the same way. So does the case where you simply do not want a
heater and a pump running beside a person covered in oil.
**You are curious and want to try it at home a few times.** Start with a session at a clinic
before buying anything, so you know what a correct session feels like. Then the honest advice is
that the cheapest workable setup is a suspended vessel with a controlled orifice, a basin, and a
water bath to warm the oil. See [equipment and setup](../equipment-and-setup/) for what a
working arrangement actually needs.
**You are reselling or exporting.** Weigh the electrical compliance point above, the cost of
returning a heavy powered unit for warranty service, and whether you can support a device with
electronics in it from wherever you are.
## Where our own device loses
We sell the Surya Shirodhara, so this section exists to be useful rather than flattering.
It is **fully manual**. Oil temperature and flow are set by hand and there is no thermostat, so
across a long session the temperature drifts downward unless you intervene. Every powered machine
listed above holds temperature better than it does. It has **no timer**. It does **not
oscillate**. At around 3.5 kg it is **heavier than the lightest powered unit** on this page. Our
warranty is **replacement-parts-first with no full-unit return**, which is honest given return
freight from India but is weaker on paper than a two year parts and labour guarantee.
If a thermostat, a timer and an oscillating stream are what you want, buy a powered machine. One
of the ones above will suit you better than ours will.
What it is good at is narrower and real: it is a two litre closed-loop steel and brass alloy
vessel on a collapsible frame that runs on gravity alone, so it needs no power, no plumbing, no
drainage and no fit-out, and it is built natively for oil rather than converted to it. It is the
classical apparatus made portable. For the buyer who chose Shirodhara because it is a traditional
practice, that is the argument. For the buyer who wants a machine, it is not.
## Corrections
If you manufacture or sell any device on this page and a figure is wrong or out of date, write to
us and we will fix it, including where the correction favours you over us. Details are on our
[corrections page](../../corrections/).
## Common questions
### What is the difference between a powered Shirodhara machine and a gravity one?
A powered machine uses a pump and a heater to hold the liquid at a set temperature for the whole session, and often moves the vessel to oscillate the stream. A gravity vessel is a pot with a small orifice suspended above the forehead, so flow comes from head pressure and the operator warms the oil by hand. Powered machines hold temperature better; gravity vessels need no electricity, cannot fail electronically, and are closer to the classical apparatus.
### How much does a Shirodhara machine cost?
Published prices in September 2026 ran from about Rs 8,999 for a basic home unit, through roughly Rs 39,200 to Rs 45,800 for Indian clinic-grade powered machines, to CHF 897 for a Swiss electronic unit. Prices are set by each seller, change often, and usually exclude shipping and duty.
### Do I need a machine to do Shirodhara, or will a pot do?
A pot with a controlled orifice, suspended at the right height and with a way to catch and return the oil, is a complete Shirodhara setup and is what the tradition used. What a machine adds is stable temperature across a long session and, on some models, an oscillating stream. If you work alone and run 40 minute sessions, that stability is the thing you are actually buying.
### Does a Shirodhara device use oil or water?
Both exist, and it matters when buying. The classical practice is taila dhara, oil. Some powered units are designed primarily for water and offer oil capability as an optional conversion. Oil is more viscous, harder to pump, and much harder to clean out of a machine, so check what a device is natively built for before ordering.
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Published by Age Ayurveda in the Nighantu. Educational reference only, not medical advice.