The Juice Lounge offers power juices and energy boosters and has even opened an outlet in Doha; (top) Canadian company Booster Juice is expanding rapidly and has 17 bars across India Pix by Jagan Negi

It is one of Mumbai-based Has Juice Bar’s most exotic offerings. The unique cocktail is called the Paan Masala Milk Shake and is a blend of betel leaves, gulkand (a preserve of rose petals and sugar syrup), fennel seeds, vanilla ice cream and milk.

Prefer a healthier offering? Check out Chennai’s Juice Lounge. Try the Fruit Protein Shake — a blend of strawberries, grapes, bananas, honey and milk? It is high on proteins, low on carbs — and almost excruciatingly good for you.

Juice bars had started out with limited offerings for a niche clientele. But now, their repertoire includes everyone from weight-watchers to those out bingeing. “Today juice bars are cafe-style, hygienic lounges where people not only get fresh health potions but can also try exotic flavours,” says Himang M. Bhatt of Mumbai’s Has Juice Bar.

But health drinks are top priority at most juice bars. One potent offering from Has Juice Bar is packed with medicinal herbs like ginkgo, biloba, ginseng and green tea to fight fatigue and increase stamina. Also, the bars offer everything from fruits to low fat milk, low-fat and no-fat yoghurt. Also, there are health foods, soups and salads.

Stop over at Gurgaon-based Blendz Juice Bar that’s gone a step ahead with a Detox Diet Plan under nutritionist Rekha Kakar. The diet consists of six meals a day, abundant in fresh fruits and vegetables. It’s prepared with the calories and the nutrition required in a day in mind. All the meals made here are delivered to clients’ offices between 9am and 6pm. And every five days, clients meet the dietician and the results are analysed.

Rohit Chaudhary, founder of Blendz, returned from Australia to find fresh and nutritious foods a rare sight in India. “Juices were either available on the dirty roadside or in expensive, high-end hotels,” says Chaudhary. He did a six-month soft launch in July 2009 and opened two outlets in Gurgaon. Juices here cost between Rs 60 and Rs 95 and smoothies come for Rs 110 to Rs 135.

The Fruit Shop On Greams Road sells 1.2 million glasses of juice annually in Chennai alone

Similarly, the Fruit Shop On Greams Road in Chennai is becoming a big chain. “It’s a hit,” says M.C. Salim one of the founders. The Fruit Shop On Greams Road has 16 outlets in Chennai and four in the UAE. “Our bars sell almost 1.2 million beverages a year, in Chennai alone,” says Salim who launched the first outlet with partner M. K. Harris in 1995.

Another rapidly growing player is the Canada-based Booster Juice with 17 smoothie bars in Bangalore, Chennai, Hyderabad and Delhi. “Most of our smoothies provide the five portions of fruit recommend by doctors,” says Gaurav Marya of Franchise India, which handles brand expansion for Booster in India.

Has Juice Bar’s creations include a unique concoction packed with medicinal herbs like ginkgo, biloba, ginseng and green tea

The bars realise taste is crucial but the focus is on health. So they’re blending fruits, vegetables and herbs for maximum nutritional value.

Take Manav Shital and Niti Agrawal of Juice Lounge — with seven outlets in Pune, Nashik, Nagpur, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Hyderabad, Cochin and Qatar(Doha). Their aim is to help people cut down on munchies in between meals. “Our power juices and energy boosters filled with vitamins and minerals are a great source of fibre and antioxidants. They reduce the risk of heart disease and some cancers,” says Shital.

One of the power juices offered by Juice Lounge is the Big Five: a combination of pineapple, strawberry, mango, apple and kiwi, which also provides the five portions of different fruits each day. A workout freak can try the Whey Protein Shake with banana, apple, milk and protein blend. For people trying to stay slim the Lean Body Shake with apple, pineapple and watermelon aims to reduce fats.

The fact is that when it comes to ingredients, the sky is now the limit. Apart from the super-foods on offer, Booster Juice has healthy options like the chain’s fresh wheatgrass shots that are becoming a hit as they promise healthy skin and an improved immune system. “About 30ml of fresh wheatgrass juice contains the nutritional equivalent of 1kg of leafy green vegetables,” says Marya.

Similarly at Has Juice Bar, the 30ml freshly juiced wheatgrass is known as the tequila shot of the wellness industry while the 30ml lemon blast shot is said to act as an antioxidant and cold fighter.

Blendz Juice Bar offers a Detox Diet Plan and a dietician for consultations

A few years ago exotic fruits and juices may have been out of reach but with juice bars offering healthy concoctions made from the most exotic ingredients you can not only savour the most unusual flavours but can also stock up on instant energy.