A careful sniff reveals that the spice is not curry or saffron but comes from a paste created with the leaves of a henna plant.

Raman is a henna artist.

Painting henna on the hands and feet is a tradition from Raman's native India that the Western world has co-opted in recent years.

She didn't learn this art until she came to the United States.

In 1994 Raman and her husband, Siva, moved to the Bay Area, where they both found jobs in the high-tech industry. Raman was a software engineer, and Siva now works for Applied Materials. The couple's two daughters, Shilpa and Smita, were 9 and 6.

Raman began questioning her career choice as her daughters were growing up and decided to take a step back just as massive layoffs were hitting many area companies.

"My husband was very encouraging," she says. "He said, 'Do whatever you want to do.' "

Raman says staying at home was a little stifling. She had been intrigued by henna art as a youngster in India, so she decided to try it as a hobby. Her sister-in-law, who lives in Santa Clara, paints henna outside of her own full-time job and taught Raman the ins and outs of the craft.

"I liked to draw as a little girl, and I was so familiar with this art right from childhood," Raman says. "The hobby continued for a year. My friends would come to the house for henna, and I became better and better. They gave me so much encouragement."

One of her friends went to Seema Beauty Salon in Sunnyvale with Raman's henna work on her hands, and the stylists there wanted to know who the artist was. Raman says the salon had been receiving a number of inquiries about henna artists, so they contacted her about working for them. "I think she's pretty good. I'd recommend her to anyone," says Seema Kapoor, the salon's owner. "I thought she would be really popular during the wedding season."

"It started out like that," Raman says. The salon referred clients to her, and though the salon wanted her to work on-site, Raman says she wanted more flexibility. She started her business last year after she and her family moved to Cupertino, and she still receives references from the salon. Raman occasionally has customers who travel to her home, but most of her business comes from her trips to various parties and seminars all over the Bay Area. She's traveled as far as Antioch.

"I've been to a couple of teen rooms at libraries and showed a simple design. I go to fashion shows and do henna for the models. I've even been to Moroccan restaurants," she says. "But most of what I do are baby and bridal showers."

In Indian culture, the night before a wedding is called Mehndi. That's when all the women in a family gather as the bride has her hands and feet painted with henna in complicated designs. Part of the tradition involves hiding the groom's initials under the intricate shapes.

"It requires a lot of patience both for the artist and the bride," Raman says. "The hand of a bride can take one to three hours, but those three hours will go by so fast." Because many in the bridal party will also get henna designs, Raman says the party can get up to 50 to 70 people in one night. It often takes more than a few henna artists to get through Mehndi in a timely manner. Raman says that there are many henna artists in the area, but she doesn't see them as competition.

"When I bring others with me, I come to know more about the other cultures that use henna," she says.

The use of henna began more than 5,000 years ago in Egypt. The henna that's used in body decoration comes from the ground leaves of a plant, which are typically mixed with a tea and lemon base to create a paste. Raman says the leaves from the tips of the plant are the best because they're the darkest, and leaves from elsewhere are used for hair dye.

Raman gets her henna powder from India, either from her own trips back to her home country or when friends and family go. She stores the red packs in her freezer until she mixes a paste 24 hours before an event. When henna is applied to the skin, it's green and has a cold, creamy consistency that has to stay on for about three hours to effectively dye the skin. "It's better on the hands and feet--the circulation there is better and the skin is thicker," Raman says. "Soft, smooth skin can't absorb it as well."

The tradition of using henna to paint the skin eventually spread to the East thanks to invading Mughals in Egypt, who traveled to the Middle East and finally back to India, their home country. Raman says legend has it that Arjumand Banu Begum, the wife of the Mughal emperor who built the Taj Mahal in her honor, was the first Indian woman to adopt the practice. "When I grew up in India, I saw the plants everywhere," Raman says. "We had one in our home."

Across all cultures, henna is used during times of celebration. For the Indian culture, henna signifies a time of transition in a woman's life, anything from coming of age to a first job to the most common event for henna, a wedding. "Henna is about joy, prosperity, health, happiness and beauty. No Indian wedding would be complete without it," Raman says. "It's natural, so it has healing properties. It's like therapy; it calms the nerves and draws the heat away from your skin."

The feet and the hands, aside from providing good palettes, are the typical locations for henna painting because of the traditional Indian dress. "When we wear our saris, these are the parts that are exposed," Raman says. "We beautify them to show them off."

Thanks to the use of henna in popular culture, celebrities like Madonna have showed off henna designs as a fashion statement. Many area residents are trying henna no matter what their heritage is. Because of the transition between cultures, henna painting is often compared to tattooing in the Western world.

"I was not comfortable at first considering it as a tattoo," Raman says. "People here were only seeing it as an art form. But it opened my eyes to realize that people still like it. It's a blend of two cultures." Or more than one: Raman's book of sample designs includes Chinese characters and Celtic and Arabic designs. She says that roses and hearts are among her most popular designs.

Raman has also adapted to the growing henna trend by painting designs on other areas, like the belly and the back and offering extras like glitter. "People like to match it with their outfits," she says. In the United States, henna is often advertised as a tattoo, and some of Raman's clients ask her to help them try out a potential tattoo design before having it etched permanently on their skin. Henna stains the skin a deep caramel color for several weeks.

As the practice of tattooing by henna has increased, so has the use of something called "black henna," which leaves black marks on the skin more commonly associated with tattoos. Raman worries about the practice because potentially harmful chemicals are added to the typical henna paste to create the darker effect.

In contrast, Raman always makes sure to use natural ingredients. After applying henna, she even uses lemon juice and sugar to seal off the paste and keep it from flaking during the time it takes to dye the skin.

It's a routine she tries to follow while she's out painting henna at various festivals. She does try to bring simpler design templates with her to cut down on the time factor, and she generally charges $5 for a simple flower.

Raman took her work to Cupertino's unity parade on March 12, where she set up her station in the Iranian booth, which was run by the Iranian Federated Women's Club. Fariba Nejat, who served on the cultural booths and games committee for the event, helped pair Raman with the booth even though Raman is Indian.

"Henna is part of the Persian culture, too," Nejat says. "In parts of Iran, we have events that are very similar to the ones Indians do with henna. It's a fantastic cultural bonding."

Nejat has also worn some of Raman's artwork herself and has invited Raman to attend Persian events, too. "She came to show me what she did, and it was fantastic. People should know more about her," Nejat says.

In Iran and other Middle Eastern countries, henna designs are generally large and floral, which Raman says is meant to celebrate beauty. In Africa, where the practice began, henna is applied in geometric patterns. Even in India, the shapes vary. Raman says that in southern India, where she grew up, bold patterns like peacocks and paisley are common. The north features more intricate designs that travel up the arms and legs.

"When I got married, I had more of the bold designs," she says. "I did that for a dancer recently to make her performance more beautiful."

With the formation of her business--Henna Bash--Raman travels all over the Bay Area to apply henna at parties and festivals or simply to teach others about the art.

The Henna Bash website is at www.hennabash.com, and the phone number is 408.621.4391.