Neal's Yard Spa Detox and Glow Treatment - Kings Road, London

Happy New Year everyone!  I hope you’ve all had a relaxing and enriching end to 2011 and beginning of 2012.  Back in early December it occurred to me that I had massaged about 30 people in 2011 but no one had reciprocated on me. I felt that I gave myself a little TLC.  To top it off my back and neck had so many knots in it that I could barely lift an arm (I'm only a wee bit exaggerating here).  It was definitely time for me to get my own treatment.

With the Neal's Yard Kings Road Spa being a 25-minute walk from my flat (and whose products I was familiar with since they contain a high percentage of organic ingredients) I decided to see what they had on offer. I booked a Detox and Glow package with Aya. Perfect! And it was, about 98% perfect.

The treatment started with a full body brush to stimulate lymphatic drainage and help remove the toxins from my body, of which I imagined there was a lot.  Aya brushed my skin very gently, much more gently than I brush my own skin, not soft enough to be ticklish, but soft enough to be distracting. But maybe I'm not being too kind to my skin if I'm brushing it too hard?

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Benefits of Massage

photo from In Touch Massage NewsletterDo you like getting massages?  I know I do.  In fact one of my good friends relies on a weekly massage to keep her life (and back) in order.  However besides just the fact that getting massaged feels good, were you aware that there were many more benefits than just that?  Here’s some more of my aromatherapy homework detailing the benefits of massage.

There are many benefits to massage both physiological and psychological.  The western approach  to massage focuses on the physical manipulation of muscles.  Massage can help to relax muscles and beyond that research has shown that massage also promotes sleep, relieves pain, reduces high blood pressure, stimulates blood and lymph circulation.  The western approach to massage also focuses on breaking the body down into pieces and focusing on symptoms.

The Eastern approach to massage looks at the mind and body as a whole.  For example Shiatsu is a type of bodywork developed in Japan based on Traditional Oriental medicine.  It comprises stretching, holding and leaning body weight into various part of the client’s body to improve energy flow, blood circulation, flexibility, and posture.  During the treatment pressure is applied to various body parts focused along specific meridians of subtle body energy.

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