Massage Therapies
| Swedish/Remedial Sports Hot Stone Prescriptive Aromatherapy Essensa Aromatherapy | Indian Head Massage Thai Foot Thai Compress Hopi Ear Candling Additions |
Swedish/Remedial
Back, Neck & Shoulder or legs - 30 mins
Back, Neck & Shoulder or legs - 45 mins
Full body - 1 hour
Our Swedish/Remedial massage uses a combination of techniques used to release muscle tension, ease stress and promote well-being.
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Sports
First session includes, consultation and 30 min treatment -1 hour
Back, Neck & Shoulder or Legs - 30 mins
Back, Neck & Shoulder or Legs - 45 mins
Full Body - 1 hour
Sports Massage can improve sporting performance, strength and flexibility, treat sports injuries, aid recovery and rehabilitation, and give an improved functional fitness.
Add hot stone therapy to your sports massage session for added benefits
Sports Massage can be considered an invaluable tool to the sports person in order to assist them as part of their overall training programme. Ideally it is a preventative tool that aims to ensure the athlete achieves the best results and avoids repetitive, or sudden, injuries. For event work the use of pre and post massage is also an important factor. Pre-event massage helps to warm the muscles and prepare them for action. It can also be used to calm nerves, remove any last minute nagging aches or simply to provide reassurance to give the athlete a possible psychological boost. Post-event massage can aid the bodies' recovery process and relieve tension and strain in tired muscles to allow the athlete to return to training quicker for the next event.
However Sports Massage is not just reserved for the sporty types amongst us. Any of us can suffer from injuries that are either due to a specific event, like straining your leg after playing football in the garden with the children, or are the result of longer term repetitive actions, like that nagging pain in your shoulders and neck because you work on a computer all day. Also very relevant for musicians, hairdressers and drivers, in fact these techniques can be used for most people.
Sports Massage can help to identify, assess and treat muscular problems with specific techniques aimed at maintaining or restoring muscle function and balance. We can then suggest ways to help you to avoid these problems in the future.
Whatever your situation, why not speak to us to see how we can help you with whatever you want to achieve.
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Hot Stone
Hot Stone Massage: back, neck & shoulders - 45 mins
Hot Stone Massage: full body - 1 hour 15 mins
Euro Stone Facial - 1 hour 30 mins
Essensa Eurostone Massage Therapy - 2 hours (includes facial & body mask)
Hot stone Rejuvenation - 2 hours
Body brushing to increase circulation and improve detoxification, followed by hot stone massage
leaving the skin feeling rejuvenated and glowing.
Massage with heated basalt stones, improves circulation and lymph drainage ten times more effectively than a normal massage. It instils a feeling of deep relaxation. Hot stone placement is also used. Research shows that massage is a good part of a personal spring cleaning. Massage increases circulation and lymph flow, removing bacteria from body tissues and helping the body clean itself out. Massage also reduces the rate at which the heart beats and lowers blood pressure, relaxes muscles, improves range of motion and increases the release of endorphins.
Hot stone massage is a technique that's getting a lot of attention at spas and retreats worldwide and is growing in popularity. The technique combines massage with heated and cool volcanic, water-polished river stones and handmade marble stones. It incorporates all the usual benefits, yet cold stones bring an additional bonus by helping to reduce pain, swelling and inflammation.
The merits of applying hot and cold stones to the body for relaxation and therapeutic value has been known for many years. The ancient Chinese used this technique more than 3,000 years ago. The Native Americans are said to have used stones from a running brook for centuries as a means of applying uniform heat to the body.
The basic method uses heated river stones from a warm water basin and cold marble stones from a cooler. Stones are placed precisely under and on top of the client, who wears a large bath sheet. The massage practitioner also uses the hot stones to massage deeply into muscles. The deep penetrating heat draws blood into an area, increasing circulation and creating an extremely relaxed state. Cold stones are placed wherever the client feels pain or inflammation.
Many clients have a hard time distinguishing between the stones and the practitioner's hands. The technique seems to reach deeper without having to apply more pressure. Clients leave feeling the beneficial effects of a deep massage, without any soreness. It's important to know that hot stones are not recommended for pregnant women or people with multiple sclerosis. The cold stones, however, can be therapeutic and healing for all.
The spiritual nature of being healed with a piece of the Earth offers another dimension. The stones give over their heating and cooling effects to the client's body, mind and spirit. In that energy exchange, many clients say they feel akin with the stones. In a world that's swiftly growing in technology, traffic and stress, it's nice to know that small pebbles and stones have the power to restore peace and tranquility. It makes sense that we would find the power to heal under our feet.
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Prescriptive Aromatherapy
Back, Neck & Shoulders - 30 mins
Full Body, with scalp massage - 1 hour 15 mins
Massage with a blend of essential oils specifically mixed for you, for your needs, at that moment in time. Wonderful for de-stressing and relaxation but also for re-energising and uplifting.
Aromatherapy is the systematic use of essential oils in holistic treatments to improve physical and emotional well-being. Aromatherapy means the 'therapy of aromas'.
Aromatic plants have been used for thousands of years in every part of the world by numerous civilisations which, driven by their intuition and sense of observation, were able to find answers to their health problems in the plant environment.
Essential oils , extracted from plants, possess distinctive therapeutic properties which can be used to improve health and prevent disease through massage, inhalation or baths. The effects help to promote positive health.
Effects on the body
Once an essential oil is absorbed into the body, its chemicals enter the blood stream and are circulated around the body where they interact with our own chemistry. The nervous system relies on messages delivered by neurotransmitters - these are chemicals and their messages will be subtly altered by the presences of the oil
Oils effect our physiology because they interact with the messages and impulses that our body uses to work, e.g an oil with sedative properties will sooth nerves and help relaxation.
As well as being absorbed by the skin the essential oil is inhaled through the nose. The heat of the massage releases the oils into the air and the nose inhales them. These molecules travel up the nose to the membranes which connect to the nerves. Once registered the nerves send a message to the brain, this is received in the part of the brain associated with memory, emotions and instincts. The aroma of the oil is interpreted and messages sent around the body.
Using essential oils
There is a large range of essential oils available for us to use, all with their own very unique chemical make-up and properties. These properties include effects such as; sedative, stimulating, anti-inflammatory, anti-bacterial, digestive, hormonal balancing and detoxifying. Each essential oil will have several properties and needs to be used with care as for some conditions there are also oils you need to avoid. This is where your qualified Aromatherapist can help you.
The majority of Aromatherapists will have been trained on the chemical make-up of oils and their properties and will know how to blend them safely and appropriately. These therapists will have specific aromatherapy qualifications. We look at possible links between one condition and another and work on the root problem. This is why we take you through a full consultation covering your health and well-being and from this produce a personalised treatment plan, i.e. blends of oils particular to your needs. These can range from blends to relax or revitalise, as well as to relieve more specific complaints such as digestive disorders, hormonal imbalances, respiratory problems or muscular aches and pains. As an example, for arthritis sufferers, we would use oils to detoxify and oils to reduce inflammation and any aches and pains. This is how we work at The Thyme Treatment Rooms.
However, some Aromatherapists are trained only to use pre-blended oils - they can only use oils pre-blended by their supplier e.g. a relaxation blend or an energising blend. It is useful to check the level of qualification if you are looking to aromatherapy to be more therapeutic i.e. work on a specific problem.
An alternative approach to using oils is to work with their energies. This is all about balance - yin and yang and the Chinese five elements application. An oil can be clinically decongesting and antispasmodic on one hand and on the other hand give a feeling of stability, encouraging renewal and transformation in our lives enabling us to take in and let go....
There is a whole range of conditions that we can work with you to relieve or reduce discomfort and thus provide an improved quality of life. We work very much with your GP if you have a condition that is under treatment, hence the term 'complementary' therapy. Approval is always sought for these cases.
Stress is a major part of the society that we live in and is often the starting point of many of our ailments. The relaxing effects of a massage with your personal blend of essential oils can have a great effect on your physical and psychological state. With an improved quality of life the benefits are self-perpetuating - the better we feel; the better we feel!
Take the time to improve your quality of life....
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Aromatherapy Treatments with Essensa Vitablends
Back, Neck & Shoulders - 30 mins
Full Body, with scalp massage - 1 hour 15 mins
Vitabalance
For women in life's transition to alleviate reproductive hormonal changes at menopause
or after pregnancy.
Vitaforce
Formula for anyone showing circulatory problems from spider to varicose veins.
Vitatonic
For all skin types in need of toning and firmness.
Vitarenew
For water rentention and elimination problems after menstrual period or while bloated.
Vitarelax
A formula for everyone that has a stressful lifestyle, problems sleeping or illness.
Vitarevive
A blend of sluggish metabolism, digestion problems, long traveling hours, aging, loss of elasticity
and emotional or hormonal imbalance.
Vitaslim
For anyone who needs to lose weight and fat - can be combined with any of the cellulite essences.
Thai Foot
1 hour
Thai Foot Massage is a massage of the legs and feet that involves hands on stretching and massage to 'open' Sen (energy) Lines. Reflex points on the feet which correspond to the internal organs of the body are worked. Thai Foot Massage stimulates these points to promote general health and well-being.
Improving circulation and toxin removal, lymphatic drainage and boosting the immune system. It reduced stiffness and improves flexibility. Ideal for stress relief.
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Indian Head Massage
Shoulders, Upper arms, Neck, Scalp and Face - 45 mins
Part of the Hindu health care practice of Ayurveda, Indian head massage is a treatment that has evolved over thousands of years from traditional Indian practice. The massage focuses on your head, neck and shoulders. It is a deep massage, which uses a variety of techniques that revive and invigorate, encourage healing and balance in your whole body. Oils are used on the scalp which will leave the hair coated with oil - a fabulous hair conditioning treatment!
Recommended treatment for migraine sufferers, it is a very effective treatment for stress and is actioned with the client seated.
Some of the benefits of Indian Head Massage:
Improves circulation
Improves elimination of toxins
Relieves muscular tension and fatigue
Relieves pain and discomfort
Encourages body to rest
Promotes healthy hair growth
Promotes clearer thinking
Improves concentration
Slows heart rate
Creates a feeling of balance and calm
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Thai Compress
Back, neck & shoulders - 45 mins
Full Body - 1 hour 30 mins
The treatment combines eastern massage techniques with a light pressure patting, rolling, kneading and gentle but deeply effective massage. The heat from the compress carries the herbal essences and the essential oils deep into the skin, underlying tissues and organs.
The treatment brings about a deep sensation of comfort and warmth whilst stimulating the body to detoxify and heal itself.
The warm herbal compresses are made up of a blend of up to 20 traditional Thai herbs (including turmeric, camphor, tamarind, lemongrass and kaffir lime) renowned for their invigorating, purifying, tension relieving and capacity to improve respiration and soothe general aches and pains.
Hopi Ear Candling
The treatment itself lasts about 45 - 60 minutes and should only be done by a qualified therapist and is not one that can be self-administered. A full consultation is completed prior to treatment and observations from an examination with an ottoscope are also recorded.
Ear Candling, or Thermal Auricular Therapy, is a treatment that has been used for centuries to relieve ear problems. Originally used by civilisations such as the Egyptians, Romans, Greeks, and Asians but probably more well known today. It is named after the Native American tribe who first introduced this therapy to the West - Hopi. Translated 'Hopi' means 'peaceful ones'.
A candle (a linen tube with essential oils) is rested on the opening of the ear. The heat and oils work to re-balance pressure and stimulate the blood and lymph. The treatment includes a deep facial massage to help relieve congestion around the sinuses.
The company, who produce the candles I use in my treatments, contribute a proportion of monies received back to the Hopi tribe. This is by way of 'payment' for the use of their 'recipe' for the candles.
The Candles
The candles are hollow tubes made using a combination of herbal extracts such as Chamomile and Sage. These are blended in honey and beeswax, with organically grown linen, which is rolled into a tube with a small filter inserted at one end.
Uses
Ear candling can be used to relieve a variety of ailments, including:
Migraine and headaches
Glue ear in children - a safe and gentle treatment for children
Catarrh
Sore throats
Sinusitis
Tonsillitis
Excessive ear wax e.g. for ear-plug wearers such as musicians and motor-bike riders
Tinnitus
Minor snoring disorders
Note: It is not a suitable treatment for those with Grommets in place, allergies to any of the products or ear infections.
The Treatment
With the client lying on their side, a protective covering is placed around the ear. The candle is rested on the opening of the ear to form a seal, lit and allowed to burn for about two thirds of its length. The candle is supported throughout by the therapist for safety and to maximise the effectiveness of the treatment.
You will feel a gentle warming sensation with a faint crackling sound which lasts for about 8 - 12 minutes.
The herbal vapour stimulates blood and lymph circulation, which can boost the immune system and help regulate pressure within the sinuses. The warm air circulates in the outer ear to gently massage on the eardrum, it does not extract the wax by vacuum as sometimes believed but softens the wax to allow it to release naturally.
Relief can be immediate with a release of pressure, freer nasal breathing and improved sense of smell. The candling is repeated on the other ear and the treatment is completed with a relaxing facial massage to aid the movement of any congestion released.
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Additions
Essensa Apricot Body Scrub or Dead Sea Salt Scrub:
Back - 10 mins
Back, arms & legs - 20 mins
Body Brushing:
Back - 5 mins
Body Brushing: Back, legs & arms - 15 mins
Hair and Scalp Treatment
Essensa Apricot Body Scrub
Be revived, be radiant. Enjoy a blissful body buff that boosts circulation and banishes signs of dead skin cells. The senses are stimulated by a botanical blend of ylang-ylang and petit grain, while a powerful exfoliant with apricot pit, soy and aloe works to gently polish the skin.
Dead Sea Salt Scrub
Salts from the Dead Sea, rich in minerals, combined with rich oils to aid hydration. The scrub is removed with hot towels.
Hair & Scalp treatment
Enriching blend of oils applied to the hair and scalp. Increasing circulation, improving hair condition and releasing muscle tension.
Added to a facial or massage treatment.