Today's most viewed
Good for the soul
THE sound of soothing Oriental music is playing softly in the background and the fragrance of exotic massage oils fills the air.
I could have been lying on a sun-soaked beach on the south coast of Thailand or an upmarket spa somewhere in the Far East.
In fact I was actually prostrate on a portable rocking chair at home in the middle of my conservatory.
But beauty therapist Charlotte Ford has the ability to make you feel you are a million miles away even on a cold, grey December day.
She certainly looks the part too - dressed in a pair of chocolate brown Thai trousers and pink sequinned ballet pumps.
Although Charlotte is a qualified beauty therapist she specialises in Thai foot massage.
Her bag reminds me of the one in Mary Poppins as she just kept producing "things" out of it: two wooden foot stools, a tray, a glass tea cup, several lilac towels as well as bottles of massage oils and nails varnishes.
Then she sets out a little scented candle in a pretty beaded stand and the teacup on a wooden tray and puts on a relaxing CD.
I'm given the choice of two different oils - one for stress relief and the other for detoxifying. I plump for stress relief - well who wouldn't at this time of year?
It's a delicious blend of lavender, sandalwood, orange and clary sage.
Tentatively I ease myself onto the portable rocking chair and allow myself to tilt backwards while Charlotte makes me comfortable with lots of cushions.
I know I'm in good hands as Charlotte is an official masseuse at the London Marathon and has soothed many a pair of sore, aching feet over the years.
She explains that Thai foot massage works on similar principles to reflexology but it is a much more intense experience.
To start with Charlotte uses what she calls a teak, which looks like a wooden pen, to get deeper into the pressure points.
I have quite ticklish feet but it's as though Charlotte instinctively knows how much pressure to use.
Apparently these pressure points on your feet also stimulate the internal organs so it is more of a holistic treatment.
If an area feels particularly tender it could indicate a problem. For example one part of my big toe was quite painful and she said that it was linked to the head. I rarely get headaches but had taken some pain killers for one the night before.
She then announced she was going to crack my toes (in the same way people crack their knuckles).
Charlotte explains that this helps to release tension in the joints - it's like a passive yoga workout for your feet. She stretches and rotates them and when she's finished with the first foot she wraps it up in a warm towel and moves on to the next one.
Then she works on the calf muscles slapping and pummelling to stimulate circulation, aid lymphatic drainage.
It really does leave you with a wonderful sense of well being. I felt relaxed but invigorated and my feet felt warm and tingly for the rest of the day.
equiries@relaxretreat.co.uk or call 07939 821 901.
FACT PANEL
Each foot has over 7,000 nerve endings, 26 bones, 107 ligaments and 19 muscles. Thai Foot Massage originated about 2,000 years ago and has elements of shiatsu, reflexology, Chinese massage and yoga. It is still taught by Buddhist monks in the temples of Thailand. Benefits: improves circulation and flexibility, stimulates lymphatic drainage, helps boost immune system and reduce stress.
12:27pm Thursday 27th December 2007
Print 
Email this
What are these links for?
If you liked this article and would like to share it with others on the web who might be searching for good content we've made it easy for you to do it.
At the bottom of all articles, you'll see links to six sites. These sites - commonly called 'social bookmark' or 'social news' sites - have large communities of web users who share and rate interesting, useful and fun things on the web.
Clicking the links will automatically add the address of the story you are reading to one of these sites, letting you share it with others. Each site will ask you to register to share stories. Registration is free and once a member, you can store, recommend and search for stories that interest you.
More on Digg
More on del.icio.us
More on Furl
More on reddit
More on NowPublic/
More on Yahoo!
