Dreaming of a summer holiday

By Milly Nolan

Who needs a relaxing beach holiday during winter when you can have a Baliatsu massage at the East Day Spa instead? Milly Nolan blog on MiNDFOOD.

If you’re anything like me, you’ve probably been dreaming of the sun and the sea as you watch bucketloads of rain pour down outside your office window. While sadly I won’t be going on a summer holiday this winter, I did find comfort and warmth at the East Day Spa in Auckland, where Eastern holistic healing traditions are combined with Western beauty therapies – at least I could pretend I was somewhere exotic.

As soon as you enter the Indonesian-inspired, candle-lit interiors and are greeted by the smiling staff you feel as if you have stepped off the plane and into another world. I opted for the Baliatsu whole-body massage which is a hybrid treatment combining Japanese Shiatsu pressure point massage with the gentle flowing strokes of the Spa’s popular Balinese massage.

To begin, the therapist used the Shiatsu massage techniques to apply pressure to specific points along the meridian energy lines of my body. The aim of which is to alleviate muscle fatigue and tension. However, as this part of the massage was done without oil it wasn’t overly relaxing and it felt as if my skin was being pinched at times. But no pain, no gain right?

In any case, this discomfort was soon forgotten when my chosen oil (orange blossom) was applied limb by limb in long, rolling massage strokes that sent me into a deep state of relaxation and eventually sleep.

In the same way that I eat a meal (my last bite always consists of my favourite food on the plate) it was to my delight that this treatment also left the best to last; an amazing ten minute long head and face massage which involved applying firm pressure to certain points, such as the temples and neck area.

If I had been told at the end of the treatment that the therapist had magical powers it wouldn’t have surprised me, as I walked away free of any aches and pains and better yet, I felt as if I had been on that much-needed holiday.

www.eastdayspa.com

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