New Oil-Touch Massage Come to Town
October 1st, 2006 by sanju
Publication: Medfield Press
Author: Amanda J. Mantone
Date: 28 September 2006
Dripping oils, herbs and heated stones could hold the answer for lowering stress for the over-worked and sleep-deprived.
That’s the theory behind a hard-to-find Indian treatment option meant to solve insomnia, anxiety and low energy without medicine. It’s called Ayurvedic care - a touch therapy which uses special herbs, oils and massage to bring balance to the body and mind - and it is now being offered at Nicholas Christies Day Spa on North Street.
“It’s stuff people aren’t even aware of,” said Ruth Bayer, a massage therapist who practices Ayurvedic healing and just joined the staff of Nicholas Christie. “I keep it real simple. It’s to help anxiety, insomnia and stress. In meditation, they call it the ‘monkey mind,’ where the mind never shuts off. This helps harmonize the body, mind and spirit.”
Bayer and fellow former co-owner of Medfield Massage, Cindy Newell, opened their work tables at Nicholas Christies this week. Ayurvedic services start at $100, with sessions that last from one to one and half hours.
A typical session might include soothing music, full-body massage oils, heated stones placed along the spine to relax and align, and - the most unusual element - a slow, dripping oil placed over the forehead, designed to make the mind let go as oils flow over the head and through the hair.
The treatment, which originated in North India, is called shirodhara, and it is only offered in a handful of locations in New England. It is meant to synchronize brain waves, calm the mind, enhance circulation and nourish the scalp as warm, herbalized oil pours over the forehead.
“The oils and the herbs help calm the system. You can drop into a state of meditation, and in the meantime you’re working body and lymph system. The oils then exfoliate off,” Bayer said. “We work on what are called marma points, which are like your energy points. The feet, the hands and the head are very important in this treatment. The stress has to release somewhere, and by working the hands and feet you’re really working the entire body. Once you get the body balanced, it can help balance the spirit.”
Under Ayurveda, there are fundamental impurities in the body - called “doshas” - which are blamed for illness and disease, and can be brought back into balance through different procedures and aromas.
“Ayurvedic medicine is just getting big in this country. The first time I heard of Ayurveda, I was drawn to it,” said Bayer, who has practiced the holistic craft and other forms of massage for 22 years. “It’s hard to find someone around here to teach it. It’s connected a lot with yoga and meditation, and it’s based out of India. I don’t know if anyone around here has heard of it. It hasn’t really caught on here yet in many ways, but it took years for yoga and meditation to catch on, too.”
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