Having a stay-cation? 

Want to shut your eyes and imagine lying on the beach with the sun on your back? 

Why not come and have a hot stone massage. I'm running a special offer from 7th to 10th August 

60 minutes for £30 - a real bargain!

  

Hot stone massage is often thought of as a treatment solely to provide relaxation and pampering. However, used as tools to heat or cool tissues and muscles, a treatment can be so much more. The stones are smooth basalt and can either be heated in water or frozen.

The benefits of heat include:

• an increase in local circulation bringing nutrition and removing waste
• an increase in lymphatic fluid movement removing damaged cellular debris
• aiding relaxation of muscles
• acting as a natural pain killer
• increasing the ability to therapeutically stretch tissue and muscle

The benefits of cold include:

• healing time is reduced owing to a slowing of cellular metabolism
• swelling and heat from new injuries is reduced
• pain is reduced as sensory signals are slowed and pain tolerance is increased
• muscle soreness and tightness is reduced

There are also many benefits to alternating the application of heat and cold to the body. The use of hot and cold in quick succession provides a flushing of the blood and tissue fluids.

So whether you want to feel some lovely heat on your body, be cooled down (it could be hot next week..) or address some aches and pains a stone massage could be the perfect solution.

Slots are limited so book now!

Hello there

I hope you've all enjoyed the sunshine today, it certainly cheered me up. I'm still feeling slightly guilty for buying a fan for the treatment room during the last spell of hot weather because from that moment the weather has been pretty rubbish - so clearly it's all my fault!

I am happy to say I have a new and improved website - have a look and please forward the link to anyone who you think may be interested. Thank you to my friend Mark who worked long and hard on it and had to put up with my nagging!

www.alicewebster.com

You'll be happy to know that they'll be no price increases this year and I've introduced some new treatment packages:

Pregnancy packages:

six 60 minute treatments £200 (£40 discount)

three 60 minute treatments £105 (£15 discount)

Sports event prep packages:

six 30 minute treatments £115 (£35 discount)

three 30 minute treatments £60 (£15 discount)

If you would like to buy a package for yourself or a friend and the above don't suit I would be happy to tailor a package for you.

I'm also offering longer 90 minute treatments for £55 which are ideal for addressing problem areas and combining pampering. Hot stones are at no extra cost - just let me know if you would like them so I don't forget to switch the heater on!

That's all for now but I will be back soon with tips on how to keep yourself in good shape.

Alice x

Pregnancy Massage – much more than ‘fluff and buff’!

Many women think about having a massage when they are pregnant in the knowledge that looking after themselves is the best way to look after their baby.  For expectant mothers who work full time or already have children having a massage may be the only time they get to really focus on themselves and their baby.

A massage therapist trained to treat pregnant clients will focus on treating particular parts of the body that can be problematic during pregnancy. With gentle massage techniques and stretches restrictions in muscles and soft tissue can be released, easing aches and pains.

The benefits of a massage during pregnancy can include:

• Relaxation and decreased insomnia
• Stress relief on weight bearing joints such as ankles, lower back and pelvis
• Neck, back, leg and sciatic pain relief
• Assistance in maintaining proper posture
• Preparing the muscles used in childbirth
• Reduced swelling in hands and feet
• Fewer calf cramps
• Headache and sinus congestion relief

Stress can be common for mums to be; many medical experts highlight the benefits of relaxation for both mother and baby and claim that it leads to a positive birth experience. The power of touch is beneficial to everyone and can be invaluable during pregnancy. Just to feel that you are being looked after and are the entire focus of someone else for the length of the treatment makes a big difference. It can allow you to completely switch off in a warm, safe and comfortable environment. Receiving nurturing touch and in a way being mothered yourself can allow a woman to connect to her maternal instincts.

Lying down in a comfortable position for an hour may seem like an impossible dream! Specialist tables with a cut out hole for the bump are around, but they can actually place more strain on the back and ligaments around the pelvis so should be avoided. Lying on your side with as many cushions and bolsters as necessary is best. How much clothing you take off is completely up to you; a treatment carried out over clothing won’t be any less beneficial or enjoyable.

The benefits of massage do not stop after your bundle of joy has arrived – having a child to look after shouldn’t mean you should stop looking after yourself. A treatment provides that all important  ‘time out’ and can promote a mother’s recovery from child birth, particularly a caesarean section. Massage can help realignment of the spine, pelvis and muscles stretched by pregnancy and address the physical strain of carrying and caring for a newborn baby. 

Massage both before and after childbirth can be so much more than a relaxation routine, as well as looking after your body it helps you prepare for and cope with becoming a mother.