After yet another tiring day, when every nerve and muscle cries for rest, you know it is time to hit the spa. And Nina Paul, who runs the SPA.ce chain of spas, suggests the Swedish massage for a spa greenhorn.
According to the dictionary, Swedish massage uses five styles of long, flowing strokes to massage. The techniques include sliding or gliding, kneading, rhythmic tapping, friction and vibration. But, in places other than England, Swedish massage is also known as the classic massage.
Unlike the usual 60 minutes, this massage lasts 40 minutes. The senses are evoked as the back massage was done using Swedish technique with medium pressure. The masseur gently ran her fingers through the back and used green tea oil for leverage and therapeutic purposes.
As the she ran her finger, she applied pressure at certain points. “This technique unravels the knots that are formed in the body due to stress and work. It is done for longer duration when the condition is severe. Swedish massage involves medium touch and the pressure is applied only to trigger points. Through this technique, we align the body in terms of the energy flow,” explains Nina.
Scientifically, Swedish massage has shown to be helpful in reducing pain and joint stiffness. SPA.ce also offers Balinese massages, hot stone, and hot and cold stone therapies as well. “This can be considered as our speciality,” she says.
While SPA.ce offers only Western therapies, she says that there is no institution that does quality check on spas. Referring to the institutional problem, she says, “In India, there is no one department that overlooks the massage process and gives approvals. The quality is entirely dependent on the people who manage the spas.”
So, what does she do to maintain quality in SPA.ce? “We have been in this industry for the past five years, and hence we have a training department now, who are in charge of maintaining quality,” is her answer.
The products are made inhouse instead of sourcing them from the open market.
Quiz her about her favourite massage and she is quick to reply, “foot massages”. She says that she has no time to spare for the regular massages and prefers a foot massage as it rejuvenates her and also gives her time to catch up on reading.