Find a Little Me Time With Lava Shell Massage

Hands up who does everything for everyone and leaves themselves until last.  Go on, put your hand up, you know who you are.

I run a holistic health practice and offer numerous feel good therapies to my clients, I also offer them advice on what they can do for themselves in-between sessions.  So you would think I was able to take my words literally – apparently not. 

In my day-to-day work/life balance I momentarily forgot the fundamental goal; make time for me.

This lack of self-care has manifested into a physical ailment.  I am kicking myself for not taking care of my health sooner.  However, feeling very much like I’ve just closed the stable after the horse has bolted, I am taking time out for some self-help.

To begin my ‘Mission Me Time’ I turned to a good friend and fellow therapist Jaki Bourne from ‘The Mind Spa’.  As well as running her business, Jaki is also a member of an elite team of therapists who offer massage to celebrities when they perform at the Genting Arena in Birmingham.  The therapy I was most interested in was Lava Shells.

Until recently I had never heard of this massage, and so I was intrigued.  Jaki took a brief case history and explained about the back story of the shells.

“They come from the Philippines,” she told me.  “The shells are real Tiger-Striped Clams, a traditional part of Philippine diet.  They used to be thrown away but now they’re being recycled into a massage tool, providing jobs to the local people on the Island.”

The locals prepare the shell for use by sand polishing them into a smooth tool, they then glue them back together and cut a small hole in one side.  A tea-bag like sachet is placed inside each shell.  The sachets include a mix of algae and sea kelp and when they are combined with salt water they generate enough heat to last an hour.

Jaki explained how the heat allows her to work much deeper into the muscles.  She used both her hands and the shells when she massaged, alternating them, so it was never too hot for my skin or her hands.  Combined with the gorgeous mango and green tea oil I quickly floated off into a deeply relaxed state.

The back, neck and shoulder treatment lasted half an hour, and I felt amazing afterwards.  The combination of heat and outstanding massage techniques worked to release the tension I was holding. 

I booked my second treatment before I even had my clothes back on!

I would say this was a successful start to ‘Mission Me Time’.

Jaki attacking my lumps and bumps

 

 If you are interested in learning more about Lava Shells, or would like to try this treatment out for yourself, then contact Jaki at The Mind Spa or look for a local practitioner in your area.

 

Jaki can also be found on Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/mindspasolihull