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Christmas: 'Tis the season to pamper yourself
WHO would have thought that being covered in oil and rubbed with hot pebbles would be so relaxing?
WHO would have thought that being covered in oil and rubbed with hot pebbles would be so relaxing?But it is. In fact, La Stone therapy, to give it its proper name, is probably the most fun you can have with a towel on.
Lina Sessa is the only person in Peterborough to offer La Stone and I paid her a visit one dark and dingy winter evening, and left her Orton Longueville salon feeling as fresh as a daisy – or a La Stone rock after a thunderstorm.
(Lina leaves her rocks outside during a full moon to recharge them. And thunderstorms really charge them up, apparently.)
Most people have heard of hot stone treatment – but La Stone involves both very hot and very cold stones. Very cold stones. Stones that have been chilled with ice cubes, in fact. But even they feel quite nice.
"I have had hot stone therapy before, and it left me feeling too hot," said Lina.
"The idea behind La Stone is that it brings balance to the mind, body and soul with the use of the stones – which we call 'stone people.'
"The physiological benefits of alternating hot and cold on the body have long been scientifically and medically proven, and La Stone is designed to clearyour body's 'chakras' – your body's main energy points.
"La Stone therapy leaves you feeling physically and spiritually uplifted."
A La Stone session involves Lina asking you to strip off and lie under a towel, but on top of a series of hot pebbles, which feel very nice on a back knotted with stress.
She then spends an hour-and-a-half massaging your arms, legs, back and neck with hot stones, followed by cold stones.
As she does this, gentle music plays in the background, and the scent of aromatherapy candles fills the air.
Let's just say you won't have much trouble dozing off the night after the treatment.
"I feel really energised after giving a treatment," said Lina. "I really believe in it.
"I also offer Indian head massage and reflexology, and I know they can really make people feel good about themselves.
"I think doctors are starting to come round more to complementary therapies now, they can do people so much good."
To be honest I can't quite put into words what being massaged with oil and stones feels like. Just very, very chilly-outy.
An hour-a-half La Stone Geo-Thermal Therapy with Lina at Art Hair Studio, 50 Church Drive, Orton Longuevillle, costs 40. For more information, call 01733 231393.
Next page: Equilibrium has it allEquilibrium has it all
FROM the outside, Equilibrium looks like any other warehouse on Woodston's Shrewsbury Avenue.
But on the inside it's a haven for relaxation.
It was set up just under a year ago by yoga specialist Sandra Heider, who has degrees in International Management and European Marketing Analysis.
"I got to the point in my working life when I realised I wasn't doing something I felt was really worthwhile," she said.
"I was born in Germany, but got a job in sales near Peterborough, and decided enough was enough with my job. I wanted to focus on something I really believed in, and I really believe in yoga.
"And so I decided to open Equilibrium. While I was a student in Edinburgh I used to go to a place like this, and there was a really good sense of community. It was a really relaxing, peaceful place, and I loved going there.
"But I felt that Peterborough didn't have somewhere like it, which was a shame.
"I felt that while there are some good instructors working here, often they would be teaching in gyms and village halls, and you'd almost be rushed out by the caretaker once the class was over. I think it's nice just to be able to sit down and enjoy a cup of tea and have a chat with people afterwards.
"And so I opened Equilibrium. As well as what our freelance therapists offer, we also offer 21 yoga classes, and must have at least 100 people coming here to classes each week."
Sandra is a firm believer that yoga can help with most problems. "You name it - from arthritis, neck, back and shoulder problems, through to tiredness, it can help," she said.
"It gives you an awareness of your body, and of your breathing, and I think that awareness can only help people.
"There is the purely physical side of things as well - you can do yoga and get very toned, and get a very good workout from doing it. A lot of men especially have that approach to it.
"But I'm a yoga instructor - of course I think it's fantastic!"
A range of yoga classes - including baby yoga - are held during the day, evenings, and at weekends. There are some FREE yoga 45-minute taster sessions being held in January, on January 12, 14 and 15.
For more information call Sandra on 01733 245050, see www.equilibriumyoga.co.uk, or email Equilibrium has it all">info@equilibrium yoga.co.uk.
Next page: Thai massage - 'Yoga for lazy people!' plus homeopathy and reflexologyNext page: Thai massage - 'Yoga for lazy people!'
"Thai massage is basically yoga for lazy people!" said yoga instructor and masseur Sandra Heider. "It stretches the muscles right out, opens up your hips and tight joints, and works your pressure points."
Some massages are all about lying back and being rubbed in a sweet-smelling oil for an hour – but not Thai massage. This is done while you're fully clothed, and as Sandra put it, "it doesn't hurt, but is quite intense."
It is very intense – but it really blows the cobwebs out of your system, and also – and I wasn't expecting this – calms you down and stops you from thinking 100 different thoughts at once.
It's ideal for stressed mums run off their feet in the run-up to Christmas. But its straightforwardness also makes it perfect for blokes.
An hour costs 30, 90 minutes 40, and 120 minutes 50. For more information or to book, call Sandra on 01733 245050.
Julie can massage your mind
IF you have stresses that won't be soothed away with a nice hard session of Thai massage or a bracing La Stone treatment, psychotherapy or hypnotherapy might be the answer.
Julie Fisher, based at Equilibrium, can offer both, and can help you work through problems such as phobias, fear of flying, weight loss, addictions, social anxiety and low self esteem. She can also use hypnotism to help you to give up smoking.
Psychotherapy provides a safe and confidential setting in which to explore thoughts, worries, feelings, memories, dreams and fantasies.
Its purpose has been not only to relieve suffering but also to enable a person to achieve a deeper self-understanding. In resolving past conflicts, a person can begin to live more fully in the present and face the future more creatively.
An initial consultation with Julie is free. For more details, call her on 01733 788077, or e-mail serendipityhypno@ntlworld.com.
Healing homeopathy
Homeopathy is a system of medicine and healing founded by Samuel Hahnemann more than 200 years ago – and it's also available in 2008, in Woodston.
Barbara Reid is a homeopath whos works from Equilibrium. She is able to treat a very wide range of conditions.
"Acute and chronic conditions, whether physical or more emotional in nature can all respond well to homeopathy," she said. "The goal of homeopathic treatment is to help restore and maintain good health, using natural remedies in small doses.
"I see people with all kinds of problems, from skin complaints through to migraines and anxiety and early-stage depression. How much treatment usually depends on how long they have had a problem for. The longer you have had something, the longer it will take to go away.
"Many people come to me after seeing a doctor who had been unable to do anything for them, who couldn't find what was causing their problem."
For more information, call Barbara on 01733 252322, or see www.barbarareidhomeopathy.co.uk.
Reflexology: your pinkies can perk you up
THE say your eyes are the key to your soul but, according to Liz Kirby, your feet are a pretty good guide as well.
Liz is a reflexologist, and she believes that your feet are a mirror of your body – your big toes represent your head, the edge of your feet your shoulders, and so on. Your left foot represents your emotions, your right foot your physical body.
By feeling your feet, Liz can see and help relieve tensions in other parts of your body. Using your feet she can help you with digestive, reproductive and stress problems, and much more.
A taster session of reflexology with Liz was extremely relaxing, and during a full session she gives you a much fuller foot massage, which will ease away the strains of your day.
And while many women might think they need to rush for a pedicure to get rid of the hard skin on their feet, they'd be wrong.
Hard skin builds up on the part of the body that need protecting. For example, the top of my neck comes under a lot of strain from bending over a keyboard all day, and the part of my foot that corresponds with the top of the neck has toughened up.
"Have you ever had a broken heart?" asked Liz. "You've got some tough skin around your heart area – it's good, it's there to protect you. And sadly, you don't really find anyone these days that hasn't got that."
An hour of reflexology at Equilibrium costs 40. Liz also offers Indian head massage 22 for 45 minutes, facials from 20, and Swedish massage from 20. To book call 07511 240987..
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