I Have Tried…The Ayurvedic Massage

I have been wanting to get a massage for a while now, but I never know where to go…. A good massage is just incredible, but a mediocre one is just not worth it. Might as well ask your loved one to do it for you and it will be better.

I have been increasing my workload at the gym, and the intensity has taken a toll on my body.

Luckily for me, my brother used to work with someone that opened her massage parlour in the centre of Paris, and I have heard from two people that it is CRAZY!

So today… I went…. And it was AMAZING!

the ayurvedic massage

First of all the place is a cocoon. It smells good, you feel at home. It is warm but not too hot, and the creme and wood design is brilliantly cosy.

Then the changing room is just right. You have warm tea waiting for you, different towels, you have a full bathroom at your disposal, you have a closet to hang your clothes, and those little disposable underwear things that look so cute. Nope, no pictures, I kept my briefs on.

She is calm and soothing, which I suppose is normal for a masseuse, but I felt like I knew her the moment I stepped in.

The massage started with me lying on my stomach, the towel over my whole body, and she rocked me sideways rhythmically. I felt my body unwind as she used pushes side to side, switching hand positions to rocks my hips, arms and legs. I was already in the first stages of hypnosis, half asleep…

So first thing I learned : « how to get into a relaxed state : Get rocked like a baby. »

Then she took the towel off of the top of my body and used a hot sesame oil that she LATHERED ME WITH. And worked on the whole of my back. Pressing, kneading, rubbing, and going deep down my spine to catch anything that might be locking it up. You can feel she is looking for anything tight to undo. And she does it marvellously.

nb : I did not mention I had done 145 kilo deadlifts the day before, so my spinal erectors (the muscles) were VERY tight. It was a bit difficult at first but she worked her way through them wonderfully.

Then she did the shoulders. Which is rare. She worked from the from neck to the shoulder blades, and with incredible minutiae separated all the littles muscles of the area, working around, over and UNDER the shoulder blade.

Once the work is done, she grips the shoulder blade with the fingertips of one hand, and the shoulder with the other hands palm, and proceeds to PULL YOUR WHOLE SHOULDER, (not the arm, but the shoulder) away from your body… Oh boy… I have never felt my shoulder so relieved. TOTAL AWESOMENESS. She finishes by giving the rest of your arm a rub-down, then a rub-up, and goes back to the shoulder blade for a finishing light massage.

After that spiritual event she places the towel back on top of you and goes to work on your legs.

She gives your calves an energetic rub-up and work up to the back of the legs, all very energetic and I wasn’t sure what to think of it… Nearly painful… But writing this two hours after the actual massage, my calf soreness has VANISHED. She then pulls on your legs one after the other and MAN! The release in the hips and lower back is INSTANTANEOUS. If it had stopped there I would have been more than satisfied… but there’s more…

Next up : turn around. I thought « wow… I’m only half way! ». At this point I’m sinking into the massage table. Turning around was one battle against my lazy self. I felt like I was melting softly.

She went for the legs again. I’m a bit ticklish, so the feet wasn’t my favourite on the moment, but she adjusts the pressure, and « softens » the foot up with what I would describe as a « flicking » of the foot with what I imagined was curled relaxed fingers… If that makes any sense.

Then she goes up the leg and works on the front of the calf (which hurts like hell!! I never thought the tibialis would get so tight!), works around the knee which is magic, and slides up to the quads. She did a great job because the pressure was just right. My quads are VERY tender from years of squatting, and she knows what she is doing!

She then finishes up by working on the inside of the leg… No one had ever taken the time to before. She is absolutely fabulous.

Thought it was over? think again!!

She gave me the most tender massage of arms, forearms and hands…

Maybe it was me, maybe it was just how the massage goes, maybe she released something inside of me, but I really felt like she cared about me when she did this. Like she was really wanting to give me a good massage.

nb : I use my hands all day, and I sometimes need to plunge them in cold water to let them rest, so I have a soft spot for hand massages…

And finisher… Neck and face…. she lifted my head up and slowly pulled it in the alignment of my body… and the whole of life just seemed easier. Her hand pressing firmly at the base of my skull, and squeezing all the tension of the world out of it. With a soft release she slides up and around my face to finish by a light and warm face massage of a few minutes.

« Merci Morgan » She kindly spoke (« Thank you Morgan »). And she lets me rest for 5 mins as I came back to reality, like after a deep sleep.

Honestly the best massage I have ever had in my entire life. Please if you’re in Paris, go and see her, ask for the Ayurveda « Massage abyanga traditional » and let yourself go.

Céline Lesage

  • 06 01 64 90 10
  • 13 rue du jour – Paris 1er
  • celiphea@gmail.com
  • www.celiphea.com

Enjoy,

And and take it easy.

 

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