A warm welcome from the beautiful Wye Valley in Monmouthshire. Whether it’s Holistic Massage or Fascia Informed Bodywork, meeting the uniqueness of your needs is at the heart of what I try to do. I am a big believer that massage and bodywork don’t have to hurt to be effective and I enjoy listening to you to work out how I can gently and kindly support you to live with more ease and less tension in your body and mind.

Holistic Massage has the potential to positively affect mind, body and spirit. It takes into account the whole person, coming from the firm belief that our experience of life is unique so we all need our own kind of treatment.

Treatment centred around your needs

Holistic Massage is a partnership between client and therapist, so when you come for a treatment with me I'll take an initial consultation, listening carefully to how you'd like to feel when you leave our session. Together we'll talk about how you use your body and what kind of massage you may like, taking into consideration whether or not, you've had any massage before, as well as your personal history and lifestyle. From this we can plan a treatment session that you feel will meet your needs, so you can get the most out of our time together.

I'm happy to see you for a one off treat, as a regular, or occasional part of your self care or to work through a particular issue you may be having.

Your privacy respected

After the initial consultation I'll leave you to get settled.   You can choose to be fully clothed, keep your underwear on, or be undressed.  I always work with careful draping of warm sheets and blankets, only uncovering the part of your body I am working with at any one time.

The Massage

Once settled, I'll use a variety of techniques that I feel will meet the plan we have made together. The massage does not follow a routine. It's guided by what you share with me, my therapeutic knowledge, your response to my touch and my intuitive sense of what feels right for the session. I'll always check in during the massage to be sure I'm working in the right way for you. 

Techniques are selected to suit your individual needs.  These may include long flowing strokes, stretches, joint mobilisations, vibration, rocking, kneading, percussion, gentle or firm holds and moments of stillness, subtle energy work or deep tissue massage.

The massage often has some whole body emphasis, as issues might be most strongly felt in one part of the body, but maybe related to what's going on elsewhere. People often comment that they leave feeling nurtured, as well as their bodies having a sense of freedom, with muscles stretched and relaxed.

People come for massage for all sorts of reasons. Treatment sessions can aim to:

Reduce stiffness and tension in muscles, the fascia and joints, and assist in optimising the health of these systems, giving your body a chance to feel a sense of rest, rejuvenation and spaciousness.

Relieve aches and pains arising from illness and health problems, giving you ideas on how to enhance ways to manage any pain you maybe experiencing.

Offer an opportunity for relaxation, thereby alleviating stress, which is often at the heart of many modern day ailments and has major effects on the body's health. Touch that feels relaxing and safe to the person switches off the stress response and encourages parts of the nervous system involved with rest and repair to switch on, benefiting and nurturing systems of the body that can be compromised by the stress reaction and temporarily breaking the biochemical cycle of stress. 

Can increase your awareness of what's going on in your body. A session can give you a chance to observe and register how your body feels when you're in a relaxed state and help to enhance your understanding of the effects of your personal history, postural habits and behaviour on your body and mind. This has the potential to act as a springboard from which to consider ways of caring for yourself more mindfully, both physically and mentally, encouraging healing to take place. Sessions can in part provide ideas on how to prolong this relaxed state.

Act as a real complement to other therapies you may be receiving. I can work in liaison with other conventional and alternative health professionals to complement the services they are providing and assist in your journey to better physical or emotional health, or as part of your own self care programme.

Provide a good support to your lifestyle. Regular massage provides an opportunity to relax and rejuvenate mind and body. Your body may also begin to know what to expect and drop into relaxation more easily, thereby optimising the many benefits of this wonderful treatment and keeping your body in good condition.