Style Icon’s The Fashion Word: The Pressure is On at Depicool!
It takes a good Masseuse to know exactly what buttons to press to relieve tired muscles. In my experience, the tell-tale signs of a good massage therapist is in their technique and the types of questions they ask during the consultation process. If you haven’t been yet, I would highly recommend a visit to Depicool beauty clinic, Liverpool Street especially for a massage. What I liked about Depicool’s beauty therapist Sarah was that she asked all the right questions before carrying out my massage such as the last time I had one, the type of pressure I preferred and my main problem areas that she should focus on. I guess everyone’s pressure tolerance varies depending on a number of factors. As my work involves a fair amount of physical activity, I often feel very tense around my shoulders, and neck so I opted for hard pressure to be applied. If you are sensitive to any discomfort there is a choice between soft or medium pressure. Nonetheless, I felt that my muscles needed a good seeing to so the latter options were not going to cut it. Although massages generally incorporate the shoulders, back, neck, arms and legs my problem areas are my shoulders and neck to which more attention was given in the form of a bespoke holistic, Deep Tissue/Swedish massage.
Sarah was very attentive from the get-go with a self-assured look as I advised her to apply full pressure. I could see that she had a strong presence about her so any sudden thoughts of yet another timid massage were immediately put to rest. She initially stretched and warmed up my muscles using effleurage movement with grape seed base oil. This is the most basic massage movement where the speed of the motion should remain steady. Sarah applied soft pressure to begin with epitomising the “quiet before the storm” I knew there was more action to come especially as Sarah mentioned how tensed-up I was! I then realised that although we may not feel stressed, how our bodies react to our subconscious emotions is a true indicator of our stress levels. It’s like experiencing a migraine or a sudden outburst of pimples which are signs of built-up stress overtime. Some of the benefits of effleurage include:
- stimulating the nerves in the tissues worked
- stimulating blood supply to the tissues worked
- facilitating cleansing of the skin
- relaxing muscle fibres
- reducing muscle tension
After a while, Sarah then worked in petrissage movements using more pressure; focusing on my shoulders, working towards my lower back again, and then arms. One-handed petrissage is common when working on the arm while holding it slightly away from the body. At times I felt a slight discomfort but this is the result of having a deep tissue massage with some amazing benefits being:
- stimulating the skin
- improving muscle tone
- improving the elimination of waste products from tissue and
- the breakdown of adipose tissue (which forms a thick layer under the skin)
I would advise this type of massage for anyone who has a physically demanding job or is a sportsman. My job as a celebrity stylist involves carrying lots of items which puts a strain on my back at times so it’s advisable to have a massage at least once a month if necessary. Depicool’s massages start from £29 which is such good value for money on top of the great customer care, and warm atmosphere the Depicool salon exudes. After receiving a ‘not so pleasant’ massage experience two weeks prior to my massage at Depicool, I had my confidence restored by them knowing that there are amazing massage therapists around. It’s just a case of finders keepers. When you establish one don’t let them go!
Written by Natalie Robinson @styleiconnat
