What is it?
A 90-minute treatment that combines an ancient Chinese practice of moxabustion (15 minutes), a deep-tissue body massage and a half-hour facial.
What is moxabustion?
A rolled herb (moxa is the dried leaves of mugwort) is lit and held on the meridians (energy pathways of traditional Chinese medicine) that run down the spine. This is followed by an acupressure massage, which is said to promote self-healing. The moxa is said to stimulate acupuncture points.
How does it feel?
While you're lying down, the therapist feels for the acupressure points on your back and then places lit moxa on those areas. She told me to indicate when the heat became too much to bear and this varied depending on the area. Points where there's an internal problem are less capable of withstanding the heat, indicating what needs to be worked on during the massage. It's not an unpleasant sensation, but by the time she reached the base of my spine I was pleased to be moving on to the massage. The longer you can bear the heat, the more beneficial it's said to be. The moxa initially smells a little pungent, like a fire after it's been lit, but this odour soon goes away.
What about the massage?
