What is it?
A 60-minute body massage that combines deep tissue, Swedish and detoxifying techniques, followed by a 20-minute shirodara treatment.
What's shirodara?
It's based on ayurvedic healing therapies, and is supposed to be deeply relaxing. Warm oil is trickled onto the third eye (between the eyebrows) or across the forehead. It's meant to relieve stress, headaches and insomnia, and harmonise the mind and promote calm.
What's it like?
The male therapist spread a layer of geranium and cinnamon essential oils on my back and shoulders. Geranium is said to balance a woman's emotional and hormonal levels, and the cinnamon reduces blood pressure and equalises blood sugar levels. Working from the top down, he used a variety of soothing massage techniques. Near my lymph nodes (by the underarm and inner thigh), he used the palms of his hands in long sweeping motions to drain toxins. Moving on to the shirodara, one litre of warm sesame oil was slowly trickled onto my third eye and then poured side to side on my forehead. The oil flowed onto my entire head, leaving my hair soaked in oil.
