Beauty Fix: Raindrop Oils Therapy

Wellness consultancy i-Detox is offering a different take on the usual aromatherapy massage with its Therapeutic Bodywork with Raindrop Oils treatment.

Upon arrival at their office, which also serves as a store and includes a massage room, I'm briefed by i-Detox founder Anita Cheung and her team about the long list of benefits these "miracle" oils can impart. They're said to relieve insomnia, give emotional relief, boost immunity, speed up recovery from injury and disease, and even support structural realignment.

I pocket my scepticism and follow their one therapist, Luisa Gulang, into the small treatment room. It's very basic, but clean, and the bed is comfortable.

Gulang starts with a therapeutic, deep tissue oil massage, to prepare the body for the essential oils, which are dripped along the spine. She spreads these out with light upward finger strokes, as if drawing the branches of a tree.

She has experience working at five-star hotel spas, and her knowledge and training are evident in both her etiquette and skill. The deep tissue massage feels gentle, yet she effortlessly manages to reach the deepest knots. By the time she starts the hot stone massage, I'm struggling to stay awake.

As I'm in fairly robust health, I can't attest to all the curative properties of the oils, but Cheung's promise that I'll feel like I am floating afterwards is fulfilled. I do feel deeply relaxed ... to the point, in fact, that it's a bit of a jolt to have to walk out afterwards.

Who knows, perhaps this massage will become popular enough that i-Detox will set up a little spa. In the meantime, they say they plan to hire another therapist and are also offering DIY Raindrop Therapy classes.

Therapeutic Bodywork with Raindrop Oils is available at i-Detox 1/F V Plus, 68-70 Wellington Street, Central. Sessions cost from HK$800 for a 45-minute session (also available for children), to HK$1,300 for 90 minutes, with a 30 per cent discount for the first session