Indian head massage

Indian head massage is based on many of the principles of ayurvedic medicine which has been practised in India for thousands of years. Just like other massage therapies, the aim of Indian head massage is to release the tension and stress in the head, neck and face.


The benefits of Indian head massage are similar to other forms of massage; you will experience a reduction in tension, feel more relaxed and balanced as well as have your blood circulation and lymphatic flow improved.

As toxins are released from your body after this treatment, it is important to drink a lot of water afterwards to flush them out of your body. The main health conditions that can be improved due to this therapy are stress, tension, fatigue, insomnia, headaches, migraine and sinusitis.

You may also consider waxing by hair removal as a treatment at the same time.

Hot Stone Massage

Hot stone massage is a form of deep tissue massage that involves applying hot stones to the body during the massage. The heated stones are applied to change the temperature of the body. This therapy has been seen in many cultures including native America.


A hot stone massage is quite similar to other forms of massage but the hot stones are used to do the work rather than the hands of the massage therapist. As with other forms of massage there are many health benefits to this treatment; they include an improved circulatory system and softened, relaxed muscles.Toxins are released from the muscles and it gives you a sense of peace. The illnesses that can be treated include stress, anxiety, tension headaches, migraines, back pain, neck pain and general muscle pain.

Daniel Bester is a massage therapist and also offers intimate male waxing services.

What is Swedish Massage?

Swedish massage - or holistic massaage - is a full body massage therapy and I, as your massage therapist, will use grapeseed oil. This is by far the most popular form of massage in the UK.


There are 5 main techniques that are used during a session:

Effleurage – this is the most common stroke which involves a gliding, stroking movement across the muscles. It is used to warm up the muscles.

Petrissage – a kneading technique where I work your skin in a similar way to dough; it's aim its to release tension from the muscles.

Friction – this is pressure stroke and works on a deeper level than the other techniques.

Vibration – this is where I will use my hands or fingers to vibrate the flesh in certain areas. This removes tension in specific areas.

Tapotement – this is a very quick choppy movement on certain areas of the body and stimulates and tones the body. This may be too strong for some people and other will find it invigorating.

The use of Swedish massage can be very beneficial to many people as it uses a variety of techniques. On a physical level, it can help release tension from muscles, relieve muscle cramps and spasms, increase the range of motion and improve the strength of your muscles.

It can also calm the nervous system, improve blood circulation and make your skin firmer. Swedish massage can relieve the symptoms of asthma, arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, chronic and acute pain syndromes, myofacial pain, headache, temporomandibular joint dysfunction and athletic injuries.

Swedish massage can also help you relax and improve the quality of your sleep. It can also improve your levels of concentration.

The specific conditions which Swedish massage can help are: stress, anxiety and depression.

(You cannot have a massage and a waxing on the same day).

What is Shiatsu Massage?

So how does Shiatsu differ from Swedish Massage? (which is by far the most popular form of masssage in the UK) Well it's so very different. For a start, shiatsu massage doesn't involve covering you in hot oil.


Shiatsu is a Japanese form of massage; it includes a number of other techniques that include Amma, acupressure, massage and stretching. Shiatsu is a holistic treatment because it aims to treat the whole person and not just the condition. It uses the concept of Ki which is the same as the Chinese Chi: that energy flows through the body and illnesses are caused by blockages in the flow of this energy. The therapy works by massaging the body along meridian lines or applying pressure and acupressure points in the body. By doing this, the energy in the body will be able to flow freely and the healing process will begin.

People who have a Shiatsu Massage will usually experience reduced levels of stress as well as improved circulation and a stronger immune system. It has also been shown that Shiatsu can be very useful for relieving nausea, as well as helping to reduce chronic pain - particularly in the back and neck. Other conditions that Shiatsu Massage is thought to be beneficial for include diarrhoea, indigestion, constipation, and other disorders of the gastro-intestinal tract; menstrual and menopausal problems; chronic pain; migraine; arthritis; toothache; anxiety; and depression. Oh and it's also more relaxing than you might think.

Shiatsu Massage is just one of the treatments (alongside Swedish Massage, Indian head massage and Sports Massage) - and hair removal by waxing - that I offer from my home in Woking Surrey.

What is deep tissue massage?

I am often asked about the various forms of massage, and how they differ from each other.

Well here is a start..

Deep tissue massage is a form of massage that works on the deep layers of the muscle tissue. The aim of the therapy is to release deep-seated tension from the muscles. It will generally use slower more focused strokes then other types of massage. As it focuses on specific areas and can be quite hard, the client can often feel pain the day after the massage but you will feel much better within a couple of days.


Deep tissue massage will release a lot of toxins that are blocked in the muscles and causing the tension. For that reason it is important to drink a lot of water after the therapy in order to clear the toxins out of your system.

There are many conditions that can benefit from deep tissue massage and they include chronic pain, limited mobility, recovery from injuries (e.g. whiplash, falls, and sports injury), repetitive strain injury, such as carpal tunnel syndrome, postural problems, osteoarthritis pain, fibromyalgia, muscle tension or spasm.

Deep Tissue Massage - or Sports Massage - is just one of the therapies  - alongside hair removal - that I offer from my home in Woking, Surrey.

Wise words for the massage business

Wise words for the massage business - or any business for that matter. I can't remember where I found this or who wrote it.

It is unwise to pay too much but it’s unwise to pay too little.
When you pay too much you lose a little money that is all.
When you pay too little, you sometimes lose everything, because the thing you bought was not capable of doing the thing you bought it to do.
The common law of business prohibits paying a little and getting a lot.
It can’t be done.
If you deal with the lowest bidder it is well to add something for the risk you run.
And if you do that, you will have enough to pay for something better

A massage business without the internet!

Terrific! On Tuesday afternoon the broadband connection to my office went down. Completely. It had been playing up all morning, but then after one of those wonderful "power cycles" to try to solve the problem, the internet failed. Completely.

How can you run an internet-based business without the internet? Quite Tricky.

Why the phone line (on which the broadband is carried) still works is a mystery to me - and my neighbour - who had the opposite problem a few months back.

After a frustrating call routed via India and a guy instructing me on how to diagnose the problem with his voice over the phone, which involved a series of increasingly bizarre questions, a screwdriver and the BT socket, he gave up and transferred me back to the UK.

Eventually a nice man from BT was promised on Thursday morning who would come out to fix the problem on what the nice woman in Southampton called " a free visit".  Quite why she was so pleased to speak to someone else in "the south" I don't know.

True to their word a nice little man from BT turned up today, got out his screwdriver and laptop, fiddled about under my desk and the mass of wires there and eventually diagnosed a faulty filter. He then apologised and said he'd have to charge me for the filter. (That's fair enough I thought). Oh and for his time. So which bit of the this was a "free visit"?

Still, I am delighted that the massage business is back up and running again. Now to that backlog of emails....