Healing Hands

More hands on

Good news. Massage Matters now have five experts working from their Thame clinic. Not only that, they are now open seven days a week. Meet the new recruits.

Two new Massage Therapists have joined the team at Massage Matters. Let Tom and Beth introduce themselves.

“I’m Tom, a new massage therapist at Massage Matters in Thame, having recently taken the scary step of shifting careers. My journey to this point has been meandering but, looking back, also makes a lot of sense. I’ve always wanted to help people improve their lives, but am also interested in what makes them tick. What I’ve discovered is that the human touch is a powerful, underestimated tool.

“My love of the tactile began from an early age. As a child, I enjoyed the calming touch of our household pets – cats, dogs, rabbits. This all felt very natural. But, moving into my teens and adulthood it quickly became clear that people don’t touch, that men definitely don’t touch.

“At university, I took a course in Philosophy, I enjoyed the precision and scepticism, debating and wrestling with academic problems. But it also lacked something important, and I knew it. In truth, much of what I was learning wasn’t practical enough. It was isolated within its bubble and didn’t relate to the real world. I felt frustrated, I was desperate for something to give me a sense of accomplishment, to make me feel I was making a difference to real people in some way.

“Fast forward a few years and my quest had (predictably) been derailed by my need to pay the bills. I had an office job in London. It hit me one day when I’d been sat for far too long at my desk. In that moment, it dawned on me that I could spend the rest of my daily, working life interacting mostly with a screen. That same, nagging feeling had emerged again, telling me I needed more than this. I needed to feel more connected to the world.

“When I met John Holman, lead therapist at Massage Matters, it all just clicked. John was enthusiastic and knowledgeable about human anatomy and unmistakably clear that any therapist trained by him would also need to be. The meeting represented a huge paradigm shift for me. For the first time, I began to associate massage – a treatment I’d previously labelled as a form of relaxing, enjoyable friction – with a more thorough, scientific understanding of human anatomy. John believes in the power of touch and in his own capabilities as a practitioner and a teacher. His staunch belief in these things rubbed off and I decided to join his team.

“Through the art of giving treatments, I’ve realised that I can build trusting relationships, geared towards alleviating pain, treating injuries or helping people to feel better in themselves. I also know how stressful work can be; a well delivered, well thought-through massage is the perfect remedy and the perfect retreat. More exciting still, these feelings of bonding, stress reduction and pain relief are backed up by scientific fact. Clinical studies from organisations like the Touch Research Institute directly correlate massage treatment with a range of improvements to people’s wellbeing and wellness. Massage can improve bonds between mothers and babies, reduce physical pain for cancer patients, and increase the range of movements for those with arthritis.

“I now know that Massage Matters is the right place to be. The standards are high; it provides its therapists with a rigorous knowledge of the body, via courses in theoretical anatomy, applied anatomy and through ongoing training and assessments. There’s always support available, with four other experienced therapists on hand. Ultimately, I’m thrilled to have learnt that, through the simple science of touch, someone’s day can be reshaped.”

“I’m Beth, one of the new Massage Matters therapists, specialising in aromatherapy massage. What I enjoy above all else is the feeling of giving a massage treatment and combining the physical sensation of touch with the alluring, memorable and healing scents of aromatherapy.
“Smell is such an important sense to me. When I was about 12 years old, my older brother Dan and I would burn incense sticks in his bedroom. My job was to go across the street where the shop was to buy the sticks, sneaking them past our mum and up into his room. I remember vividly the way he struck the match and lit the flame, that intense acrid aroma slowly filling the room, the smoke winding its way upwards. For me, aromas conjure up those powerfully reminiscent feelings, be they the aroma of pine at Christmas, the smoky smell of bonfires on Guy Fawkes night or sun cream on a holiday – the sense of smell brings back good memories.

“I was fortunate to learn more about the benefits of aromas during a training session at my previous job. We learnt about aromatherapy from a leading skin care company which makes beautiful, high quality body, skin and facial products. Their blends are amazing and they helped ignite my passion, a life-long love of aromatherapy has continued from there. I enjoy how quickly the aromas fill the room and how quickly they penetrate the skin and go into the body. The benefits last longer than just a single treatment too, often for up to 12 hours.

“Aromatherapy became even more important for me a few years back when I was going through my own battle with depression and anxiety. I sometimes felt so overwhelmed by the whirlwind of daunting, exhausting thoughts. Aromatherapy treatments had a really positive result in lifting me away from those difficult feelings, helping me to see more of life’s positives. Looking back, it was a hugely important part of my road to recovery and the familiar, soothing scents continue to help me even now. I’m especially passionate because, whilst it helped me with my own difficult feelings, there are so many possible benefits which can help others in different ways.

“Each person is distinct and we are each drawn to different aromas depending upon how we feel at the time. For me, the aroma of lavender and Ylang Ylang is the most brilliantly relaxing blend, but is less good when I need to feel energised and ready for the day. I’ve found that black pepper, bay and clove are great for warming muscles and helping to ease aches and pains, so are perfect if you’ve just worked out. Bergamot, Neroli and rose are uplifting scents, making them good for people with anxiety and depression, as they give a sense of well-being and positivity.

“For me, treating people at Massage Matters offers a new set of exciting opportunities. It’s completely different from what I’ve been used to in my previous spa jobs. I’m looking forward to integrating the 3 dimensional Hydrotherm massage techniques as a way of enhancing the known benefits aromatherapy. The Hydrotherm cushions warm, relax and prepare the body, readying it to absorb aromatherapy oils and accelerating the effects of their positive properties. Using oils for muscle aches during massage treatment is a great prospect. The combination of remedial massage and aromatherapy has the potential to offer enhanced muscle recovery whilst also increasing mental well-being.

Massage Matters
North Street, Thame, Oxon OX9 3TH
T: 01844 212022
E: hello@massagematters.clinic
www.massagematters.clinic

You can read more articles like this one in the latest edition of Thame Out.