Aromatherapy Associates’ Stress Bust

My neck and back were getting seriously unhappy with me. My lifestyle is currently hectic in the extreme, with equal parts of being hunched forward on a scooter, hunched over a camera tripod and hunched up at my desk. It was taking its toll, and my neck muscles were starting to resemble taut, knotted rope. Nice.

So you can imagine that when I was offered the opportunity to try out Aromatherapy Associate’s new treatment, the City Stress Buster – well, it was practically fate. Off I went to be de-stressed.

I had been booked in for what they call a ‘City Stress Buster’, but although it has a name, this isn’t an off-the-peg kind of treatment. I was given a card to fill out, which identified both how I have been feeling generally and specifically how I was feeling today. Had I not already known, a stressful lifestyle can manifest in many different ways, from headaches to sleepless nights. I was also careful to point out my particular aches and pains and my dreadful posture. From this, my therapist Michelle identified what was needed.

Unlike most people, I had never had the pleasure of any kind of treatment or massage in the past, so the whole experience was totally new to me. I have to admit I was quite unsure of any particular etiquette that I was supposed to follow. Does one remove all clothing? Or just some?  It’s not something you want to get wrong! Luckily I was in safe hands and every step was explained.

I was shown into the therapy room which had low lighting, peaceful background music and the massage table. Michelle had warned that the treatment may make me fall asleep and that she wouldn’t consider it rude if I did. In fact, it meant that the de-stressing was working.

The 60 minute session was broken down into 45 minutes of back, shoulder and neck massage and then 15 minutes of head and face. Perhaps it was down to the state of my back, but although incredibly relaxing, I wasn’t going to fall asleep. Instead, I felt myself slowly unwind as Michelle homed in on certain pressure points, my brain loosening just as much as my shoulders. At the end my whole upper body felt incredibly free, like there was suddenly less gravity and even felt I could be a couple of inches taller!

It was never going to be rock-bottom fees, and you’d be foolish to expect it, but given Aromatherapy Associates’ location in Knightsbridge and the overall loveliness of the place, the prices are extremely reasonable. 60-minute treatments come in at £90, 90 minutes will set you back £120 and the wonderfully long 120 minute treatments go for £150, and these treatments range all the way from facials to scrub-and-wrap treatments to full-body massages. There are also a range of complementary 30 minute treatments, including hair treatments and foot massages, which cost £45. And I’ll just quickly mention it for those whom it concerns – there are a couple of pregnancy treatments on the list too – a massage and a skin nourisher designed for pregnant ladies.

Obviously I expected to be relaxed afterwards, but I also felt a little more informed about myself. Perhaps, in general we don’t listen to our bodies and perhaps we should a whole lot more. My immediate thought was of all the stressed-out friends I could recommend this to. Or, with Christmas coming, how good a gift this makes.

Aromatherapy Associates
5 Montpelier Street
Knightsbridge
SW7 1EX

Tel: 020 7838 1117