Whichever way the lockdown has played out, it has obviously disrupted our way of life. But, in a way, it also brought us a few positives. For one, it gave us more time not just for our loved ones – but more importantly – for ourselves.
Wellness trends have soared during Covid, with Google searches for ‘self-care routine’ up 250% since the first lockdown in March 2020.
But even before the lockdown, it’s already known that self-care is an important ingredient of a healthy lifestyle. Self-care means taking the time to do things that help us live well and improve both our physical and mental health.
The fantastic thing about self-care is that it comes in many forms (of course, depending on your time and budget): skincare, eathing healthily, hobbies, good sleep hygiene, and massages.
As a form of self-care, massage is perhaps one of the oldest healing traditions, and is also one of the most accessible. It’s estimated that there are over 370,000 massage spas in the US alone. In the UK, in 2017, it was reported that 14% of people booked in for a massage, up from 11% in 2015.
Just like massages, facials are also accessible; that’s why I indulge on them too. But I feel more invigorated from a massage, because – as someone working from home – massage is better at ironing out those stress knots.
Sure, massage can help us relax, but it can do much more than that. The benefits of massage can include improving circulation, energy, and alertness; lowering heart rate and blood pressure; and improving immune function.
Yesterday, I went to one of the centres of The Massage Company, in Tunbridge Wells.
The centre’s facade is unassuming but as soon as soon I stepped inside I can feel a surge of positivity – from their friendly staff, to their amenities, even to the music they play inside.
I was first asked to fill out a form to let them know what I’m loooking for: such as type of massage, how much pressure I want, and if I have any medical issues.
I then met Josh, one of the therapists, who gave me a relaxing Swedish and scalp massage. During the massage, I chatted a bit with Josh, and I learned a few things about TMC.
Before TMC launched the business, they identified the need for training and development to be at the centre of what they do.
On the knowledge of John Holman (the director of massage training), they built ‘TMC Training Programme‘ which is designed to meet two crucial requirements. First, the delivery of consistently high-quality massage, so that clients can receive massage from any therapist at the time they want to come. And, second, the protection of therapists themselves – with good techniques, focus on self-care, and the avoidance of injuries to give them a stable career.
Aside from the quality, all TMC’s massages have a guaranteed hands-on time of at least 50 minutes. If you want to pamper yourself more, you can have upgrades such as hot stones, aromatherapy, foot treatment, and scalp message.
Another thing I like about TMC is their membership scheme. There’s a full membership which costs £59.95 which gives you one massage a month, minimum of 12 months; this is better value for regular massage, I think. Their flexi membership offers one massage per month, fully shareable, and full flexible; this costs £69.95 per month.
Their services are also open to non-members. You can find out more details about pricing on their website.
TMC’s vision is simple: to bring high-quality massage to the mainstream. They want people to see massage as good value for money, so it can become a vital and routine part of a better and balanced quality of life.
In a stressfull world, a relaxing massage can certainly help.
Dennis Relojo-Howell is the managing director of Psychreg.
