Managing the household, dropping the kids off to school, heading a significant project at work, swinging by the grocery for supplies, wrapping that gift at the very last minute for a friend’s birthday dinner. All these and more are common tasks juggled by mums around the world. If you’re one of the millions of women who experience this from day to day, how would a full body massage or a whole day of body pampering treatments sound? Simply heavenly, don’t you think?
Shoo the Stress Away
It’s no secret that being a mother can be stressful. Results from a 2019 research conducted by a team from the University of Essex and the University of Manchester found that working mothers are more stressed than those without kids.
The data collected by the UK Household Longitudinal Study and published in the British Sociological Association journal Sociology, reveals that mums working full time and taking care of a child are 18 per cent more stressed than those without children.
The level of stress rises to 40 per cent when working moms take care of two kids. Meanwhile, working mothers with two children but who work reduced hours have 37 per cent lower stress levels than working mums with inflexible work hours.
Stress can be defined as the body’s reaction to pressures from life events. This feeling of being overwhelmed or unable to cope with specific situations can trigger the body’s “flight or fight” response and helps people respond to dangerous situations. In some instances – such as during a competition – the stress response can be beneficial as it pushes one to do better.
However, if the stress response is inappropriate and becomes excessive or repetitive, it can take its toll on the body. Chronic or long-term stress renders one in a constant state of flight or fight and can adversely impact both your mental, emotional and physical health.
Must-Have Massage
When stress is weighing you down, one thing you can do is to set aside quality time for yourself. As a mother, you are often concerned with your family’s well-being, even to the extent of neglecting your own needs.
Aside from lighting scented candles while soaking in the tub, or listening to relaxing music as you wind down for the day, getting a massage is also a perfect solution to banishing stress away.
Some women shy away from doing these things because it may seem indulgent or selfish. However, you need to remember that you cannot pour from an empty cup. You also need to take care of yourself to have more will and energy to care for others.
To de-stress, treat yourself to a day at the spa or a health and wellness resort. People used to go to a massage parlor to knead away their worries. These days, entire complexes and destinations offer a holistic approach to attaining health and wellbeing.
If you’re not familiar with what body treatment services you can get, here are some examples of pampering treatments designed to rejuvenate the body and calm the mind:
1. Bath Rituals
If you think taking a long, hot shower is relaxing, how much more would a 60 or 90-minute bath ritual feel like?
Top-notch wellness destinations can offer a host of body-pampering treatments that focus on giving you a bathing experience you’ll never forget. There’s a bathing therapy that uses the power of organic, hand-harvested seaweed to increase blood circulation, moisturize the skin, and promote healing.
Another bath ritual that offers potent detoxification using organic seaweed extracts, humic acids from Irish peat, lipids, polyphenols, trace elements, and vitamins is a spiced mud bath. Submerging yourself into this warm concoction will help reduce cellulite, battle the signs of skin ageing, soothe muscle aches and pains, and relieve stress and exhaustion.
For a more luxurious bathing experience, go for a top-to-toe cleansing Hammam bath. Starting with a mint leaf foot ritual, the pampering treat also includes a hair and face therapy using pure Moroccan remedies to restore a glowing complexion. An oriental massage that involves a traditional dousing of rosewater caps off the 90-minute session, leaving you relaxed and radiant.
2. Body Wraps and Scrubs
Other body pampering treatments include body wraps and scrubs that slough away dead skin cells, detoxify the body, and revive the spirit.
There’s an organic body wrap treatment that consists of a full-body brushing designed to hydrate, relax and relieve stress. This procedure helps protect the body from environmental cellular damage, increases circulation and combats the signs of ageing. It also aids in making the skin firm and toned.
Body scrubs like one that uses lavender oil, seaweed, and sugar works to gently remove dead skin cells and heal the skin with lavender oil and seaweed extracts. You can also indulge in a head-to-toe scrub using a certified organic bladderwrack body buff to reinvigorate dull and tired skin.
3. Massage Therapies
Massage away the stress and worries with an array of body massage therapies. Performed by certified holistic practitioners, you can choose from a curated menu of massages that ranges from a 30-minute Swedish back, neck, and shoulder massage to a full 90-minute session of aromatherapy, deep tissue, traditional Thai massage, and many more.
For a quick healing session, opt for reflexology where specific reflexes in the feet are pressed to promote better health, stimulate blood microcirculation, and reduce stress.
If you love a warm, soothing massage, there’s hot stone therapy that uses warm basalt stones. The deep, penetrating heat from the stones aids in easing pain and tension while supporting wellbeing.
Traditional massages such as Abhyanga full body massage, Udvartana invigorating massage, or Padabhyanga foot massage are also excellent choices to relieve aches and pains and restore vital energy.
Perfect Pampering
With the wealth of options available when it comes to body pampering treatments, you should be able to choose one that will best suit your needs. Whether you do it weekly or whenever you feel like, it’s important to remember that you are doing this to recharge your drained batteries. These body baths, scrubs, wraps, and massage therapies are all designed to make you feel and look better and equip you with the much-needed vigor you need to face the world.
Author Bio
Burak Cankat is the Wellness Director at Zoya Health and Wellbeing Resort in the UAE, with 18 years of experience in the Hospitality, Health and Well-being industry. The resort is a unique integrative well-being destination nestled between the sea and mangroves in Ajman, offering holistic packages that combine cutting-edge medical science, physiotherapy, fitness, nutrition, and the latest advance in aesthetics to nourish the body and invigorate the mind.
