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Situated right next door to the Grove pub, the “Buty Salon” on Hammersmith Grove offers a multitude of spa treatments at very competitive prices. I had come to experience - the hour and a half Full Body Holistic Massage.

A relative virgin to spa treatments, I was unsure what this actually meant. Sensing my ignorance, Shirley Turner, Buty Salon senior massage therapist spent some time explaining the holistic concept. It is far more than a physical massage; the holistic method not only aims to release physical tension in the muscles and body, but personal stress and emotion. She explained how certain stresses in life or emotions can easily manifest themselves in parts of the body. Example: anger is often harnessed in between the shoulder blades and can result in a sore upper back.

After an extensive quizzing of my medical history, which comprised of a tick box of every conceivable disease/ condition I had ever heard and not heard of and Shirley checking that I was comfortable with the idea an all over body massage, I signed the disclaimer.

Three things to remember when receiving a Holistic Full Body; one, you are encouraged to move throughout, two, make noise and most importantly, three breathe deeply.

After a quick pre-treatment shower, I settled myself face down on the massage table and began my deep yoga breathing, to help me Shirley breaths with me. There is a lot more to this than your average full body massage, everything from elbows, knees and toes were used in the quest to release my physical and “emotional” stresses. What I loved the most was that you are actually encouraged to laugh, cry, shout or even swear depending on what you’re feeling. I swore… albeit under my breath. Any chance of falling asleep during this massage was dashed when Shirley started pulling HARD on both my legs and arms although this actually feels quite nice.

I did not (as far as I know) experience any of the emotional release talked about in the consultation, but did thoroughly benefit from the hour and half's worth of body manipulation and deep breathing. Immediately after the massage I felt exhausted and very groggy (not uncommon with these treatments). By the following day the treatment had left me free of any aches or pains in my body and I felt energised like a Duracell bunny.

At £79 for the 1 ½ hour session this is well under what you would normally pay in central London's Soho or Covent Garden. The Full Body Holistic Massage was a welcome change to the sports massages I have had in the past. Whether or not it evokes the emotional release intended it is definitely worthwhile if you are the kind of person who always expects a little bit more from a massage.

The tailored treatment is designed to inspire a deeper connection to the body and soul’s seven chakras that are identified as; Confidence, Sexuality, Intimacy, Love, Communication, Vision and Spirituality. A course of treatments (from 6 – 12) is usually required to gain access to the client’s deeper psyche but benefits can include releasing the body from negative emotions that can eventually cause illness such as depression, relationship problems or sexual dysfunctions.

The Buty Salon offers over one hundred innovative treatments so you’ll be sure to find your particular pleasure for mind, body and soul. Details of their full range of treatments can be found at www.butysalon.co.uk.

To view our treatments we offer click here --> Caci Treatment