Indian Head Massage - Bliss (Indian Head Massage)

Name: bluejules

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Product:	Indian Head Massage
Date:	06.10.07 (410 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: Very relaxing, beneficial to health

Disadvantages: Hair may look greasy afterwards, not cheap

~ What is Indian Head Massage? ~

Indian Head Massage originated, as it's name suggests, in India over a thousand years ago. The origin of shampoo comes from a Hindi word 'champi'. Being 'champi-ed' meant having your head massaged. It began as the way to keep your long hair in beautiful condition and has become a part of daily life.

IHM can ease headaches and stress as well as helping to deal with scalp and hair problems. It aids localised blood and lymphatic circulation, relieves eyestrain, boosts the immune system, relieves muscle tension, and helps restore joint movement. They can also relieve tension, fatigue, insomnia, headaches, migraine and sinusitis.

~ Why do I have regular Indian Head Massages? ~

In the months leading up to my driving test and my January A-Level exams I started having frequent migraines. I used to get them less than once a year but I was now getting them every week. They caused me to be off school for a day, which meant catching up, leading to more stress and therefore more migraines. I was at the point where I was worrying about getting them, which was triggering migraines as well.

My mam regularly has aromatherapy treatments and she was talking to the therapist about my migraines. She recommended that I have an Indian Head Massage (IHM). Willing to try anything that might prevent my migraine attacks, I made an appointment.

My first IHM was booked for the day before my first driving test. Unfortunately, I had a migraine attack that morning. The appointment was at 4.30pm and I was feeling a bit better so I just managed to get myself there, though I felt pretty ill the whole way through.

Due to the fact that I still had the headache, which follows a migraine, the therapist couldn't give an in-depth massage. It still relaxed me immensely though. She recommended that, should I have a migraine on the day of an appointment, I should reschedule.

I now have an IHM every four weeks and they seem to be working, although my stress levels have obviously fallen as well which will also help me not getting migraines.

~ What happens during the massage? ~

When I go for the massage, I have a five-minute consultation with the therapist where we discuss how I have been feeling since my last massage. (The first massage I had the consultation was regarding the frequency of my migraines etc)

She then leaves me to get changed and get under the blanket on the bed. I only need to remove my t-shirt and my shoes. I also need to ensure that I am not wearing any earrings, or a necklace etc.

When she comes back in she checks I am ok and tells me what she is going to do. The oils she uses depends on how I am feeling and how I have been since the last appointment. The last time I went, as my stress levels have been low recently, she informed me that she would use balancing oil to help maintain the low stress levels.

She started by massaging my neck and shoulders. This was very relaxing. She then moved on to massage my head, face and upper arms. It is a very relaxing experience, which relaxes all my senses. There is relaxing music playing in the background and the lights are low. The actual massage lasts 30 minutes. This time flies by, presumably because it is so relaxing.

The movements of her hand over my head and face slow down towards the end of the massage. All of the massage is very gentle and soothing.

When the massage is finished she leaves the room, to give me time to come back to reality. She returns about five minutes later with a glass of cold water. She then asks me how I am feeling, and leaves to me to get dressed. She tells me just to take my time, as if I get up to quickly I may feel a little bit dizzy.

The whole appointment lasts around 45 minutes and it costs £20, I think it is worth every penny! After my massage I feel nice and calm and relaxed and I also feel quite awake and alert.

Different places do the massages a bit differently. My mam had an IHM with a different therapist somewhere else. She said she was sitting on a stool, fully clothed and it wasn't very comfortable which made it difficult for her to relax.

After the massage my hair looks very greasy as it is full of oils. I usually try and arrange an appointment so that it doesn't matter what my hair looks like so I can leave the oil in over night. It does make my hair feel nice and soft though, it just doesn't look very nice.

~ Have I felt the benefits? ~

As I have already said I haven't had any migraines recently (touch wood!) I think this is partly due to the massages but also due to my reduced stress levels.

When I had my first massage the therapist told me that my neck, head and shoulders were all very tense and heavy. I could feel this as she was massaging me. My shoulders don't feel as tense and she says she can feel the difference. She says my head is still heavy and tense at the back (which is where most of my headaches come from) but my forehead is more relaxed (where lots of my headaches used to come from)

~ Do I need to do anything between massage to make it more beneficial?

My therapist advices that I put ice on my neck for 10 minutes everyday to reduce the inflammation in my neck and lower head where most of my current headaches come from. When I do this it does feel much nicer.

~How will I feel after the massage? ~
You may feel tired or dizzy after the massage though personally I haven't experienced either of these. The IHM makes me feel quite thirsty, this is normal and it advised that you drink lots of water after your appointment. There is also an increased desire to urinate (as the body eliminates toxins and waste materials and also due to the increase in your intake of water). Some people may experience aching muscles but this shouldn't last long.

~ Will I continue to have, and do I recommend IHM? ~

Absolutely! I hope to continue having IHM every four weeks or so to help keep me relaxed. As I am at university 5 days a week and then at work at the weekend, I sometimes feel as though I never have any time off. The head massage helps me to have an hour off and forget about everything. Also, I am hoping that if I continue to have IHM regularly I won't start getting frequent migraines again in the lead up to my final summer exams. I do feel better in myself since having these Indian Head Massages.

Thank you for reading.

Summary: I have really felt the benefits, very relaxing :-)