balmain massage

The truth behind cupping therapy and those big red marks

10 Nov 2017 Amylea Griffin Why is that?

‘Cupping therapy’ might conjure images of horror-movie style bruises, akin to the welts you’d see on the losing team of a paintball tournament. Thankfully, it’s nowhere near as painful and can actually be low-key enjoyable. Most importantly, it has some really impressive benefits for a whole host of pain and soft-tissue disorders. The concept of this treatment is thought to date back to 3300 B.C, a subset of Traditional Chinese Medicine; but there is evidence of cupping-style therapies existing in many ancient cultures. There are several different strains of cupping[…]

“We need a new name”

14 Sep 2017 Claudio Paroli brainmassage

“I wish we could change the name”, said Dorine after explaining the basics of craniosacral therapy. The audience concurred. A confusing name, they said. An unfortunate name for a whole body therapy, because craniosacral therapy (CST) can achieve some amazing results on all physical, mental and emotional levels. Dorine Siccama is our resident CST therapist, and in the second of our brainmassage series of free events, held Wednesday night 13 September, she was speaking to an attentive audience which included therapists, people who had experienced this form of healing treatment[…]

When brain meets aroma

05 Sep 2017 Claudio Paroli brainmassage

The inaugural brainmassage session took place on August 10, with the woman behind ‘Aromatherapy with Sarah’. An advocate for natural therapies and the ‘low-tox’ lifestyle, Sarah Smart shared her knowledge of essential oils and their role in assisting with specific conditions. She outlined the differences between remedial massage and aromatherapy (“it’s gentler”) and how a session can (and always should) be customised for the client’s particular conditions and needs. A former IT executive, Sarah left all those bytes behind and switched to a different… read more. The next brainmassage session[…]

Meet our therapists: Dorine

21 Aug 2017 Amylea Griffin our therapists

Dorine Siccama’s unique approach to natural healing is the result of a background in both remedial massage and psychology, which led her on a quest to build a career in holistic therapies. She was awarded a Master’s Degree in psychology from the University of Amsterdam before becoming fascinated by the stories the human body could tell. “I loved massage, I loved psychology and I loved integrating body and mind. That was always my thing; I always thought that these two had to be integrated.” It wasn’t until Dorine relocated to[…]

Craniosacral Therapy: the body as a sea of information

28 Jul 2017 Amylea Griffin Why is that?

Craniosacral Therapy is the peculiar-sounding natural treatment that you’ve probably never heard of but that could change your life. Not in a magical fairy-dust kind of way, but it can be equally profound for sufferers of chronic pain, tinnitus, concussion and other medical conditions. We’ve enlisted the expertise of our resident Craniosacral therapist, Dorine Siccama, to break down exactly what this up-and-coming modality entails and how it might just benefit you. A derivative of osteopathy, Craniosacral Therapy is a method of releasing restrictions in the body, which are identified by[…]

You aren’t quite finished…

07 Aug 2015 Claudio Paroli Why is that?

Childbirth may be the only pain known to humans that usually results in a positive outcome. But the tremendous physical strain a new mother experiences during this period of her life extends far beyond labour. In our previous post just below, we outlined the importance of pregnancy massage in preparing a woman and her fetus for birth, both psychologically and physiologically. Keeping up the good habits acquired during pregnancy, as this next phase of motherhood kicks in, could be the key to maintaining balance and managing the aches and discomforts[…]

Natural progression

01 Aug 2015 Claudio Paroli Why is that?

The physical changes that occur during pregnancy are some of nature’s most incredible wonders… wonders that can be downright uncomfortable. As the body adjusts to accommodate the expanding uterus, organs begin shifting and ligaments stretching, and that alone can cause some serious discomfort. Add to this the pressure (from baby’s rapidly increasing weight) on the pelvic bone and on the nerves that run between pelvis and legs and you have a recipe for a tense and achy disaster. Obviously there is also a significant weight gain which the spine must[…]