Thai Yoga Massage At Bali Health Lounge

CHINA Town is more commonly associated with dim sum and bargain supermarkets than facials and lipolysis. But step off the neon-lit George Street and ascend the stairs to Bali Health Lounge and you'll be somewhere else entirely. This new, three-storey day spa doesn't quite transport you into a tropical paradise, but it gets you close enough.

It elongates the muscles, realigns the joints, and gives an overall sense of feeling elated and clear in the mind.

Laburnum trees blossom under fibre optic butterflies and flowers. Balinese statuettes dance alongside jasmine sprays. The furniture is all natural materials; teak, raffia and cotton. There's some serious feng shui going on in here.

The first floor is devoted to the relaxation area which also serves as a tea house, while upstairs you'll find a series of 'rejuvenation pods': massage chairs separated by soothing curtains of fibre optic lights. I'm led up to the third floor which is home to ten teak treatment rooms, all individually decorated with frescoed ceilings depicting starlit beaches and sleepy Balinese harbours.

One is set up especially for Thai Yoga Massage. The difference between this and Swedish-style massage is immediately apparent. There's no massage table, just batik-covered mats on the floor. And rather than de-robing, you stay fully clothed.

Therapist Julia Heath qualified in Thai Yoga Massage seven years ago. After I change into a tracksuit, she explains what it's all about. “It's a form of massage where the therapist works on the body with yoga-like stretches. You get more of a stretch because your muscles are relaxed, and we do all the work, not the client.”

While Julia uses the polite term 'passive yoga', others call it 'yoga for the lazy.' But from the sounds of it, her regular clients are anything but. Body builders, athletes, golfers and manual workers use Thai Yoga Massage to put their strained, tightened and misaligned frames back into shape.

Says Julia, “It works on the body's sen lines, which basically means energy lines. It elongates the muscles, realigns the joints, and gives an overall sense of feeling elated and clear in the mind.

“In Thailand it's part of their primary health care – the premise is that you use it to prevent illness rather than treating it once it's set in. If you use Thai Yoga Massage regularly, it can help people suffering from stress-related conditions like IBS, depression or a depleted immune system which can lead to coughs, colds and flu.”

A good choice for a winter spa treatment, then.

The experience itself is very different to a 'normal' massage. I alternate between lying on my back, front and sides while Julia goes through an hour-long, energetic sequence of stretching out my limbs, realigning my spine, and massaging the muscles and lymphs. Julia explains that these are part of the immune system and can benefit from a helping hand at flushing out viruses.

Some techniques involve Julia using her full body weight to apply pressure, such as standing on the soles of my feet while I lie on my front. In others I take a deep breath before she pushes me into a twist position designed to put the spine back in line.

Thai Yoga Massage is an odd experience that no doubt get less odd the more times you go. Definitely not for people who keep a close guard on their personal space. And not for you if you're looking for a relaxing massage that you can fall asleep to.

Having said that, as the hour progresses, I start to feel an unexpected sense of well-being, similar to the tuned-in disconnection you sometimes get on a long run. At the end of it, I feel invigorated yet zoned-out and calm. Quite a result for a self-certified stress-head like myself.

The following day I have the pleasant ache in my limbs that you get from exercise. I feel like I've worked-out without actually doing any work.

As with many spa treatments, you would have to go more than once to get the full benefits. If you have back problems, an aching or tense neck and shoulders, or strains from sports or repetitive actions at work it would be worth trying Thai Yoga Massage. Julia treats many people suffering from these complaints, all of them seeking the relief that follows the satisfying click of a vertebrae slipping back into place.

To book a session or talk to Julia about how a Thai Yoga Massage could benefit you, please call Bali Health Lounge on 0161 850 2288. Bali Health Lounge offers an hour of Thai Yoga Massage for £54, or 90 minutes for £72. Other styles of massage at Bali Health Lounge cost £30-£90. Massage chair sessions start from £10.