Beauty Writer Adele Miner recounts her experience with Ground Wellbeing’s new Healing Roots of Farnham signature massage
I’ve tried a handful of body massages in the past, and each time I end up lying there with my face pressed into the face cradle, counting down the minutes left. Why do I put myself through this, I wonder every time.
Why do I do it to myself? Well, I suppose each session I hope will be different. “Maybe I just haven’t found what works for me,” I think, “this one will change everything,” I hold onto that hope each time. Don’t worry, you can put your tiny violin away because I’m not seeking sympathy with this. Of course, it is a privilege to be able to afford having my tired muscles soothed in a softly lit, incense-scented room, yet my reluctance toward the ritual has puzzled me for years. What am I missing? Hearing others extol the benefits of a good massage for easing various aches made me feel left out. I longed for the day when a massage would leave me feeling like a renewed version of myself.
I did some mental digging into it. I think the issue lies in both the sensation itself and my brain’s inability to fully surrender and relax. For some reason, my overthinking brain gets caught up on the unwritten rules of the event instead of simply enjoying the moment. “What way should I place my arms?”, “Eyes open or closed?”, and it’s still a mystery if I’m wearing those paper knickers correctly. Just as those thoughts quiet, my brain moves on to the next task, which is feeling immense guilt for my massage therapist. It feels odd to have another person spend an hour of their time rubbing me down with oil, like my own personal servant, when really, she would probably rather be somewhere else.
Then there’s the dilemma of what pressure I like. I naively walked into my first massage insisting I wanted it firm and hard, and immediately paid the price when I realised I don’t enjoy it that way. Naturally, I felt too awkward to tell my therapist mid-session, so I plastered on a smile and endured the full 60 minutes. A hard (and firm) lesson, I learned that I prefer lighter pressure, but even with that knowledge, my busy brain prevented me from truly enjoying the sensation.
That is, until I experienced Ground Wellbeing’s exclusive new Healing Roots of Farnham Ritual at Farnham Estate’s Health Spa in County Cavan.
The new signature treatment from Peigín Crowley’s Irish wellness brand Ground Wellbeing draws inspiration from the woodlands and tranquil grounds that make up Farnham Estate’s expansive countryside estate.
Understandably doubtful about the treatment because of my patchy massage history, I couldn’t believe how relaxed, comfortable and, if you’ll pardon the pun, grounded I felt during and after it. The 60-minute experience begins with a sensory scent selection drawn from the estate’s trees, plants and natural landscape. You get to choose which oil you want the therapist to use, based on the scent you prefer. Then, for the next roughly forty minutes, each side of your body is rubbed from top to bottom as soothing music fills the room. You have the option to finish with either a foot ritual or a nurturing facial and scalp work. I chose the latter, feeling utterly at peace by the time I flipped over for the facial and scalp rub.
What was different about this treatment, I can’t quite pinpoint. Perhaps the sensory process of picking my massage oil gave me a sense of control, allowing my brain the space to relax. My therapist was meticulous in applying light pressure, and it was the first time I truly understood what a massage is meant to be.
Emerging from the room a brand-new woman with a settled nervous system, I’m both relieved to finally be part of the massage hype and anxious about what this newfound appreciation might mean for my purse.
The new Healing Roots of Farnham signature treatment costs €190 and includes access to the spa’s pool and thermal suite facilities.
