How to Make a Five Star Spa in the Comfort of Your Own Home: Urban Massage and Neom

I end most of my days wishing for just a few more hours. I find myself rushing from one meeting to the next, to events, gym sessions. The list just goes on and on. There is always something that could or should be done but as the years go by I realise that more of a balance needs to be struck.

Well-Being

With each passing year I am increasingly aware of the importance of having ‘me time’. ‘Me time’ will mean different things to different people. For me, I use to focus on exercising my body, my physical health. By doing so I believed that I would be taking care of my mental health, exercising my brain. How wrong I was!

If you are anything like me you too will find it hard to switch-off, to rest your mind. My to-do list is endless and during those moments of quiet I find myself planning and organising tasks.

Like many of us, I have a stressful job and that stress does not manifest itself in sleepless nights, migraines or anxiety. Rather, it is stored in the knots in my neck and my aching shoulders.

The Solution

I thought long and hard about how I could truly relax, be zen. The solution, a combination of mental and physical relaxation. After much research I decided to try deep tissue massage; a form of massage that is aimed at relaxing muscles and tackling knots whilst providing relaxation. I know, it seems obvious now but it wasn’t at the time.

With my blog, my day job, the need to juggle family, friends and countless events, I knew that I would find it hard to make time during the working day or evening to fit in a massage. I am only available extremely early in the morning or late at night. Then there was the issue of location. During the day I work between Mayfair and Canary Wharf but I live in Primrose Hill. Brain wave, I require a mobile therapist.

Urban Massage

I cannot remember where I first heard of Urban Massage but it stuck in my mind. I decided to google it and found that there was an app. Ok, time to digress, I am not known for being a techie. My husband is permanently frustrated with my lack of apps, my refusal to move with the time. The reason, some apps are simply not user friendly and I find this frustrating. Thankfully, Urban Massage’s app is far from frustrating, it is super simple to use, I was up and running within two minutes.

Neom

Whilst looking through the app I noticed that Urban Massage collaborated with Neom. It then hit me, why would I not use some of my candles, and essential oils to help enhance my massage experience. I remembered that a good friend of mine had gifted me a Neom’s Scent to De-Stress candle as part of a bridal gift. There was no better time to try out the candle than now.

Neom is a brand that I have seen in various stores but had not been motivated to purchase. On research I realised that this brand was different. Not only was it founded by a female but the brand’s mission statement mirrors my approach to stress and wellbeing.

The Founder

The founder Nicola Elliott was the Editor of Glamour magazine. Throughout the years she noticed that her wellbeing, and that of her close friends was being affected by the stress and demands of modern day busy life. In response to this she trained as an aromatherapist and nutritionist before launching Neom Organic with her business partner in 2005 .

Without gushing too much, I simply have to share Neom’s mission statement with you; it sums up exactly how I believe we can all achieve wellbeing.

Scent to De-Stress

The Scent to De-Stress range has been specially formulated with natural fragrance, a blend of 24 essential oils. In addition to its wonderful smell, Scent to De-Stress has a deeply calming effect created by the key notes of Lavender, Jasmin and Brazilian Rose wood.

Unlit, this candle has an incredible scent throw. Once lit the candle’s scent fills the whole room within 15-20 minutes. I can see why this is called the De-Stress range, it provides an air of tranquility, the room smell just like a spa.

While looking through the website I noted that Neom also has a De-Stress Essential Oil; the oil could be used in a diffuser to emulate spa treatments I have had in the past. I just needed to purchase a diffuser. Also, I knew that I could use the oil in a bath to help bring calmness or add it to a base oil (I use almond oil) to make a calming massage oil.

 

With regards to the diffuser, my go-to for matters like these is Amazon where I discovered Aiho’s Aroma Essential Oil Diffuser. To be clear, I was tempted to purchase Neom’s diffuser or Muji’s diffuser but it was my first foray into diffusers and I decided to purchase a moderately priced model to determine how often I would use it. If used frequently enough, I would purchase a further diffuser for a different room.

Whilst the Aiho diffuser was meant to be a test product I am incredibly happy it. It is easy to use and fills the room within seconds. There is no immediate need for a second or to ‘upgrade’.

The Massage

Back to the app, I read the bios of each and every therapist and chose Mircea, a man.

To start, Mircea had a review rating of 4.97 out of 5; I know, it is all a bit uber-esq but super helpful when trying to make a decision. A 4.97 and 2 bookings would not be a fair indication of a therapist’s skill. Mircea has been booked over 699 times and been reviewed by over 550 people. As such, 4.97 out of 5 is very impressive!

I booked a massage for the Friday morning less than 12 hours in advance. Prior to the appointment Urban Massage sent an email outlining what to expect and that which I needed to provide, towels etc. I then received an email an hour before the appointment as a reminder. Key to this email, It included suggestions of how to create a tranquil and peaceful environment for the massage. Something I had already thought of but I am sure that many others may have not.

Male or Female? That is the Question

Like anything when you first experience it, this massage was the unknown. It was the first time that I was to have a male therapist, I was nervous. Fortunately for me Mircea arrived early with the most welcoming of smiles. He set-up in minutes, talked me through the massage and then asked about my medical history.

 

I opted for the 1.5 hours deep tissue massage. This included a number of stretches that I had not experienced before. Mircea, you are a genius! For example, I use to have extremely tight hips, Mircea’s stretches resolved this issue in one session.

Whilst I have not tried any of the other therapists I feel qualified (given all the massages I have had in the past) to say that he is an exceptional therapist and every bit the professional.

Back To The Preparation

I lit my Neom candle before Mircea arrived so that I could relax prior to the massage, put myself in the right frame of mind. I then positioned the diffuser close to my head so that I could breath in the essential oils during my massage. The combination of the candle, essential oils and my massage playlist from Spotify (I just searched ‘massage’ in the playlist section) created what can only be described as pure tranquility, my own five star spa within the confines of my own home.

I now have massages with Urban Massage every week and love the flexibility of booking them at my convenience; they can even be booked on the same day.

Admittedly, I have only used one therapist so cannot speak to them all but I can state that I have only had positive experiences with Urban Massage.

I recommend Mircea to all of my friends and whilst there is always the fear that he will become too booked, I will simply book further in advance in the future to avoid disappointment.

With relative ease I have created a spa in my own home. That being said, I am always open to further hints and tips, please add any comments below.