Beauty

Beauty - My Full Body Massage Experience

5:00:00 pm














When my friend Sian visited me in Morocco my Mum kindly organised for us to go for a full body massage using 100% Moroccan Argan oil, after a full day of convincing I agreed to go.  I wanted to share my experience so that people who have never experienced a massage of any type would know what to expect and hopefully not pass on the opportunity as many times as I did.

Previously the thought of having a full body massage quite frankly scared the crap out of me.  Why would I willingly have a stranger not just see, but touch all the areas of my body I spend my life trying to conceal in a decent outfit?  These were my exact thoughts until about three weeks ago, now I am annoyed at myself for being so body conscious all my life, I was missing out on the most relaxing experience of my life.

Before I get started on the treatment I had, there's a few things you should think about doing to prepare your body for your Full Body Massage, off course you don't have to do any of these but personally it made me feel a lot more comfortable.  Exfoliate your skin within an inch of your life, it will help the oils used during the treatment, sink into your skin with ease and give a smooth canvas for your masseuse.   Remove all body hair, even the bits you think nobody can see, they will.   I put myself in her shoes, would I want to massage prickly,dry and flakey skin, the answer to that is obvious.  Don't worry about washing your hair it will be full of oils by the end of your treatment and no make up is a must, facial massage and a full face of make up are not a welcome combination in my opinion.  I made sure I made all of these steps and felt much more accepting of the idea of my massage.

After being led up a staircase dotted with candles and the scent of tea tree and eucalyptus filling the air we entered the double room where our treatments would be given.  With soothing music playing quietly the room with only two beds and two chairs, we got undressed and into the robes provided and awaited the therapists,  sipping chamomile tea.  

The lady started by placing my feet in a large bowl of warm water infused with rose oil and rose petals and left the room for a while to allow me to relax and my feet to rest whilst absorbing the oils.  On her return she dried off my feet and massaged using a rose oil foot cream, this felt amazing and I became less tense almost immediately. I then got onto the massage bed, having opted for a two hour medium strength full body massage I was slightly nervous that it could be painful and that I would get restless, oh how wrong was I!

She started from my feet and worked her way up my body using a blend of vanilla, jasmine and caramel scented argan oil depending on which area of the body she was concentrating on.  Every single inch of my body was worked on but I felt the most relaxed when my lower legs and head were the focus, it's like I could feel my body becoming more relaxed and slightly limp.  The top of my back and shoulders were extremely tense so it did become a little uncomfortable when the therapist was  concentrating on this area but not in any way painful.  Throughout the whole massage my body was covered by a towel, which was only ever repositioned so the masseuse could work on a specific area, this was so reassuring and made me feel even more at ease.  After the massage was completed she left the room so I could out my clothes back on before heading to the shop downstairs.  The walk down the dimly lit stairs was done so in what i can only describe as a dream like state, I felt like I had been asleep for hours, I was so refreshed but ever so calm.

In the shop the sales assistant was really helpful in a very 'lush' kind of way, explaining each products uses and what would suit me the best.  It was really nice to be on the receiving end of great customer service as it's something I myself am very passionate about,  I only purchased a few things this time but will definitely be getting some of the caramel and vanilla Argan Oil before I return to the UK, it smells heavenly. 

If like me you have always put off the idea of having a full body massage due to body confidence I strongly urge you to put those concerns to bed.  The therapists do not care what shape and size you are, they see all sorts in those treatment rooms and in my experience are completely professional and understand that you may be nervous.  We all need to indulge in a little bit of pampering every now and then,  massage is definitely is one of life's luxuries.

How do you feel about Massage, an invasion of privacy or a pampering treat?

Body confidence

Life - These Unflattering Mirrors Reflect Imperfectly What Is Within

4:50:00 pm

Recently everyone has been talking about New Years resolutions and goals for 2014, I hadn't really thought about it until tonight.  I asked myself what do I want from 2014 and one of the first things that popped into my head was to be more body confident, inside and out.

Now don't get me wrong I don't hate my body, I don't think I even dislike it all.  There's just some little things that I wouldn't mind improving, there is only so much firming a pair of control knickers can do! These are;

1.To be more toned all over, not thinner or skinnier just more firm, so that when I was dancing recreating Beyonce's Love on Top dance routine in my living room, I was less wobbly.

2.To look after my nails and stop biting them to improve the appearance so that I could actually use all the pretty nail polishes I own instead of them just being a decoration in my bedroom

3.To pay more attention to my feet because lets face it feet get neglected in the winter and now that I'm living in a warmer country sandals can be a more regular choice of footwear.

4.Stop over thinking and worrying about things that have happened or might never even happen

5.To be thankful for everything and everyone in my life

These are all things that I can easily change with a little hard work and determination.  With these tiny little goals I realised how much more comfortable I have become in my own skin.  Last year I would have written a whole list of things I wanted to change, and criticised myself if I did not do anything to improve them.  Now I feel like I will try to improve what I already have and if I try and do not succeed at least I have tried my best.

Here I am giving my best 'Female Boss' impression, I chose to add this photo because I like it and was one of the first photos of myself, that was taken by someone else, that I liked and didn't instantly want to say 'don't you dare put that on the internet'.

Now that I shared the things I would like to improve, in order to be more positive(oh did you spot another goal for 2014, 10 points for you), I will share with you five things that I like about my body.  These are;

1. My hair, I love how long I have been able to grow it, that it is in good condition and the colour.

2. My breasts, they are in proportion to my body shape, they look nice in a bra, and to be honest not too bad out of one either, but most importantly to me they make me feel feminine.

3. My tattooes are one of my favourite things, I love knowing that I have designed every single one and nobody in the world has exactly the same ones as me, they are special to me.

4. I am a loyal friend, all of my friends are special to me, every single one.  Each friend is special, for different reasons but I love them all dearly and will be your friend forever, as long as you don't screw me over.

5.I  enjoy my own company, this may sound weird to some people but to me it is normal.  I am an only child and having never lived with any siblings I have always spent a lot of time on my own, I honestly think that's why I can be more creative on my own.  There is nothing I enjoy more than sitting at the beach or in a coffee shop with my music playing and writing in my notebook, that I think is something to cherish, quiet time.

In order to keep myself focused and realistic I have decided that once a day I will search the internet for a quote, because everyone loves a quote, to inspire me.  I will try to remember to post these on twitter and facebook,  but below are a few that I have found already.

'To me beauty is about being comfortable in your own skin, its about knowing and accepting who you are'

'A new year is unfolding like a blossom with petals curled tightly concealing the beauty within'

'Beauty is being the best possible version of you on the inside and out'

'Beauty is what you feel about yourself not about what you see in the mirror'

I need to give a special mention to Callie who's blog From the Corners of The Curve is one of my favourites and continues to inspire me with every outfit post.  It was because of THIS post that got me thinking about how I feel about my own body, I could relate to everything that was written so much. I just want to say thank you.


Gemma
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