Monday, December 01, 2008

Aromatherapy & Rolfing


I have highlighted my favourite massage place before, its Cha'ya at Mont Kiara. Some of you might have come across "rolfing" which was featured in an Oprah show featuring Dr. Oz. Rolfing or Structural Integration is a hands-on manipulation developed by Ida P. Rolf 50 years ago. It works on the connective tissue to release, realign and balance the whole body. Rolfing enhances your posture and freedom of movement. It can resolve pain and discomfort from many different causes, including back pain, repetitive motion injury, trauma, and aging. Rolfing is also an excellent foundation for and complement to yoga, pilates and other personal wellness practices.

Why am I mentioning this? Well, there is now an expert (properly qualified) at Cha'ya. I think her name is Cindy. You should go there for a normal aromatherapy massage and you can ask for a free consultation on rolfing. Most of us have bad posture from the way we sit, we sleep ... the end result are some niggling pain and just bad posture, which will aggravate the muscles if we were to work out or do sports without proper rolfing. The best part is the realignment of your spine. Please note that rolfing is NOT like visiting a chiropractor (who has more to do with bones). Rolfing has more to do with re-educating muscles.
I tried it, my posture improved and it is something we should do once every few months. Give it a try.

Cha'ya - My Favourite Massage Place

Considering the number of professional and authentic massage places available in KL alone, its very hard to stand out. I'm just basing my choice on the massage quality, ambience and end result. I don't want excessive service, or excessive pampering ... or walking through stone pebbled paths with Bali waterfalls, followed by a few people bowing at you... blah-blah. I am just here to get rid of stress.

Cha'ya get all the ticks in my book. It uses aromatic oils, but everyone should beware of places that offer "cheaper" prices because using authentic aromatherapy oils will not be cheap. I believe they source theirs from NZ and Australia. Poor quality oils will do you more harm and clog pores.
The massuers, well, they are the best, "strong and firm" ladies from Sarawak/Sabah only.

Its not a big place, it has about 5 rooms, so reservations are necessary. The place is certainly not intimidating and very welcoming for first timers. They have a menu using different aromatic oil combinations for different persuasions - e.g. stress, insomnia, high blood pressure, pre-natal, post-natal, fatigue, etc. They take the medicinal effects of these essential oils seriously.


Its not exactly cheap, but to me its well worth the no-hassle policy. At least you are not paying for over-the-top pampering and knick-knacks. 1.5 hours massage will set you back RM150, but they have good packages on offer.
Its great for the weekend, pre-book your self a massage, have coffee at Starbucks, roam the weekend market stalls at Mont Kiara courtyard, then go for your massage, come back out, tapau' food from the stalls for dinner...

Cha'ya
Remedial Touch Aromatherapy Centre
3rd Floor, Suite B-03-01, BLOCK B, Mont Kiara, Jalan 1/70C
Tel: 03-62034500

p/s photo: Ruby Lin Xin Ru

2 comments:

May said...

Please check if the Rolfing ™ Structural Integration practitioner is certified by the Rolf Institute. You can verify the Rolfer at http://www.rolf.org/find There are only 3 certified Rolfer in Malaysia and none of them is named Cindy. There are also a few Structural Integration practitioners in Malaysia who are trained by the Guild of Structural Integration. Please make sure you know the qualification of your practitioner.

Unknown said...

Many thanks Salvador Dali for your posting and recommendation. The Rolfing therapist you mentioned was me, Nicki. I no longer practise at Cah'ya and have moved a few doors away to Mont Kiara now. I can be reached at nickiooi@rolfwork.my