RECREATION
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aving broken his back after falling out of a tree about two years ago, Matthew McGuire takes his massages seriously. “I still have a titanium rod in my spine,” he says. “The reason I get massages is somewhat for muscle soreness when I work out, but more to relax my back after the surgery.” The 46-year-old American typically visits therapists near his office or home for a simple shiatsu-style massage. “It’s quite no-frills,” he explains, “a neighborhood guy who works out the knots in your back or wherever you’re sore.” But one Sunday in August, McGuire headed to the Club for a new massage treatment being offered at The Spa. Met by personal trainer and massage therapist Hideaki Hongo, McGuire spent the next hour receiving a sports aromatherapy massage treatment. Launched in August, the treatment came about after a number of swimmers from the Sky Pool’s masters swim program, including McGuire, were breakfasting together at the Club after a training session in June. “Most of the swimmers have some kind of routine where they get a massage on a regular basis,” McGuire says. “Everyone has got a different place and shares tips about what’s cheap and good. And somebody at the breakfast table one day said, ‘Don’t they have a sports massage at The Spa here?’”
and mental benefits of combining a massage with essential oils, he also works with athletes, including professional marathoners and cyclists. A treatment begins with a consultation to find out a person’s lifestyle and condition. Once Hongo, 29, knows what ailments or aches he’s dealing with, he blends the necessary oils, which are inhaled and absorbed through the skin. For McGuire, he says he used nutmeg to stimulate the circulation and warm up the muscles, rosemary, eucalyptus and lemon for pain relief and to boost the immune system and a little ginger to help loosen McGuire’s back. “For example, in food, if you marinate meat with nutmeg, basil or rosemary, these kinds of herbs, [the meat] gets softer,” Hongo says. “I can see when I give a massage that the muscles are already warm, which means that the blood is circulating and the muscles get softer immediately. And for the clients, it’s easier to feel [the difference] and move afterwards.” Once the oils have been mixed, Hongo begins the full-body massage, starting from the feet. Aromatherapy massage, he explains, can soothe, relax, enable the body to heal itself and leave a person feeling positive and energized. “It was good,” McGuire says of the treatment. “The service here is much more akin to the quality you’d get in a six-star hotel. I was very surprised. I had never been behind the front door there. It’s a terrific setup there—the views are beautiful, the rooms are beautiful.” A keen sportsman and a fan of deep-tissue massages, Member Russell Anderson received his treatment after an intense weekend of golf. “The ambience was good and the approach was professional,” he says. But the treatment isn’t just for fitness fanatics. Hongo says he can also help those suffering from stiff shoulders, headaches and other symptoms of a sedentary lifestyle. “I like to help these kinds of problems,” he says. o
Whether you’re recovering from a muscle-burning workout or are suffering from too many hours at the keyboard, The Spa has the ultimate treatment. After discovering that there wasn’t such a service at the Club, McGuire contacted Recreation Assistant Director Susanna Yung and proposed the idea. Hongo, who has practiced Japanese seitai massage for a number of years, began studying aromatherapy massage about three years ago. Aside from introducing Members to the physical
To book a sports aromatherapy massage treatment, contact The Spa at 03-4588-0714 or spa@tac-club.org.
Fitness and well-being 19