H E A LT H A N D BEAUTY
WE ENCODE OUR PROBLEMS ONTO OUR BODIES IN A MAP OF MUSCULAR KNOTS, ACHES, SPASMS AND STIFFNESS Massage therapist Trinh Nguyen throws her weight around
RUB AWAY THE STRESS
Healing massage therapy in the heart of Salisbury offers a salve to your weary body and mind By TA M A R A PI T E L E N Photo s by JOH N ROSE
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lissfully melted. This is the phrase that best sums up how I felt about 20 minutes ago at the end of a healing massage therapy session with Trinh Nguyen. Earlier this afternoon, when I had walked up the stairs of Mimosa Massage Therapy at 4 St Thomas’ Square, I was like a lump of stale, hard cheddar, dried with age. By the time I left, I felt like a soft Camembert that’s been left at room temperature on a sunny day. Having trained in the art of healing massage with Buddhist monks in her home country of Vietnam, Trinh views massage as a healing therapy for body and mind. As her nimble fingers skilfully knead out the knots in your shoulders and back, at some level she’s also working on the emotions that tied them there. This could be anything from
job stress to money worries and relationship pressures… one of the many myriad issues that the average person living on planet Earth copes with every day. Or doesn’t cope with, which is when we encode our problems onto our bodies in a map of muscular knots, aches, spasms and stiffness. Left unaddressed, they can lead to a plethora of other conditions, from joint pain to migraines. In the 90 minutes I had with Trinh, there were times I felt so delicious that I floated off on a fluffy cloud. Other moments however were much more challenging as she worked on a particularly stubborn knot. But oh, when that knot releases, something in you shifts and the relief is palpable. For me, the issues were in very knotted shoulders and a sciatica nerve that reached into my gluteal muscle. I won’t lie. When Trinh got to work on my left buttock, it proper hurt. At least I thought it did. I was gripping the bed and letting out small cries of pain but apparently this was nothing
compared to some of her clients for whom it feels “like a tiger biting the behind,” Trinh told me later. Goodness. On the plus side, my spine was in good condition, according to Trinh. It’s the first thing she checks at the start of a session. On the look out for crooked spines and anything out of the ordinary, spine-wise, Trinh specialises in conditions such as spondylosis, slipped discs, sciatica, and persistent lower back pain. She’s also a dab hand with headaches and shows me a simple technique for addressing them. You basically press into both temples and push or pull upwards, depending on whether you’re doing it to yourself or someone else. Trinh also uses a lot of healing oils in her work. At one point, she asked me to deeply inhale a special balm three times. It was a strong, heady but pleasant fragrance that I could almost feel permeating my brain. Trinh moved to the UK from Vietnam in 2013. She came here with her British husband and in June this year, she opened Mimosa Massage Therapy alongside her friend and business partner Cheryl Dunford. The women share the premises at 4 St Thomas’ Square although Cheryl focuses on craniosacral therapy and meditation. Together, they are a sanctuary of wellness and calm in the midst of Salisbury’s hustle and bustle. So if you’re feeling a little worn or weary from life’s demands, go and see Trinh. Trinh Nguyen offers massage therapy sessions for 30, 60 or 90 minutes including: Healing massage; Thai massage; deep tissue; back, neck, shoulder and head; persistent lower back pain; relaxing, spondylosis treatment and back; slipped disc and back, sciatica nerve and back, and foot massage. Monday to Saturday, 10am to 8pm; 07469 210 392; mimosatherapy@outlook.com
www.mediaclash.co.uk I SALISBURY LIFE I 53