Beauty

An Ayurvedic massage at Mulberry House, Edinburgh is a hypnotic experience

An Ayurvedic massage at Mulberry House, Edinburgh

The treatment

Ayurvedic Head and Face Massage with Louise Dodds at Mulberry House, Edinburgh, 45 minutes for £50. Dodds is currently available on Saturdays only.

Why go?

If you’re feeling a bit under the weather, try the ancient Indian medicine of Ayurveda. Practitioner Louise Dodds can deal with specific complaints, or give you a general de-stressing and balancing treatment.

Our spy says

In order to diagnose my dosha, and work out what I’m deficient in, Louise looks at my tongue (argh, embarrassing, especially since I’ve just quaffed a green smoothie), takes my pulse and asks a few questions about my sleep patterns and general health.

The results will be revealed as part of the aftercare bit.

It’s best not to wear make-up to this appointment, though you can remove it while you’re there. (Louise doesn’t go near your eyes, so you’d probably get away with mascara).

Fresh faced, I’m onto the treatment table, alongside a shelf covered in the oils that I will be basted in.

Ayurveda, as I’ve discovered before, is big on the greasy stuff.

Louise is going to use sesame oil on my face and something called kumari oil on my hair. Apparently, the latter is often used therapeutically as a sort of women’s tonic, but it’s also good for conditioning one’s mane.

It’s drizzled into my hairline, and I feel it seeping along my roots as Louise massages it in. She uses circular movements and whisks along my scalp, both in order to stimulate energy or marma points.

My head is turned to one side, then the other, so she can rub along the sides of my neck.

Next my face is worked on, with Louise pressing palms against my cheeks, then tracing my jawline and pressing, as if anchoring at the end of the movement. One finger smooths along my upper lip, the other goes in the opposite direction on my lower lip. It’s all very hypnotic.

I’m at the cusp of dropping off when the treatment ends.

Once up and dressed, looking like an oiled bird in a wildlife sanctuary, Louise suggests that I need less kapha – the air element. I should eat warm food, and have hot drinks, to balance my doshas.

The results

I feel extremely spaced out, as this treatment shushed my buzzy brain. I also smell like Sesame Snaps, though I will be swerving them in favour of porridge, as per Louise’s instructions. (Also, top tip, when removing the kumari oil from your hair, rub shampoo into your scalp BEFORE adding water, lathering and rinsing, or you’ll be greasy for days).

Mulberry House (21 Manor Place, Edinburgh, 0131-225 2012, www.mulberryhouse.co.uk)