Winter is most definitely having its wicked way up and down the country, and now the bitter temperatures are damaging our skin and dampening our moods.
Half a million Kiwis suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder, otherwise known as the ‘winter blues’. When lethargy and sluggishness take hold, rather than hibernating or over-indulging in comfort food, you could consider turning to massage or special body
-focused treatments for a mood boost.
Scientific research indicates that massage can help reduce stress, anxiety and depression by increasing the body’s ‘feel good’ chemicals and reducing stress hormones. Combine that with the surge in pain relieving endorphins and you’ve got an almighty, all-natural mood enhancer.
One of the best places in town for a truly feel-good-all-over, winter body treat is Aroha Healing in Maidstone Street, where the amazing Rosanna Marks metes out some truly exceptional massage-related experiences to all those lucky enough to walk through her door. One of her picks for giving your bod some love in the cooler months is by booking in for an Aroha Rocks Hawaiian ili ili hot stone fused with miri miri - traditional Maori - massage. “Aroha Rocks is designed to melt away some of the body’s holding patterns,” she says, “like tight, tense muscles or muscular strain. Hot stone massage is an ancient therapeutic treatment that dates back thousands of years to the Middle East, whilst the ancient Hawaiian Kahuna incorporated hot stones into their massage - lomi ili ili translates to ‘flat pebble massage’.
Hawaiian ili ili hot stone massage is a beautiful flowing massage ritual that is deeply relaxing in the extreme! The special treatment session closes with a gentle chakra balancing, so you leave quite literally walking on air. Rosanna and her partner Benton are also offering an Aroha Healing Candle and wintertime massage combo for the season that incorporates
a beautiful fusion of their 75-minute signature massage with an added hot rocks treatment for the back. You then choose a medium-size candle from their collection at the end of the massage to take home a little extra bliss with you. It’s just $149 for the two, and you can tack on a coconut back scrub beforehand for an extra $30.
Another local beauty haven that has created a treatment especially for winter is Forme Spa in Spring Street, and it has to be tried and tested to be believed. Called Island Breeze, it’s an 80-minute tropical sensation that will set you back just $159 - i.e. cheaper than a long weekend in Fiji by far! It starts with a full-body dry body brush to stimulate and exfoliate, and a beautiful custom-made body scrub for extra oomph. This is showered off and then followed by a one hour revitalising massage using a unique blend of essential oils jasmine, ylang ylang and citrus, combined with coconut found in the tropics for Forme by New Zealand beauty company Verite Spa. This is all finished off with a warm coconut oil scalp massage to not only relax you but also nourish your hair, and leave you feeling one step away from an imaginary pool cabana!
Another body-focused necessity for winter, in my opinion, is a melanoma check. The Ministry of Health says New Zealand has one of the highest rates of melanoma in the world, yet a new survey conducted by the Skin Institute shows there are still many Kiwis that aren’t taking sun safety seriously.
The survey, which looked into how sun -safe Kiwis are, revealed that one third of the respondents expose themselves to the sun without any protection to get vitamin D. Surprisingly, almost one in five said they go out in the sun unprotected because they want to get a tan! Dr Mark Gray from the Skin Institute says: “Given that New Zealand has such a high prevalence of melanomas, these figures are really disappointing to hear
- especially when you have to face those that are affected by skin cancer on a daily basis.”
They also explored whether Kiwis were carrying out regular mole, freckle and skin checks regularly. The survey reported more than half of the respondents (55%) said they have never had their moles, freckles or skin checked by a medical professional and only 14% said they have an annual check. This was a concerning result, especially as 40% of respondents said they did not know or were not sure what an unusual mole looked like.
“Currently an estimated 1 in 15 Kiwis are expected to develop a melanoma in New Zealand,” says Dr. Gray. “We want to reduce the sheer number of people that are affected by skin cancer, so encourage everyone to have regular skin checks to be aware of the signs. Early detection is our best chance of cure.”
Currently celebrating its 20th anniversary, the Skin Institute has a range of services and treatments, including full body skin assessments and the surgical removal of skin cancers - including Mohs Micrographic Surgery. So what are you waiting for? Care for your body and your mind, and they will return the favour. (HELENE RAVLICH)
www.arohahealing.co.nz www.skininstitute.co.nz www.formespa.co.nz