Have you ever wondered how something as comforting and relaxing as an Ayurvedic whole-body massage can leave your mind and body feeling genuinely restored?

The idea behind it is simple. Ayurvedic massage works to settle the nervous system and release the tension that builds up in the body over weeks and months, so you come out of it feeling rested rather than simply loosened up.

Oil is central to the practice. The skin is the largest organ of the body, and it responds to slow, deliberate, deeply nourishing touch — not a quick dab of cream after a shower. In Ayurvedic massage the oil does as much work as the hands.

Why choose an Ayurvedic massage?

A Swedish or relaxation massage may not give you what you’re after, or you may simply be drawn to something more holistic. Ayurvedic massage uses warm, herb-infused oils and works with specific energy points across the body. Don’t expect a great deal of deep muscle work — this isn’t a treatment aimed at working out knots. The focus is on calming and rebalancing rather than on releasing tight muscle.

Ayurveda treats body and mind together. In Ayurvedic practice, or abhyanga, the body is understood through three doshas — Vata, Pitta and Kapha — and imbalance between them is seen as the root of ill health. It’s a traditional framework rather than a medical one, but it gives the treatment its shape and explains why no two sessions look quite the same.

What happens in a session

Before the massage begins, your therapist will talk with you about your health, your lifestyle and what you’re hoping to get from the treatment, and will choose oils and herbs on that basis.

The massage itself uses warm aromatic oils worked rhythmically into the body and sometimes the hair. The strokes vary — delicate stroking, firmer sweeps, light pinching and kneading — and the pace stays slow and unhurried throughout. Most people find it deeply settling.

Does it relieve more stress than a regular massage?

That depends on the kind of stress you mean. A traditional massage addresses the physical tension that builds up in tight muscle. Ayurvedic massage leans the other way, towards emotional and nervous-system stress. You’re unlikely to drift off while a therapist is properly working your muscles, but during an Ayurvedic treatment many people do float in and out of sleep.

What the research suggests

Massage has been studied reasonably well, and Ayurvedic massage less so. Where there is research, it points to some general benefits rather than to cures:

• Lower heart rate, blood pressure and self-reported stress after treatment
• Some relief from ongoing lower back pain
• Better sleep quality, and reduced anxiety, in several small studies
• Improved circulation and a general sense of physical ease
• Reduced muscle soreness following exercise

None of that makes massage a treatment for a medical condition. If you’re managing something specific, speak with your doctor first — massage sits alongside medical care rather than in place of it.

Why the therapist matters

A skilled therapist reads your body as she works — where you’re holding, where you flinch, where you soften — and adjusts as she goes. Touch of this kind can bring emotion to the surface, and a good therapist makes room for that without making anything of it.

Which is why it’s worth choosing someone you actually feel comfortable with. You should feel safe enough to stop thinking about being there at all. That sense of trust does more for the quality of a session than any particular technique.

Looking for a full-body oil massage in Melbourne?

Ayurvedic massage isn’t something I offer at the studio, but if what appeals to you is slow, warm, full-body oil work with real attention paid to how you’re feeling, that’s very much what my sessions are built around. Have a look at the treatments or get in touch if you’d like help working out which one suits you.

A Note on Massage Oils & Aromatherapy

For anyone wanting to bring aromatherapy into their practice at home, I recommend Perfect Potion — an Australian brand of thoughtfully-crafted massage oils and essential oil blends I’ve used and loved for years. Their range includes beautiful options suited to sensual, unhurried touch. Visit perfectpotion.com.au/TOUCHBYVENUS or use code TOUCHBYVENUS at checkout for 15% off your order.

Disclosure: I earn a small commission from Perfect Potion sales made through my link or discount code, at no extra cost to you.