I looked visibly younger: one hour in the hands of Mami Tsang at the Chi Yu Wellness Centre in London’s Marylebone, and this gentle, expert healer had relaxed my mind and body to such an extent that my face actually looked like a couple of years had been taken off. The calming, natural décor reflects the centre’s core Japanese philosophy of shizen chiyu ryoku, which believes in the body’s ability to self heal. I don’t know who was doing the healing during my session – the therapist or my body – but there was certainly a lot of it going on.

The calming, natural décor at Chi Yu...

Like so many hard working London women, I’ve tried numerous alternative healing centres in my search for a decent massage. Sprawled across couches or massage beds in beauty salons, yoga centres, spas or therapy centres – I have always come out relaxed, yet never quite satisfied. Somehow the tension is eased, but never completely released. At Chi Yu, however, I was moved and physically changed by a masseuse in a way that I didn’t even know was possible.

In fact, Mami Tsang is more than a masseuse. Her Chi Yu centre specialises in integrated therapy, which means you get to pick and mix the treatments you receive. Rather than burdening clients with the impossible task of choosing between acupuncture, massage, craniosacral therapy or holistic facial treatments, Mami is happy to offer a combination of therapies so that no tension is left untouched. The result is a smooth journey of relaxation that oscillates between intense and more subtle healing sessions to completely relax mind, body and soul.

The experience starts with a complimentary cup of JING tea in the lounge area. Even completing the health forms – with ticks and crosses for my various body aches and pains – becomes a more relaxing experience as I prepare myself for the impending journey. Mami places great importance on understanding her clients, so be sure to arrive a good 10 minutes before your first appointment so you can talk through your lifestyle and treatment requirements.

As for the therapy session, I am at a loss when it comes to accurately describing releasing my sense of self during a long, seamless decent into deeper relaxation. I believe it started with a deep tissue back massage and acupuncture, and then I recall coming back into reality to feel citrus oil massaged into my lips, and a gentle rice bran wash exfoliating my skin. I lost myself a little during the craniosacral therapy, but Mami brought me back down to earth with a gentle massage. Before I knew it, the hour’s session was over, and I felt that Mami had skilfully lifted the tensions both emotionally and physically out of my body.

As you can probably tell, Chi Yu comes very highly recommended. It’s just a shame that this kind of healing is often only an occasional treat; if only everyone could regularly enjoy such blissful release from their tensions, worries and stress – I can’t help but feel that the world would be a better place.

More information is available on the Chi Yu Wellness Centre website.