A recent survey has shown that massaging babies helps them gain weight more quickly…but in fact it is known (anecdotally rather than scientifically) that babies who are NOT touched can die. I have seen how tiny scraps of humanity abandoned on the doorstep of the Mother Teresa home in Calcutta are kept alive, not just by being cleaned and fed but by constant holding, cuddling and touching. Touch is one of the most powerful of treatments.
Remember falling over as a child the first thing we did was rub the area affected, our mothers told us that we could kiss pains, aches and cuts better…and of course, everything felt so much better when it was touched, stroked and soothed. Little wonder that massage is the most important and most frequently booked treatment at spas throughout the world. We all need to be touched.
I am sure that one of the reasons for the extraordinary growth in the number of spas over the last few decades, is because so many of us live alone – by choice or through bereavement or divorce., and consequently don’t have the opportunity to touch and be touched. Visit a spa and you can enjoy the power of touch to your heart’s content – massage, wraps, manicures, facials a spa provides the lot and all are therapeutic.
Which is why the only thing that really matters at any spa…is the person who touches your body, your therapist. Of course beautiful decor, luxury beds, gowns and towels, sweet scents, low lights, gentle sounds and delicious smells all help to make a great experience, but at the end of the day, the only one of our senses that is truly important is that of touch.
