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Mission:The battle to keep warm
Sarah Warden21/10/2005
DURING Thailand's Ayutthaya period, from the 14th to 18th
Centuries, soldiers returning from war had their aches and pains
relieved with a hot poultice.
Being prone to getting cold and sluggish as the days draw in, I was
challenged to go and warm up in preparation for winter by getting
the same treatment as the soldiers, offered at the Lowry Hotel Spa
as one of its signature treatments - Samunprai, the herbal heat
energiser.
Of course I hadn't had to fight any battles before arriving at the
spa, so I had a better starting point than the soldiers, but I was
certainly transported to Thailand pretty quickly by the smell of
lemongrass, lime and ginger coming from the poultice which was
steaming away in a corner, giving the odour of a Thai restaurant
with none of the fat.
The basic idea of the treatment was explained to me - apparently
the idea is that the heat from the steamed herbs has a medicinal
effect on the muscles, so using the poultice has a beneficial
effect on war-torn limbs and prepares them to be massaged
better.
I was informed that as well as warming me up literally, with the
hot poultice, the treatment would be energising, as the massage
accompanying the use of the poultice would involve peppermint and
madarin oils.
For a few moments there seemed to be a chance that the energising
might work as my therapist got started by welcoming me to her room
in Thai and using a refreshing flannel to wipe my hands and feet,
which is apparently the traditional start to the treatment.
But once I lay down, extreme relaxation crept in.
The poultice was about as hot as I could stand and was firmly
ground into my muscles, one limb at a time.
And the massage which followed was superbly relaxing and I was so
cosy I almost fell asleep.
I was definitely warm and felt like cheering as the poultice gave
me that real, comfortable inner warmth which is never quite
achievable in winter. The peppermint in the massage oil made the
warmth come with a bit of a zing, which was probably all that
stopped me from falling asleep.
The treatment ended with a tasty herbal tea, and I left the Lowry
feeling like I was glowing with heat on a drizzly autumn day.
And unlike the soldiers the treatment was designed for, I hadn't
had to go through the wars to feel that way.
The Lowry Hotel, 50 Dearmans Place, Chapel Wharf,
Manchester 0161 827 4034
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