A comfortable B & B in the heart of Inverness, Scotland
THERAPIES
What better way to end a busy day of shopping, walking, fishing, cycling or sight-seeing, than with a relaxing therapy to release tensions. As a qualified Nutritional Therapist, Val Skelton tries to put into practice the principles of NT in the Guest House. Healthy, organic, free-range food is sourced locally where possible.
Val trained originally as a nurse with extensive experience of both intensive care nursing and as a practice nurse in a busy Inner London medical practice.
Bringing up children later on, she found that traditional medicine did not meet all of her needs, and she turned increasingly towards complementary therapies, qualifying as a Reflexologist in 1993 and going on to obtain a BSc in Nutritional Therapy in 2003. She is also qualified to practise in Lymphatic Massage and Indian Head Massage.
For many years she ran a busy therapy practice in Surrey and small clinic has now been built in the grounds of Mardon specifically to offer this service to guests and the local population.
What is on offer?
Reflexology
Indian Head Massage
Immuno-Lymphatic Therapy
Nutritional Therapy
WHAT IS REFLEXOLOGY ?
Reflexology is a foot massage but gives benefit to the whole body.
It does this in two ways
1. By balancing energies and restoring equilibrium
2. By locating energy congestions in specific parts of the body, caused by under or over activity,
Reflexology stimulates the defence and restorative mechanisms in the body to heal itself.
An added benefit is that Reflexology is very relaxing: it improves circulation, reduces stress, and brings the body back into harmony, thereby restoring energy levels.
What happens?
A consultation takes about an hour. After a few questions, including some background medical questions, it's socks and shoes off and time to settle comfortably on a couch.
It doesn't tickle!
A fairly firm pressure is used so it really doesn't tickle - even the most ticklish feet! Sometimes there may be a moment of discomfort when a reflex point is massaged and a congestion of energy is located. But mostly the experience is pleasurable and relaxing and it has been known for clients to fall asleep!
'Walking on air' is how some people explain how they feel afterwards.
One Hour Consultation £30 |
INDIAN HEAD MASSAGE
Indian head massage (IHM) is more than just a head massage. It includes the face neck shoulders and upper back - all areas of tension accumulation.
As a result IHM relieves stress. It can improve stress related problems such as headaches and eyestrain, back pain, high blood pressure, disturbed sleep pattern, mood swings and other emotional disturbances associated with stress, such as poor concentration. Finally it calms the spirit, promotes relaxation and leaves you with a feeling of well being.
Massage to the scalp improves blood supply to the hair follicles, by relieving muscle tension which restricts blood flow, thereby encouraging strong healthy hair.
It is safe simple and non invasive.
Consultation
A consultation takes just over half an hour and does not involve undressing. All you have to do is remove jewellery, sit comfortably in a chair with your feet on the floor and relax.
There is an option for use of aromatic oils on the hair.
30 minute session - £20
|
IMMUNO-LYMPHATIC THERAPY
Immuno-Lymphatic Therapy (ILT) is a light, gentle, relaxing 'skin moving' therapy for the face and body. It coaxes the lymphatic system into being more efficient, encouraging detoxification, decongestion and relaxation.
It is not a deep muscle penetrating massage.
Why the Lymphatic System?
When the lymphatic system is under par, or a bit sluggish, that's how you feel.
Congestion builds up. Nutrients and oxygen can't get to the tissues. Cells don't work properly. Waste products can't be dispersed. Everything gets clogged up. The lymphatic system controls fluid balance, gets rid of waste products, old cells and debris.
How does ILT help?
The lymphatic vessels and glands are all over the body. By massaging the surface vessels (just under the skin) the deeper vessels are stimulated too, like the ripple effect in water encouraging the whole system to flow better allowing the body to use it’s own healing mechanisms.
Other Benefits.
There is a beneficial effect on the Immune System. This can help auto-immune conditions by regulating and normalising the immune response. The knock on effect to the Nervous System can reduce pain especially when caused by inflammation, (which can create fluid retention.) The detoxifying effect of removing congested fluid and waste products makes the body more efficient. It may have the result of going to the toilet more frequently in the course of the evening after treatment.
And of course it is very relaxing!
Treatment
A general face and body treatment takes about an hour.
After a variety of questions to ensure there are no contraindications to treatment, settling under warm towels, in only your underpants, is all that is required.
Ideally regular treatments are best, but a one off treatment can be beneficial, relaxing, and can help you feel 'amazing' (to quote a client).
Remedial treatments for specific areas of the body (eg. Lymphoedema), can take less time but may need to be more frequent.
One Hour £30 |
NUTRITIONAL THERAPY
As a qualified Nutritional Therapist, I try to put into practice what I preach and in our Guest House we use healthy, locally produced organic free-range food where possible.
Special diets can be catered for, including wheat, dairy and gluten free, other allergies, vegetarian and vegan.
Using food as medicine is as old as Hippocrates, and today the symptoms of many chronic diseases can be improved by changing eating patterns, and correcting some nutritional deficiencies which can build up over years. However it is not necessarily a quick fix. There is no such thing as a magic bullet.
A consultation can take up to 2 hours, before which a detailed questionnaire, including a medical history and a food diary needs to be completed and returned.
Recommendations may include functional tests to identify problems, and supplementation (neither included in the consultation fee) as well as changes in eating habits. The consultation involves explanation, education and hopefully understanding of how a medical situation arose and what can be done to help.
This may not be an appropriate therapy for someone on holiday, but I'm happy to discuss nutrition in a general way and point someone in the direction of another nutritional therapist nearer to home, for closer supervision.
2 hour consultation £70 |  |
|
James and Angela McIlraith, Mardon, 37 Kenneth Street, Inverness IV3 5DH
Telephone: +44 (0) 1463 231005 Mobile: +44 (0) 7963681894
enquiries@mardonguesthouse.co.uk
|
