Maria Hopgood - Massage Therapist & Reflexologist

I am a married mother of three beautiful children and a grandmother of one beautiful grandchild I am also fully qualified, trained and insured to offer high quality, professional treatments in Massage, Full Body Massage, Back & Neck Massage and Reflexology. I am a member of the Complementary Therapists Association (CThA) & Self Employed Professionals Association. I operate in the comfort of my client's home . I cover areas around bexleyheath. I am available during the day, weekends and evenings. I like to treat my clients promptly if they are requiring treatments and will do my best to treat them as soon as possible.

I am fully committed to promote and make aware to the general public the importance of Massage and Reflexology to our general well being. Hence, my treatment motto "it's a neccesity and not a luxury".

• Full Body Massage (60 Mins- £35 )
• Reflexology ( 50-60 Mins - £30)
• Back & Neck Massage (30 Mins - £20)
• paraffin waxing hands ( £15 )
• paraffing waxing feet   ( £15 )
• Ear Candling         ( £18 )
• Ear piercing        ( £ 10 )

Massage, without a doubt, is for everyone! Following a massage, many people will experience the sense of being a connected whole as opposed to a disconnected series of parts. Massage provides balance, especially if the person giving the massage is concentrating and using their energy effectively. If you are feeling over-stimulated, massage can help sedate and calm, or if you are feeling sluggish, it can help to wake you up. It can also be used to help specific problems, such as back and shoulder aches, period pains, coughs, headaches, etc, and can be used as part of the process of recuperation after injury or illness. Massage can be used before or after sport or exercise, to help the body warm up, or to relax and tone the muscles afterwards, preventing stiffness the next day. By helping tone the muscles massage can help as part of a fitness or beauty programme, while the use of oils combined with massage will stimulate cell renewal and improve the elasticity of the skin.

Tension accounts for a lot more problem then we perhaps realise. Most people nowadays are suffering from one form of stress-related or another. This can be felt as physical tension, resulting in tight, knotted muscles, or mental over activity and anxiety, which will then affect the body function. For anyone who is suffering from stress, massage can help reduce the physical effects of tension, and calm the mind and emotions, while restoring vital energy. The touch and attention of massage helps deal with the stress. The connection between mind and body is such that being in good shape, physically, affects the mind, and being mentally relaxed helps your body to function better.

Reflexology is suitable for all. Many people use reflexology as a means of relaxing the mind and body and it has been shown to be an effective tool for:

• stress related conditions
• sleep disorders
• back pain
• migraine
• infertility
• sleep disorders
• digestive disorders
• hormonal imbalances
• arthritis

With stress being so prevalent in our society today, this gentle, soothing therapy provides a method of stress release that can help on a physical, mental and emotional level.

Paraffin Waxing: Hands and Feet

Dry, chapped hands … cracked heels … rough calluses on the hands and feet … all of these need a treatment that can moisturize and soften the skin. Luckily, paraffin wax is a viable beauty treatment suited for just these particular purposes. Whether you work outside for a living or use or wash your hands a lot, hands and feet can take quite a beating. Add dry, winterized weather to this scenario and you can be talking about some painful hands and feet that have been exposed to abuse and the weather. A paraffin wax helps restore some moisture to the skin and in return yields a softness that is so touchable.

So what exactly is a paraffin wax treatment? It is almost like it sounds. It is a wax that is melted to a certain temperature. Once melted, you can dip your hand or foot into the wax to coat it. Once you pull your hand or foot out, you’ll notice that the paraffin slowly starts to cool off and conform to the contours of that particular body part. It can be likened to a tight-fitting glove on a hand. Once the wax starts to cool off, you can dip your hand or foot in again to form another drying wax layer.

As your hands or feet start to cool off from the wax, you will want to cover them up with special mittens or with a thick, clean towel. This action will trap the heat from the paraffin wax for a longer period of time. And what exactly does this heat from the wax do for your skin and body? The heat eases muscle aches and even helps joint pain from such diseases as arthritis and fibromyalgia. This paraffin waxing event also increases the blood circulation in your body and improves skin tone. In addition, the skin’s pores open a little more which allows the moisturizing properties to seep into the skin. The result is softer, pliable skin. It is just a relaxing, healing experience.

Ear candling has a very consistent track record of success. Helping people with problems like: sinus congestion, colds, flu, sore throats, ear aches, ear infections, sinus infections, lymphatic congestion, swollen glands, snoring, vertigo, balance, tinnitus, allergy symptoms, asthma, bronchitis, most hearing difficulties, ear pressure when flying or diving. That’s only the beginning of the list of benefits.

With the ear candle inserted into the ear, the heat from the flame creates a stimulating, soothing, warming effect. The mechanics of this process are energetic in nature. Adding heat to the system, especially in such a subtle way, results in a stimulation of lymphatic drainage (swelling goes down); in burning off excess mucus in middle and inner ear, sinuses and nose (breathing improves); in increasing mobility and effectiveness of the white blood cells (improved immune response); in stimulating the pituitary gland (controls glandular system). Ear candling strengthens the bodily systems through balancing the energetic system.

It depends upon what your initial complaint is and how long it has bothered you. The common denominator is that the real power of ear candling comes from repeat treatments. Each additional treatment brings your body to a higher state of well being which after several sessions typically leaves you with an improved state of health.

Long term symptoms are usually best treated with 4-6 sessions of 2-4 ear candles per ear over a 6 week period, followed by several monthly treatments until the desired level of symptom relief has been reached. Great improvements in symptoms are noted early on in the treatment, sometimes even after one session.

A maintenance schedule, in the absence of particular symptoms, of 3-4 treatments a year does wonders to keep a person healthy.

PHONE: 07752349093

EMAIL: mariahopgood@yahoo.co.uk