Rossbeigh Therapies

After a week's holiday, I was feeling refreshed and raring to go as I returned to my desk at the Evening Press. But after a hectic day back in the features department, not least sorting out a week's worth of mail and messages, I was worn out.

My neck felt tense, my shoulders as weighed down as my in-tray.

Even an early night failed to ease the tightness of my upper body.

As I walked to work the following day, I was looking forward to my appointment with Jennifer Barnes, an alternative therapist in York who offers Champissage - an ancient Indian form of head massage.

"It's where the word shampoo comes from," explained Jennifer. "The Hindi word Champi means head massage."

Massage has played an important part in Indian life for more than 4,000 years. It is used to strengthen muscles and firm skin but also to encourage the body's natural healing abilities, she said.

Even today, massage still plays a big role in Indian culture. Head massage was originally developed by women who used oils with it to help keep their hair strong and in good condition.

She said the system of Champissage was developed by an Indian man, Narendra Mehta, who turned it into a holistic therapy to help treat the stresses and strains of modern life.

After reading about Champissage in a national magazine, Jennifer, who has been practising aromatherapy and therapeutic massage in York for four years, enrolled in a course to learn the technique.

She now offers 30-minute sessions, coming to your home or place of work. "The great thing about Champissage is that you can do it anywhere," says Jennifer. "You keep your clothes on. All you need is a chair to sit on."

She will tailor the session to the needs of the client, for example offering a 15 or 20 minute massage at lunchtime.

"It can be easily edited for a quick pick me up," she said.

To prove her point, she came to the Evening Press office to try it out on me.

She says she was attracted to the technique because she felt the head area was neglected by more traditional massage.

"If you have a full body massage, although there's a bit of work done to the scalp, it tends to be fairly minimal.

"You might not feel your head and face are feeling tension, but the scalp can get tight and the muscles at the back of your head can tense up. Massage can help loosen it and help you relax."

Concentrating on the upper back, arms, neck, head and face, Jennifer says Champissage can help relax muscles, relieve tension and stiffness, help with eye strain, jaw ache, sinusitis and sleeping problems as well as boost levels of alertness and concentration.

It can also restore joint mobility and promote hair growth. Note it is not a therapy for hair loss, or premature greying.

"It's a head massage, not hair massage," stresses Jennifer. "It doesn't matter whether you have hair or not.

"It won't cure baldness - I wish it could, I'd make a fortune. But I believe because it stimulates the scalp it can help promote healthy hair growth."

During my massage, Jennifer began work on my upper back and shoulders, slowly kneading the muscles and doing gentle karate chops across them.

She then soothed away the tension in my neck, before moving her attention to my head.

She worked gently and briskly around my head, alternating between quick, brush strokes across my scalp and pushing her fingertips into my cheek and jaw bones. She also tweaked my ears lobes.

The entire experience was deeply relaxing. When it was over I felt calm but alert. The tension in my upper body had left.

The only drawback was I felt the rest of my back had missed out on a massage, and the muscles in my middle and lower back - as if in protest at missing out on a work over - ached for the rest of the day.

However, Jennifer is trained in full body massage and is happy to tailor her treatment to your specific needs.

She can come to your home or your workplace. A group of employees can have a shorter Champissage for £10 each. Alternatively, she's happy to visit a group of friends at home, talk to them about the therapy then treat them all afterwards.