Holistic Happiness: a different take on massage therapy

Most of us dread a visit to the dentist. In fact, some of the last words that come to mind are words like “happiness” and “holistic well-being”. Yet, there’s a dental practice on the Wandsworth Bridge Road which offers exactly that. Karma Dental has been around for the past 20 years, but more recently has branched out to offer holistic well-being treatments too. And we reckon they’re on to a winner.

Ellie Blair is a massage therapist who places the emphasis on therapy. She is a passionate advocate of holistic medicine who firmly believes all her treatments should benefit mind and spirit as well as your body. Having studied various alternative therapies for the past 20 years, progressing from Reiki through to massage therapy and specialised Ayurvedic treatments more recently, Ellie has a keen sense of spirituality that manifest itself in a warm enthusiasm for her work and her patients. Not being a particularly ‘spiritual’ person myself (those that know me would say that’s probably an understatement), I didn’t find Ellie at all “hippy” and all you need to derive maximum benefit is to keep an open mind as the massages do vary slightly from the traditional model. For example, the full body treatment is less focussed on removing knots and more on deriving a holistic balance so the pressure may not be what you are used to. All treatments are started with a 10-15 minute consultation so that Ellie can tailor the procedure to you and make sure she can best meet your expectations.

In a sweet little treatment room on the top floor of Karma’s Wandsworth Bridge Road practice, Sarah and I sampled a full body massage as well as an Ayurvedic leg and foot massage known as Kansa Vatki. Both were incredibly relaxing and for those of you who take an interest, Ellie has both a fascinating story and a vast amount of knowledge about the different treatment philosophies she practices. During my Ayurvedic treatment, she explained why she performs much of the procedure with a small metal dome moulded from copper, zinc and lead. Copper is known for its joint healing properties, and is often used to treat arthritis, where as zinc is beneficial for circulation and tin aids digestion. She also showed me how the nerve endings in your feet essentially provide a map for the rest of your body, and that by stimulating different parts of my soles she was able to treat different areas of my body. After my treatment I certainly felt that my whole body had been affected, and that 5 minutes of head massage at the end definitely ensures full head-to-tea benefits. Ellie says her childhood friends always used to comment on what warm hands she had - they were obviously made that way for a purpose!

Ellie is currently planning her memoirs, so I won’t spoil too much of her life story, suffice to say her outlook to life is pretty inspirational. She believes in constant and positive change and growth, and in her 40s took the incredibly brave step of packing up her flat in London and moving alone to the mountains of New Mexico to work with some of the tribal leaders , and she stayed for 12 years. She still trains to broaden her repertoire of alternative therapies (next up is an Indian abdominal massage treatment) and recently has started writing for UK-wide magazine Kindred Spirit. As she grows older she still believes the best of life remains in store for her, which is an attitude I find very impressive especially when I think of how many friends I have in their twenties who already think it’s too late for a career change/new boyfriend/to move abroad.

If you’d like to sample some of Ellie’s holistic magic for yourself, we’ve teamed up with Karma Wellbeing to offer SouthWestSix readers 50% off a Swedish Massage treatment (usually £50) at their Wandsworth Bridge Road treatment rooms. All you need to do is contact them at wellbeing@karmadentalcare.co.uk and quote ‘SouthWestSix’ when you make your booking. The offer is valid until March 20^th 2012 and cannot be used in conjunction with any other offer.

We’d love it if you’d let us know how you found it by leaving a message in the Comments box!

Karma Dental Care

144 Wandsworth Bridge Road

London SW6 4UH

http://www.karmadentalcare.co.uk/

www.karmawell-being.co.uk

Pizza Fit for a Princess

I have visited Bunga Bunga a couple of times since its highly anticipated opening but only for drinks and karaoke on a Friday night and so was beyond delighted to be invited to sample the full Berlusconi themed experience, from cocktails to cabaret. It is imperative to book well in advance as word has spread about this no holds barred Battersea business and queue’s tail around the block to gain entry into this salacious den of dancing and debauchery. Set up by two young ‘it crowd’ entrepreneurs, the attention to detail is similar to their previous ventures- Maggie’s and Barts- it knows no bounds particularly when it comes to taste, in Bunga Bunga the naffer the better.

                                               

The evening we visited could not have been a better night to witness Bunga Bunga at its best. On the table to our right Jess and I rubbed shoulders/gawped unashamedly at Princess Beatrice, James Middleton and the co-owner himself, Charlie Gilkes. The atmosphere was oozing with the best of British breeding and the room soon began to resemble Tatler’s most eligible bachelor hotlist as opposed to Battersea Bridge Road locals. By our second Aperol Spritz Jess and I, fresh out of a 9 hour day at the office and one hour commute on the tube, started to feel distinctly unglamorous. Insecurity aside we soon diverted our attentions to our strikingly handsome waiter and the mouth watering, giggle inducing menu.

                                     

We started with a selection of Aperitivo bites to share, which included a traditional juicy bruschetta, a selection of cured meats and Zucchine Fritti. Full of flavour and unashamedly delicious we started to devour the whole lot whilst enjoying a medley of entertainment, pausing momentarily to feel somewhat guilty whilst watching the extremely svelte burlesque dancers rouse the crowd, we decided that the food tasted too good to worry about the calories. Having spied a group of birthday celebrating girls eating the Parmigiana di Melanzane I opted for that to follow, whilst Jess had the ‘Untouchable Nancy’ Pizza. Feeling fairly full already we worked our way though the dishes over a bottle of Italian white whilst being serenaded by a double act crooner and accordion maestro.

                           

Bunga Bunga is a guaranteed fun evening to lift even the gloomiest of spirits and dispel any winter blues. The food is fresh, fun and delicious, the service feisty, flirty and fast and the entertainment hilarious and cheesy in equal measures. It’s ideal for birthdays, groups of friends and girls nights out, yet has none of the stress or pressure which is often accompanied with ‘clubbing’ and organized fun. Another great addition to Battersea and hopefully a pioneer for many more to come!

                  

PHOTO DIARY: 35,000 Stories at Brompton Cemetery

Some might find the idea of spending your Sunday afternoon at a graveyard a little morbid, but not me. For anyone with even a whiff of interest in local history, a visit is an absolute must. A Grade 1 listed site laid over 40 acres, opened in 1840 and designed to represent an open air basilica Brompton Cemetery not only has an interesting story of it's own, but plays host to over 35,000 monuments, representing the stories of 35,000 human beings who lived, worked, loved and died in the borough. Some of the names you might recognise, if only by association. John Gunter, for example: the man who gave Gunter Grove its name, and after whose daughter Edith Grove was so called. Gunter was one of the orginal shareholders in the company (yes, company) who opened this municipal cemetery. He also ran the famous tea shop Gunter's at Berkeley Square, which gets a mention in Brideshead Revisited.

Brompton's most famous "resident" is probably the leader of the British Suffragette Movement, Emmeline Pankhurst. The cemetery also provides the final resting place for several sporting greats of the last 170 years. "Gentleman" John Jackson, a famous boxer who later opened a self-defence school for the aristocracy, and credited for teaching Lord Byron how to brawl, has a Grade 2 listed monument here. As does Robert Coombes, a famous skiff rower, and Percy Lambert, an early 20th century racing driver who was the first man to drive at 100mph and sustain that speed for one hour. Percy's story is a tragic one: on attaining his land speed record he proposed to his girlfriend, who accepted him on the condition that he give up racing. Two days later, a Frenchman broke his record and she granted him one final chance behind the wheel to try and regain it. He died in the attempt.

The headstone of Robert Coombes

The memorial for Percy Lambert, replete with car steering wheel. A truncated column signifies a life cut short.

Nonetheless, not all 35,000 monuments can represent heroes of the time. There are plenty of ordinary folk here too. The first person ever to be laid to rest at Brompton Cemetery, in the Summer of 1840, was a young woman of Fulham, Emma Shaw, who died in childbirth at the age of 20. Brompton has a long history with the Army too, counting 13 Victoria Cross holders and 2,600 Chelsea Pensioners amongst its numbers. More exotically, until 1992 a Sioux native American Indian, "Longwolf", who died whilst performing at Bill Oddie's Wild West Show was buried here too. He was repatriated to North Dakota 10 years ago, and his grave has now be filled by a young British gentleman. The headstone still bears an engraving of a wolf however.

The site formerly occupied by Sioux tribesman, Long Wolf

For those with an interest in architecture too, Brompton contains many treasures. From the neoclassical central chapel, to the beautiful and symmetrical Collonades that run above the catacombs in the centre of the graveyard. Over 20 of the monuments have listed status too. If you are interested in visiting, you can join a guided tour several Sundays a month, for the bargain price of £5. Organised by the Friends of the Brompton Cemetery, the guides are incredibly knowledgeable: our guide, Nick, could have told us the story behind practically every grave stone had we had more time. So wrap warmly, the advertised tour time of 2 hours often ends up being extended.

You can find the timetable of tours here. You can tour the catacombs by visiting on their Summer Open Day, which usually takes place in July.

The memorial to "Gentleman" John Jackson, and his adopted daughter. Jackson was the man who taught Lord Byron how to box.

Here lies Emmeline Pankhurst

The "gem" of Brompton Cemetery. This is the cemetery's most valuable monument and it carries a Grade 2* Listing.