Just the tonic this winter: enjoy a massage on your London break

Whatever the reason for your winter-time visit to the UK capital, why pass up the opportunity to enjoy a massage while you’re here – not least if the accommodation you’ve booked for your stay boasts a spa and massage treatment specialists on its premises (like at the Barbican Rooms London)?

Why, indeed. For, making use of such Barbican spa facilities can do your body a great deal of good, especially at this time of year when it arguably needs it most. Moreover, it can make for a marvellous relaxing component of your break in London…

Beat those winter blues

Too often, it’s too easy to forget that, in our always hectic lives, it’s imperative that come the winter we take the time to look after ourselves – from an emotional and psychological standpoint. But a massage every now and again this time of year can pay dividends; it’s a simply marvellous to help you get out of a wintry funk and boost your mood, helping things again feel a little brighter and lighter.

You might even say that a good, relaxing and thoroughly enjoyable massage at the Barbican Rooms can serve as something of an escape, a mini-vacation you might even say from your busy everyday routine and the dark, cold, winter world outside. And that’s because, through the power of correctly applied touch to the muscles, a massage can work wonders at increasing the body’s serotonin and dopamine production, thereby reducing anxiety, depression, and seasonal affective disorder (SAD).

Boost your immunity

Now’s the time of the year when our immune system’s at its most stretched. With so many colds, flu infections and bugs of all kinds around – and the likelihood of them beating your body’s immunity thanks to you being out in the cold and the rain – why not try to give your immunity a bit of a boost? And, yes, believe it or not, massage therapy can help here, as it aids in increasing lymph flow in the body which plays an important role in battling infections and harmful bacteria.

Improve skin hydration

You may associate warm weather with drying out your skin but, don’t doubt it, so too can the – yes – dry, cold, winter air, as well as blustery wind (followed, inevitably, by time spent in dry, heated indoor environments). Massage therapy’s a proven way to improve hydration of the skin at all times of the year – and especially in the colder months. And that’s because many of the oils and lotions used during the massaging process comprise copious levels of Vitamin E, which is renowned – when the oils and lotions are applied to the skin in a circulatory motion – to help the skin feel nourished and hydrated.

Help with sleep deprivation

It’s only natural to get a little sleep deprived at this time of year; the Holidays are on the way and so there’s an awful lot of planning to do, all the while work doesn’t slow down a jot and you’re just as sociable as ever (what with all those work-related and other Christmas parties). So, what’s the solution? Well, fundamentally, taking it as easy as you can and making sure you catch up on any missed sleep – but an effective massage can also be something of an antidote to a poor night’s sleep because, first, it can promote a restful, deeper-than-usual sleep thanks to boosting serotonin levels (thereby increasing melatonin in the body and aiding the regulation of circadian rhythms) and, second, it reduces production of cortisol, a stress hormone that can play a big role in interrupting sleep.

Aid circulation

Like it or not; the freezing temperatures at this time of year are no friend to the blood in our body, reducing its potential for being efficiently pumped all around the body. That’s because it can cause blood vessels to constrict which, in turn, has the effect of decreasing blood circulation and, thereby, increasing blood pressure. The result of this? Quite possibly aches, pains and, eventually, arthritis. An excellent way to try and combat this then in via regular massage therapy – it enhances blood flow, naturally reducing blood pressure as it does so, and increases body temperature.