A Hidden Retreat, Offering Exquisite Relaxation!

Published: July 31, 2018

Not your typical esthetics salon!

Recently, I discovered a completely private salon specializing in “lymphatic drainage” massage!

The building housing the salon, in Morishita, Koto City (right along Shin Ohashi-dori Avenue), happens to be rather well-known for being used in a television series.

Stepping inside, the delightful atmosphere enveloping the establishment soon let me forget all about the world outside!

The room is decorated with genuine ryukyu tatami mats (square tatami mats without trimmings, made from a special plant and originating from Okinawa), and selected antique furniture following a brown colour scheme. Everything fits in well with the chic atmosphere of the room.

How lovely…!

The type of massage provided is known as “lymphatic drainage”, which helps to improve lymphatic flow and aid in the removal of waste products from the body.

However!

Rest assured that there will be no aggressive pushing or squeezing involved.

After all, the reason for the salon’s popularity is largely because the results are obtained using gentle, manual methods; a unique technique that the owner developed herself.

↓It looks like this. Some people become so relaxed that they fall asleep!

(The beautiful lady in the photo unfortunately isn’t me, though.)

The method relies solely on touch (what they call an “all-hand” treatment in Japan).

Based on the owner’s belief that “Real results cannot be obtained if we rely on oils and other things,” she proceeds with the treatments using only her hands to help detoxify the systems and increase blood flow. This means people with allergies or sensitive skins can also safely participate in treatment!

*I actually got to experience what the treatment feels like on my right hand and right shoulder, and it looked like this ↓

“It doesn’t hurt at all! In fact, it feels really nice!”

And yet, after just a few minutes, I could see a marked difference between my right and left hands (namely, that my right hand could stretch out further). It was really surprising! My shoulder also felt lighter.

Probing further, it turned out that this special technique was something the owner developed when she started massaging her own body, after she was involved in a traffic accident.

While recovering, even though she was in pain and suffering, she wanted to be able to move her body. After some trial and error, she was able to find the places where massaging seemed to help ease the pain. When she started demonstrating her discovery for friends, they were so impressed that they insisted she open a practice! Hence, the salon as it stands today.

Among her clientele are office workers who suffer from shoulder and back pain from long hours at the desk, and businessmen who are under extreme stress due to harsh conditions at work (on that note: yes, male customers are also welcome!).

Many customers come back repeatedly. Some live in the area and book regular appointments, while others treat the salon as a “last resort” for when their body is truly suffering, arriving from as far as Morioka and Nagoya to seek help a few times a year.

When asked as to why she opened a salon like this, the owner replied: “It’s because I want to support people who are doing their best to achieve their dreams.”

It makes sense—after all, no one can focus on pursuing their dreams if their body is in too much pain to move!