Oh the difference a massage makes... Best £20 I've spent in a while!

I was rather nervous as I've never booked with someone before. All my previous professional massages have been "Walk-in" places.

The clinic, her choice of word not mine, is in a gorgeous old manor house by the river. Incredible place... had to drive through a park, then walk a way to get there.

The masseuse is a small, but strong, blonde woman with a firm handshake and an accent I couldn't pin down. She put me at ease, and when we had chatted about my bad shoulder so she knew to take care with it, sat me on the massage chair and then gave me a very firm acupressure massage. There was a bit of discomfort a few times, but it was always in that "its going to feel better afterward" sort of way... muscles that needed to be pulled, squashed, pummelled and stretched were complaining about being abused, but they realised after that it was exactly what they needed. For the first time in about a week I haven't got a stiff neck.

I already know I'll be going back... I'll have to see if I have the courage to go for the longer (but still fully clothed) massage, or even for the oil massage that they offer. Maybe in time... I'm still way too self-conscious at the moment.

And so to bed...