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Length: 6 mins read (1189 words)
Outlet: Cheras Mahkota
Service tried: 108 minutes energy and sound massage
Last visit: January 2021
Who is HOUSE OF SADHU ?
1. One to One Therapy session focuses on body, energy purification & alignment.
2. Yoga and Qi Gong. Small Group workshops & classes.
https://www.facebook.com/House-of-Sadhu-101524575034749
Cleanliness 4.5 / 5
Customer service 4.5 / 5
Skill 4.5 / 5
Facility 4/5
Ambience 4/5
Swee Keong and I have been friends for about 15 years now. I know him firstly as a butoh dance master and then a yoga instructor. Now, he is also a sound and energy massage therapist. Even though he just started practicing his massage art in 2020 after the first MCO (Movement Control Order), he has been taking courses and researching about the subject and this non conventional healing method for about 10 years now.
He currently does his session at his yoga studio, Citta Yoga. I do think this is a wise choice because of the existing interior design which has a great vibe, mood and feel. I particularly like the openness, the high ceiling of the studio and the very earthy colour tone use. It makes one feel very grounded and relaxed even before the session begins….very zen from the moment you step into the studio.
Our session begun with a simple explanation by him on the process that I will be going through or experiencing at this session. For a first timer like me, this certainly helps me to understand further on the proceeding and also eases my worry. Prior to meeting him, he also did send a WhatsApp reminder on what to bring to the session and the dos and don’ts.
The treatment started with me lying supine. Oh yeah, unlike other physical based massage, I am fully clothed for this session (loose clothing though) and Keong recommended that I am always present and be aware of what is happening to the body. And then very gently, rhythmically he draped me accordingly and introduces his touch, warm up my body via this way. And even the motion of covering my eyes are done in sync as part of the whole flow.
The first segment involves two main components. The first component is a combination of gentle strokes, light stretching with some light rocking motion. He works from the head to neck, shoulder, hand then the leg. This component focuses a lot on the soft tissue work (superficial fascia level). Then the second component is what he called “weight therapy” where he put weight on specific place on your body i.e. chest, shoulder, hip, leg etc. Comparing to a physical massage, this is similar to the compression technique but just that this is sustained pressure for a minute or two per area (with no other movement). And dependent on the receiver and how he perceive the body’s feedback, he will increase or decrease the pressure (the weight) accordingly. When he lifted the weigh, my body do feel good (a similar sensation when a therapist take out the cup from a cupping treatment).
Next, the second segment is when the sound massage and healing begun. It started with the “gong therapy”. The size of the gong is pretty magnificent, placed on the upper side of the massage table. With each hit of the gong, you can certainly feel the vibration, wave upon wave crashing onto your body. When Keong was explaining to me, he said I may be able to feel the waves traveling down from my head to my body, hand, hip and end on the leg. But unfortunately, I didn’t manage to feel the complete one……I only experienced it coming down from my head but then it stopped at my abdomen area. From the different rhythm plus with different dynamics played, this session do generate a feeling of stillness in me but on the other spectrum, some agitated feeling as well at certain moments. I know I am dozing in and out of sleep but yet my mind was racing with different thoughts and things that were bothering me too; almost as though the sound is forcing me to confront some of these negative thoughts.
But fear not, if you happen to also experience what I did during your session, the third segment of the treatment (the singing bowl) will certainly bring you moment of peace to your mind. It also helped me to rejuvenate from those negative energy that was generated from the second segment.
The singing bowl is firstly place at the solar plexus followed by different areas on your body. (Forgot to mention, throughout the treatment, Keong does incorporate the chakra points concept into what he is doing). With the singing bowl, I do feel extra nice when he was ringing it on my left side chest area and middle lower abdomen. Keong was explaining to me after the treatment that in the event that there is some possible dysfunction in your body, the singing bowl may produce a more muffled sound or at times, it hardly even have any sound. And at different areas, there are also a rhythm pattern that he follows but in general, it is three knocks on different side of the bowl that forms a triangle.
After he has done on supine position on all the different areas, I was then gently awoken and asked to turn to prone where the singing bowl treatment continues on different areas on my back and lower limb. This section is relatively shorter compared to the others. When he completed the treatment, I was once again gently awoken and asked to sit up when I am ready. We both then just be seated on a chair across each other (with the massage table in the middle) and enjoy the silence for a moment. I did some light stretches while gathering myself back to the “present”.
Note:
– To keep a very open mind to the entire experience and possibly just let your body, mind and soul to feel whatever that may come the way.
– These form of therapy is not only for those who may be suffering from mental health but can be used as a maintenance for your general emotion wellbeing too. Even for the hearing impaired, despite not able to hear the sound, the vibration of the sound massage I believe do bring benefit to the recipient.
– For every part of the treatment, if you can, always take deep breath with abdominal breathing. Not only it makes you be more aware of your body, it also does promote better circulation in your body. Similar to physical massage, better circulation will bring better benefit from the treatment generally.
Pros:
– A very grounded and zen therapist.
– An experience therapist in this field that has his own methodology in approaching the treatment (also due to his background and his dedication in understanding the body and its movement)
Cons:
– This treatment can be seem as vague to some and may be hard to convince the non-believer. Compared to a physical massage, the healing comes more from the energy or chi, hence it can be a concept that some may find it strange.
Ian Chow Massage Therapy 