Taizen Baths and Massages

Well, the day of my departure is here and I have woken up bright and early to do a blog post before heading off to the airport. In usual fashion before some time away from the office, it has been a mad rush to fit everything in this last week. However, I did have some unexpected time out of the office which I happily made time for, courtesy of the lovely Shadi Danin and her staff.

I was really ill on 8 October and although my bug appeared to have disappeared within 48 hours, over a week later I started experiencing problems in my muscles. First my hamstrings felt like they were cramping and then they stiffened up, followed by my quads, then calves, biceps, forearms, hands and stomach muscles. Within a few days I was incredibly weak and in pain to the extent that I couldn't hold the phone to my ear or grasp a pen. My GP found nothing sinister and suggested it was linked to my bug. Although this gave me some heart, it did mean that apart from an hour and a half last weekend, I haven't now been on a bike for over a month. Until the beginning of this week, I was still weak and had no stamina and was seriously concerned at my ability to cycle Death Valley.

A chance email from Jo Brooks PR put me in touch with Shadi, who has been utterly fantastic. Shadi runs a gorgeous MediSpa at 70 New Church Road in Hove offering a variety of treatments. However, she does have two new pieces of equipment that have really made a difference to me and, in all honesty, have left me feeling like I can complete my ride after all. So twice a day for the last three days I have been immersed in a Taizen Japanese Bath. It is a bath filled with very small stone balls and very hot water - between 40-48degrees C for me. I climbed in and had the stones piled over me and sat there to...bake.. for between 15 and 20 minutes. It is incredibly hot.

‘Taizen’ in Japanese translates as ‘calm’ and this is was certainly how I felt after this treatment. Quite apart from Shadi and her team's generosity, I am very lucky to have experienced the bath as it is the only one of its kind in Europe, and one of only six in the world – it is a truly unique treatment which delivers incredible results. I have to say that the baths, followed by the most incredible massages of my head, neck and shoulders, legs and feet have left me feeling completely different. I have power in my limbs, I feel sparky and for the first time in weeks, and I feel ready to take on Death Valley. This was apparent after a work out on the underwater treadmill, which, rather then leaving me weak and exhausted had me surprised about my fitness and strength. Obviously, this is a huge thing for me as I did have serious doubts, only a few days ago, that I would be flying out to the US at all.

Shadi has a report, I believe, in the Mail on Sunday this week and I would really urge you to have a look at it and her website www.shadidanin.com. She truly did wonders for me and can imagine huge benefits for those with sports injuries, arthritis, exhaustion and stress. Shadi can also provide a long list of long term (sometimes serious) conditions which are alleviated by this treatment coupled with natural remedies which she can advise on and provide. As a naturally cynical lawyer, I've come away amazed and incredibly grateful - so check her out!

I won't go on, because blogs are best left short, but thank you so much to Shadi and her team and also to everyone who's offered their best wishes. I plan to tweet and blog whilst I'm out there - so keep checking in!

Rich