Best back massage

Published on Wednesday 27 June 2007 01:21

1 KIRSTEEN SINCLAIR AT PURE THERAPY

South Hall Cottage, Colintraive, Argyll, 01700 841319 www.puretherapy.biz

This one is a real find. After working at Stobo Castle and the Herbal Dispensary in Glasgow, Kirsteen now operates from a cottage overlooking the island of Bute and offers aromatherapy, reflexology, reiki, Indian head massage, either there or in clients' homes. I have a hatred of namby-pamby massages and these are anything but. She really seems to get under your skin to massage away deep tissue aches. The back massage involves her own natural products, brewed on the premises from local sources and imbued with essential oils. It may be out of the way, but if you're on holiday, a detour is certainly worthwhile.

2 CYNTHIA COLT AT MULBERRY HOUSE

39 Manor Place, Edinburgh, 0131 225 2012 www.mulberryhouse.co.uk

I went to Cynthia when I was pregnant and suffering various aches and pains. She is a holistic therapist who not only gives the most fantastic back massage but also talked me through all sorts of fears, some of which I didn't realise I had been tense about. She demonstrated, via the back massage, how controlled breathing could help and left me feeling relaxed and looking forward to the birth.

3 JILL MCLAGEN AT THE MACDONALD MARINE HOTEL

North Berwick, 01620 897333 www.macdonaldhotels.co.uk

A lovely place to spend time, with dark, cool treatment rooms. I arrived after fighting through traffic but a back, neck and shoulders massage from Jill swept it all away.

4 RUSLAN GASPARYAN AT REVIVE SPA

Greens Health and Fitness, 141 Finnieston Street, Glasgow, 0141 221 8855 www.greensonline.co.uk

This is a spa attached to a gym and, as such, it offers sports massages as well as ones for pure relaxation. Ruslan, originally from Russia, specialises in deep tissue massage and he also is an expert sports masseur.

5 DEE TAYLOR AT TAO CLINIC

Alva St, Edinburgh, 0131 225 2642 www.taoclinicedinburgh.co.uk

Dee is based at the Tao Clinic in Edinburgh but also has a mobile service that covers Glasgow. The aftermath of her aromatherapy massage is sleeping like a baby, no matter how stressed out you were before the treatment.