Hot stone massage at Mallary Rainey Massage Therapy (16th December 2010)

I’ve recently purchased from Dailydo a 1-hour hot stone massage session from Mallary Rainey Massage Therapy for $39 (normally cost $65) and headed over to 124 Vivian St today for my 11am appointment with the massage therapist. I’ve always been interested to find out what hot stone massage would be like and this was a great opportunity to check it out for a reduced cost :)

I had expected Mallary Rainey Massage Therapy to be somewhat like a relaxation centre (several masseuses working in their rooms, maybe a chiropractor or physiotherapist on site as well) but it turned out to be a room on the ground floor of the Trades Hall building (infamous Wellington building where a suitcase bomb was found in the foyer back in 1984). Hmm, the room didn’t feel very welcoming or relaxing (something about the interior gave a dark and damp feeling, and why do the massage therapists in Wellington like to play Jack Johnson songs?? Relaxing, yes, but not ideal for massage) though I was greeted by a friendly and chirpy young American woman, Mallary Rainey herself.

I was given some time to undress my top half and laid face down on the massage table. On return to the room, Mallary popped several stones into a special massage stone heater (looked like an oversized slow cooker) and while we waited for the stones to heat up, she started working on my back, her well-oiled and strong hands massaging away, working on loosening the knots on my shoulders and upper back. The heated stones have a smooth and flat surface, and Mallary would hold the stones and use them to massage areas of my back. When the stones first came to contact with my skin, the heat felt too hot but gradually eased into the body and relaxed the muscles. I think I was half asleep when she put the stone on my lower back at one point – my whole body jerked, surprising us both!

Mallary continued massaging my back after using the smooth hot stones and it was then that I really felt the coarseness of her hands on my skin (probably coarse from playing female rugby). For the price I paid, I would say that the massage was good despite a few minor setbacks. Her normal hour-long massage cost $45 which is cheaper than most places in town so if you outright just want a massage with no care for ambience, Mallary’s your lady!