Renowned international wellness consultant & practitioner, Joao Santos, in Seychelles |19 July 2019

Joao Santos massaging a client (Photo credits: Four Seasons Resort Seychelles)

As part of its dedicated wellness services, the Four Seasons Resort Seychelles has put in place a ‘Visiting Masters’ programme which offers guests the opportunity to engage with some of the world’s leading and most sought-after wellness practitioners.

This month, the resort has welcomed Joao Santos, a highly regarded international wellness consultant and practitioner who collaborates with leading spa brands.

It is the well-known beauty of Seychelles that inspired Santos to visit and to offer his services here. He says that the Four Seasons Resort Seychelles has all the settings to be a wellness destination, with the surrounding nature and landscapes providing a means for people to rejuvenate – something which he feels compliments the treatments that he is offering.

Santos is a professional massage therapist, specialising in deep tissue/sports massage. He has trained at the Chiva-Som Academy in Bangkok and the Steiner Academy in London.

In an interview with Joao Santos, Seychelles NATION has obtained his esteemed knowledge and advice about massage therapy.

Santos has been developing his own practice for the past 16 years which he says is mostly to do with both eastern and western traditions.

The eastern practice focuses on energy, balancing, lines and meridians, while the western tradition is more to do with physiotherapy, based on knowledge of our anatomy and physiology.

Currently, Santos is offering mostly dry massage therapy at the Four Seasons Resort Seychelles. He explains that this type of massage offers a unique experience which is not fully part of eastern or western traditions, but rather a fusion.

While most people are used to classic massage therapy using oils and lotions, the dry massage technique that Santos uses is based on his specialisation in deep tissue/sports massage, combined with the Asian tradition, with lines, meridians and energy balancing.

The upper and lower back, neck and shoulders are areas where people tend to have the most problems, due to their lifestyles including hectic daily routines, sitting in the office in-front of their computers, and a lack of exercise, proper nutrition, relaxation and mindfulness.

Santos believes that the main factor currently affecting the health and wellbeing of people is stress, which is brought on for various reasons, including work, living in big cities, not connecting to nature, and rarely having time for oneself.

Massage therapy is therefore something that people need and should cater, says Santos, as it enhances our wellbeing.

When asked how often a person needs to undergo massage therapy to reap its full benefits, Santos says that this depends on each individual’s needs and wants.

However, to maintain a minimum level of wellbeing, to keep the body feeling smooth, and to keep spiritual and energy levels high, he advises having a massage at least three times a month; finding a good therapist with whom your relationship will enhance and develop, will also improve results.

In terms of the limitations of massage therapy, Santos says that there are very few circumstances in which a massage is not advisable, for example on open cuts, on any areas of the body that are bleeding, and for those with eczema or any other serious skin conditions.

Santos advises being sober and not having heavy meals prior to a massage, and if you have any major health concerns, this should be addressed properly before the therapy begins.

Speaking about the mental, emotional and physical health benefits of massage therapy, Santos explains that by using western traditions like deep tissue techniques, specific minor ailments like a stiff neck, frozen shoulder, sciatica, pulled muscles, anything related to the muscles/soft tissues, can be addressed by properly trained professionals, to help relieve tension and pain.

By applying pressure/massaging correctly with specific techniques, more blood is drawn and drained from the area; this helps to soften the muscle, and to release tension and tightness that is normally caused by a build-up of toxins.

“It is also about the touch,” says Santos. “I think modern society has lost the awareness of touch because we don’t touch each other so much; we are getting very cold and very distant, and the societies are becoming very unaware of this.”

“In Asia, people touch much more easily than in the west, and that makes people happier, more willing to treat each other, to be sensitive, and to be sympathetic to others.”

The eastern tradition focuses mostly on spiritual wellbeing and balancing of the moods. Specific pressure is applied on the lines and meridians, and this aids with energy balancing.

“If we add spiritual wellbeing to the physical part, then you have the whole of the body, the whole of the system, and that’s the best thing we can do,” says Santos.

For further information, contact Four Seasons Resort Seychelles:

-           Address: Petite Anse, Baie Lazare, Mahé

-           Telephone: +248 4 393 000

Reference: www.fourseasons.com/seychelles