The gentle appearance of Fon Mala belies her invigorating massage technique. Photo / Babiche Martens.
The gentle appearance of Fon Mala belies her invigorating massage technique. Photo / Babiche Martens.
Sophie Burton hunts out 10 sought-after wellbeing experts to assist you in a life well-lived.
This happy, practical list is for you, and it's full of professionals who are primed to help you balance the imbalance and feel full of vitality again. You'll find it mood-boosting, mind-easing, anxiety lifting, phobia-eliminating and radiance-enhancing.
You'll find specialists prepped to cure chronic pain, a friendly face to address a sub-par office desk diet, and even a breathing coach who can help you connect to your breath and reduce stress levels for good.
So get perky, get powerful. And remember to count your blessings. Time with this top 10 is precious.
Light-footed and calm, Saowalak "Fon" Mala is a Thai masseuse. She first studied the craft in Bangkok and, in typical Thai style, her slight build belies an absurd amount of strength and power.
Even the most stubborn knots will have no choice but to release. And that foul mood you brought with you from the office? That'll clear off, too.
With a focus on pressure points, stretching and muscle movement, Fon believes that massage has the power to keep your mind awake, clear, relaxed and connected to your body. One session with this lovely soul will have you feeling calmer and lighter within the hour. Promise.
• Fon Mala is available for appointments at both the Relaxing Original Thai Spa in Birkenhead. Ph (09) 480 9662, and at The Centre in Ponsonby, the-centre.co.nz
Do you sigh often? Is every day a foggy brain day? Are you partial to panic attacks? Then you need to meet Tania. She champions the power of breath, teaching her disciples to self-heal, one inhale and exhale at a time.
Her training is extensive, having practised at the prestigious Devonshire Clinic in London, where she treated the high-flying and highly stressed rich and famous, as well as executive-types desperate to find Zen in an 80-hour work week.
She'll listen, and you'll breathe (as you do), and she may even run clinical tests, too. Each session is an hour and, at the end of it, you and your lungs will have a special workout programme to take home.
There's likely to be plenty of hissing, huffing, ahhhing and even some stomach contracting. But that's okay, because you'll notice the difference within two weeks. Now, just remember to keep breathing.
• Tania Clifton-Smith is available for sessions at Breathing Works, 81 Remuera Rd, Remuera. Ph (09) 522 1122. breathingworks.com
Bare, dewy skin that doesn't require makeup - wouldn't that be grand? This is why you should visit Maryse O'Donnell, the facialist behind The Bespoke Beauty Studio.
With years spent as Lucy and the Powder Room's star facial expert, Maryse is a specialist, not a broad spectrum beauty therapist, and her skin glows, which helps.
Occupying an intimate white cave underneath the Simon James Concept Store in Herne Bay, she begins each of her treatments the same way. You'll slip into the warm, linen covered bed, catch a whiff of beeswax candles burning, and stare out of the window while she closely examines your skin under natural light.
Maryse isn't preachy, and won't chide you about your totally not organic, chaotic skin regime. She just lets you feel the effects of her highly concentrated 100 per cent organic Spring Collective products instead.
I love a facialist who can deftly perform skin gymnastics, and Maryse does exactly that, with plenty of energetic pummelling designed to increase lymph drainage (goodbye puff) and tone facial muscles. And while your mask sets, she massages natural oils into your head, neck and arms.
By the time it's all over, you're feeling a little floaty and that's when a mini cold-pressed Little Bird organics juice is handed over. Just perfect.
• Bespoke Beauty Studio, 230a Jervois Rd, Herne Bay (behind the Simon James Concept Store). Ph (09) 376 6955.
4. The Integrative Doctor
Kathleen Wills practices integrative medicine, with specialties including adrenal fatigue.
She draws on both conservative doctor assessment and knowledge plus natural remedies, making her well-rounded approach highly desirable among those who demand the opinions of both worlds.
This also makes her relatable. She listens carefully as you recount health troubles, and her sessions last an hour, something the standard doctor's appointment of 15 minutes will never compete with. Most importantly, however, you'll want to listen to her, as she addresses each of your problems with proper compassion and understanding.
Dr Julie Smith knows skin. She will address the flare-ups, bouts of redness and any nasty eczema or dermatitis. And if the hormonal bouncy castle of pregnancy has wreaked havoc, this tall blonde is the one expectant Auckland mothers go to see.
The same goes for anything worrisome. Her little black book of expert surgeons and skin cancer specialists is always on call; Julie Smith is not a lady who takes risks. You may have to wait a solid month or two to wrangle an appointment (she's that sought-after), but isn't booking in with the most wanted so wonderfully reassuring?
• Dr Julie Smith is available at both 185 Jervois Rd, Herne Bay, Ph (09) 378 9000, and at North Shore Apollo Medical Centre, Ph (09) 477 3640.
Life coach Mel Abbott. Photo / Babiche Martens.
6. The Life Coach
Plenty of people struggle in silence, feeling abnormally exhausted, battling addictions and phobias, or enduring chronic pain and mental illness.
We just wish more of them would turn up to one of Mel Abbott's The Lightning Process courses, a three-day investment involving only eight clients at a time. A previous long-term sufferer of chronic fatigue herself, Mel knows the power of the mind-body connection first hand, and uses the same tools with her groups that helped her triumph over illness.
Despite the serious issues at hand, time with Mel isn't sombre. She's funny and vibrant, but also direct, and won't stand for any nonsense.
A bad habit-breaker of the highest degree, Mel helps an eclectic array of people, and the course's sterling success rate, not to mention the rave reviews of past students, is testament to her ability.
It's not all embarrassing slips of the subconscious, flapping about doing the chicken dance in public. A one-on-one consultation with a skilled, compassionate hypnotherapist such as Camille Hartley can do wonders for people in constant battles with their own minds. It is said to help manage our critical selves, which can act as brakes or blocks to positive change.
Bruce Willis used the technique to overcome a stutter, Matt Damon managed to quit a mammoth 16-year smoking habit and you could use it to overcome that paralytic fear of public speaking.
Hartley's specialty is helping people to ditch their nicotine cravings. Each session is tailored to the individual, as Hartley maintains that every smoker holds different beliefs. Even the committed "social smoker' will benefit from a few sessions with Hartley.
• Camille takes appointments at both Harvest Natural Health Centre, 407a Richmond Rd, Grey Lynn, and Seven Senses, 142 Richmond Rd, Grey Lynn. camillehartley.co.nz
8. The Nutritionist
Nellie Pigot gets people excited about food. She's British and divine, guiding her clients towards good diet or lifestyle choices, with no hard-and-fast rules.
Having worked as a nutritionist for a major investment bank in London, she believes food is "the big healer and comforter", and she can help with digestive disorders, low mood, taming food allergies or intolerances, optimising thyroid function and weight issues.
She spurns calorie talk and certainly doesn't count them.
Luckily for you, her past work with GPs means she can easily interpret diagnostic medical tests. By the time you leave, Nellie will have a pretty good idea of what that overworked body of yours really needs. Thank goodness.
• Nellie Pigot is available for appointments at The Centre, Level 1, 385 New North Rd, Kingsland. the-centre.co.nz
9. The Physiotherapists
Trevor Montgomery is all kinds of expert, and he and his wife Nikki Tse make quite the biomechanic team.
Trevor, as founder of Auckland-based Golf Works and Golf Kinetics, is the devoted golfer's saving grace, an accomplished physio frequently called up to "maximise the swing potential" of professional and amateur golfers. He's also the guy to see for non-golfers, as he has experience in dry needling and the ability to solve some of the more complex musculoskeletal conditions.
He thinks big, and is truly concerned about your wellness, as is Nikki.
She's a specialist in facial pain and runs the About Faces Physiotherapy practice. Go to Trevor if your back is forever killing you, and go to Nikki if you suffer from extreme migraines, have experienced whiplash or cannot unlock your jaw. A power couple if ever we saw one.
The words "cranial osteopath" are a scary description for the most gentle, least invasive treatment your body will ever know.
An hour with Lydia Carey is almost relaxing, as she manoeuvres your limbs and head with featherlight touch.
You'll go in thinking, "What kind of sixth sense stuff have I got myself into?", and she'll begin to explain, showcasing a talent for translating medical gibberish into layperson's terms.
You'll be properly wooed when she picks up on old injuries, long left untreated, even though you never mentioned them. And when the tension headaches, aching necks and sore joints disappear after a few visits, you'll feel 10 times better for it.
