Don't let potholed roads and frustrating traffic jams numb your senses, especially not after a heavenly massage session at a spa. The GUIDE lets you in on four relaxing options to slip into nirvana, within the comfort of your home The weather gods have kept Mumbaikars guessing throughout August, with bouts of rain and sunshine playing <table style="width: 119px; height: 42px" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" width="119" align="right" border="1"> <tbody> <tr> <td><img alt="" src="/imagedata/2010/aug/Spa.jpg" border="3" /></td></tr> <tr> <td> The Antara Spa offers Antara-On-Wheels where a masseuse can give you and friends a pamper session at home. PIC/SAMEER MARKANDE</td></tr></tbody></table>hide and seek. The unpredictable weather coupled with snarling traffic jams, waterlogging and a skewed work-life balance, is likely to result in that session of spa-Zen, getting lost in transit. Suddenly, the pamper session worth two grand seems almost futile. So, how about saving your frazzled self the trouble of making the hack to the spa, not to mention some serious money, by bringing the spa home, instead? WHERE'S THE (S)PARTY TONIGHT? As this is being written, a mental image of Carrie Bradshaw and her Sex and the City friends in pamper mode, discussing their toy boys, with an at-home massage party, cloud our thoughts. Antara-On-Wheels, touted as the city's first mobile spa service, can let you savour the SATC moment by helping you organise spa parties atu00a0 home or at work. Choose from 15 to 30 minute services, including head, neck and shoulder treatments, back massages, face packs and foot reflexology sessions for a minimum of 10 people. "We can bring the ambience of a spa to your home," shares Ronak Jani, spa manager, Antara Day Spa at The Club, Andheri. Complete with lilting spa music, scented candles, aroma therapy oils, hot cabinets and the like, we are sure this spa experience is nothing short of the real thing, except that it's at home. Call 65141224. Cost Rs 6,000 (plus taxes and the transport charges) for a half-hour Foot Reflexology session for ten people. Book two days in advance. PUCKER UPu00a0AND FEEL GOOD While Foot and Palm Reflexology seems to have become one of the most common ways to unwind, what drew us to Sunil Kumar's My Healing Station was that it provided several novel therapies like Face and Back Reflexology. Over an hour-long session that combined Feet, Palm and Face Reflexology, Sunil told us about how our face is a dense network of muscles and nerve endings and the way it moves has the power to change our immune response. Far-fetched, we know, but the session left us feeling better. "My therapeutic sessions are based on individual consultations," says Sunil, an HR consultant by day, who is willing to drop by clients' homes as early as six in the morning. "I combine Shiatsuu00a0-- an ancient Japanese form of bodyworku00a0-- with Reflexology, to achieve better results." Even as we winced at points, there was a strange sense of lightness when the session ended. Sunil treats patients with chronic ailments such as severe depression, lower-back pain and even cancer patients (for alleviating pain). Those looking for means to combat stress can also try out his therapies and oil massages. Call 9321335568. Cost Rs 1,000 upwards HE CAN WEAVE A SONG INTO A MASSAGE Subhro Roy Chowdhury shifted base from Kolkata to Mumbai in 2007, with dreams of making it as a playback singer. Three years on, Subhro is still waiting for his big break , but has found a market in those seeking relaxing Foot and Hand Reflexology and Swedish Massage sessions in the comfort of their homes. Having done a course from the Kolkata-based World Yoga Society, Subhro works primarily with a male clientele that is looking for stress alleviation, reducing joint stiffness and relaxation. "My sessions are unhurried, comparatively longer and more detailed because you can't really rush a body massage," says the soft-spoken masseur, whose massage can last as longs as two hours. We tried his Short Foot Reflexology session, and felt the innate rhythm pervade his strokes as he applied pressure to various points on the foot, kneading them, helping us relax and sending us into a semi-wakeful daze, which only a good massage can induce. It's difficult for Subhro to not break into a song during a massage, and so we suggest you request a rendition of Hariharan's Apni Zulfein Mere Shano Pe Bikhar. We believe his favourite number will help the trance-like ambience prevail longer. Call 9821054327 Cost Rs 500 upwards IN SIGHT OF THAT PERFECT SESSION You'd be forgiven for being a wee bit skeptical to experience a massage by a visually challenged person. In hindsight, it's that one session that will change your opinion, thanks to their heightened sense of touch, which makes them aware of the human anatomy, like no other masseuse can. The Department of Rehabilitation of the National Association for the Blind (NAB) conduct six-month courses in Acupressure and Massage, making the visually impaired self-reliant. "We are trained to even do a full-body Thai Massage that incorporates bits from Yogasana," says Raksha, one of the course graduates who is a trainer. Over 100 students have been trained by NAB, and once you place your call, they will send a masseur who lives closest to you. Says Asha Bhatia, deputy director of the department, "Because this is a science based on touch, these students are far better than any other masseur found in spas, once they are trained. We teach them on their own body too, so they know how it feels, apart from giving rigorous theory and practical lessons in anatomy and physiology." Call 24942795 Cost Rs 300 upwards

Don't let potholed roads and frustrating traffic jams numb your senses, especially not after a heavenly massage session at a spa. The GUIDE lets you in on four relaxing options to slip into nirvana, within the comfort of your home

Dial M for massage

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