Shi Shi Massage Therapy

Ladies, spending is fun but self-care is divine.

We’ve all been there. Vinted, Amazon, eBay, some life-changing deal catches your eye, you hit buy now, and by the time it’s reached the Isle you’ve forgotten you ordered it.

No judgement here, I’ve impulse bought everything from immune-signalling mushrooms to stretch mark treatment that turned out to be just grapeseed oil! 🤣 🤣

I once bought a pair of glasses that didn’t come with lenses, and to make it worse I’d accidentally subscribed, so another pair turned up every month. I couldn’t see my phone well enough to cancel. 🤣🤣🤣

Did you know the average UK woman spends £2.59 a day on impulse buys? We also spend a whopping £3.74 a day on unused beauty products, £1.59 a day on gym memberships – which is great if you use it, something I’m yet to crack.

(We spend a similar amount on a wee drink, but I wont go there. Know your audience and all that… and I know myself, that’s £2.59 a day well spent.) 🍸🍾

Here’s the thing though: it all adds up, and self-care is a great investment. It makes all the fun stuff better when you feel good.
Just £2 a day set aside gets you one proper massage a month. So next time, before you click buy that essential courgette spiraliser, think of all the self-care you could be buying.

Come and see Shi Shi for a full body massage and feel amazing. Message me for an appointment, October now has limited availability.

Lovely ladies, feeling good deserves as much care as looking good!

I stopped dyeing my hair about two years ago... I'll give that a minute to sink in. I'm sure none of you who know me noticed my rapid ageing. You're just too wonderful to mention it. # # #

For decades, the outside came first. I went grey in my late twenties, and those roots had to be done, whatever else was going on. (If you still dye yours, go for your life. I'd do it all again!)

I think about that a lot now, as a massage therapist working with women of all ages. Most of us keep a regular hair appointment without a second thought, yet the stress, tension and tiredness we carry on the inside rarely get the same attention. We leave it until we're struggling. If we did that with our hair, we'd all be walking around with crazy birds' nests and need landscape gardeners, not hairdressers! 🤣

Here's how massage helps you feel good on the inside:

🩷 Tight, overworked muscles let go of the tension they've been holding.
🩷 Your nervous system shifts out of stress mode and into rest-and-digest.
🩷 Your heart rate slows and your body gets on with recovery.
🩷 Levels of the stress hormones cortisol and adrenaline drop.
🩷 Muscles loosen and your flexibility improves.

You don't need to be at the end of your rope to book. Some of the best massages happen on an ordinary Wednesday, when nothing's wrong and you get to enjoy your body instead of rescuing it. 🥰

So next time you book your hair, book something for the inside too. Come and see Shi Shi.

I work Wednesday, Friday and Saturday. Message me to book. 💕

I've been living on Lewis for 24 years, and one thing I know: island women are tough, a lot like the aunties I grew up around in Nagaland. But there's tough, and then there's the menopause.

In this country we've only really started talking about it. My husband enthusiastically tells me he's been to a menopause workshop at his work, so now I get the joy of having menopause mansplained to me! 😉 In all seriousness it's good there's something happening. But its probably still not talked about in plenty of households in the Western Isles.

Talking about it won't help in and of itself; there's no talking your way out of this one! What helps is awareness and acceptance, from family, from work, from public life: that it's real, and it's really bad. You might not want to talk at all, and that's fine, just don't ignore it.

Here are three things I know from my own journey and from my experience as a specialist menopause massage therapist: it's different for every woman, you don't have to tough it out, and regular care beats crisis response.

I've written some thoughts down on my shiny new blog. 💛

👉 https://shishistornoway.co.uk/blog/three-thoughts-about-the-menopause-7759bc18

Please share, and let me know your thoughts in the comments! 🥰🥰

I offer specialist menopause massage therapy to help with symptoms - message me for more details if you need me. xx

Ladies, I describe my massage pressure as medium (not like this picture). 😆

And I promise it's not just because I'm an old woman who's knackered all the time. There's a proper reason! 😄

Here's the thing about pressure and massage: more doesn't necessarily mean better.

Deep tissue and sports massage are brilliant, for athletes, for people in hard training. But I don't know about you… my powerlifting days are behind me. I'm not winning any 100-yard dashes soon. I'm more of an egg-and-spoon race gal these days. 🥄🤣🤣

For a lot of us women, tightness isn't really a local problem. It's the whole body carrying stress, poor sleep and tension, and it shows up as a knot in one spot. That knot is where the tension appears, not where it comes from.

So if you've got one sore, tight area, blasting it with pressure often isn't the answer longer term. Settling the whole system gently, over time, tends to do far more than one hard session ever will.

Come and see Shi Shi and we can develop your treatment plan. And it won't involve smashing, I promise 💕

Hello my lovelies
Just to let you know I’m on a wee break from 14th - 26th. Will start taking bookings from the 28th Aug. See you then 😊 💕

I get asked a lot why I only massage women, here’s why:

Women’s bodies are unique to men’s… stop right there before you lower the tone, not just in the obvious ways! 🙂 There are other differences, less well known. I have chosen to specialise in helping women feel amazing, I know what it is like to be pregnant, to give birth, to raise two children, and to get old! I learn from you alll with each massage, and it helps me continuously improve.

Women’s bodies respond to massage differently from men’s:

🩷Hormonal cycles can shift tension and sensitivity, whereas men’s hormone levels are generally more stable.
🩷A wider pelvis changes posture and lower-back strain, while men typically carry tension higher in the upper back.
🩷Women’s more elastic connective tissue can create instability, whereas men’s is denser.
🩷Women also tend to hold stress in the neck, shoulders, and hips. Nurturing, calming touch helps restore balance and regulate the nervous system.

I get a fair amount of male enquiries, and I always refer them to one of the other amazing therapists on the Isle - they all have their own unique skillset.

Perhaps not the best commercial move, as it’s cutting my demographic in half on a small Isle! But my passion is women’s health and wellbeing - it needs and deserves specialist focus.

Come and see Shi Shi and get some TLC. My next availability is the week of 13th April, and it’s booking up fast, so please connect via Messenger to reserve a spot.

Daughters everywhere - remember that mothers are not just for mothers day!!!

Mothering Sunday is this weekend, but as motherhood is the gift that keeps giving, I have an extra special present you can give her next weekend - let her know you STILL appreciate her.

(Due to a delay my cards won't arrive until next week but they are so worth waiting for) 🤣🤣

*drum roll* Shi Shi limited edition 'Thanks for putting up with me' gift certificate.

To celebrate I am offering an amazing £10 off until the end of the weekend - get a full body massage gift certificate for just £50, choose from Swedish Body Massage or specialist menopausal massage with acupressure when you book.

Awkward questions, eating play dough, small objects in orifices, colouring walls... the joys are endless. But we wouldn't have it any other way.

Send mother to Shi Shi and say thanks with some TLC.

Happy Wednesday - or is it one of those 'are we there yet? are we there yet?' weeks?? *sigh*

Now picture next week. Imagine if you had a midweek full body Swedish massage to look forward to! Come and see Shi-Shi and get some expert care for your mind, body and spirit.

Did you know that my full body Swedish massages include the following techniques? That's all in 50 minutes - I need a massage after it! 🤣 You need all these things in order to release tension, relax, and recover.

Swedish body massage techniques I use:

Effleurage - Long gliding strokes warm tissue and stimulate circulation.
Petrissage - Kneading lifts and squeezes muscles to release deep tension.
Friction - Firm circular pressure breaks down tight knots and adhesions.
Tapotement - Rhythmic tapping stimulates nerves and energises muscles.
Hacking - Light chopping motions awaken tissue and boost blood flow.
Cupping - Hollow-handed percussion loosens congestion in muscle tissue.
Beating - Soft pounding stimulates deeper muscles and circulation.
Vibration - Rapid shaking relaxes muscles and calms the nervous system.
Skin rolling - Lifting and rolling fascia improves mobility and circulation.
Passive joint movement - Gentle movement increases flexibility and joint mobility.

Come and see Shi Shi for some midweek TLC 🥰🥰and transform your well being. Remember, self care is not pampering or luxury. You deserve to feel well and relaxed. xx

If you spend your days caring for other people, then I want to care for you. 🥰

That’s why I have an always-on 20% discount on full body massages for frontline responders and NHS staff members. You do such amazing and important work, it is a privilege to work with so many of you.

After a long shift, come and see Shi Shi and I’ll massage your head, arms, back, tummy, legs and feet — all for £48.

We’ll get you back on your feet and looking windswept and heroic out to sea, just like this picture. Because I know this is exactly how you all spend your time after work! 🤣🤣🤣

In all seriousness...

Self-care for women isn’t a luxury or pampering. Whether you’re on your feet all day or sitting down for hours, your body absorbs stress, tension and fatigue. It builds up over time. It's not just tight muscles it's every organ in your body, your nervous system, your mind and relationship with self.

Massage therapy is uniquely powerful self care..

Massage works on the body at a physiological level. It helps release chronic muscle tension by calming overactive nerve signals and improving circulation to tight tissues. It shifts the nervous system out of stress mode and into rest-and-digest, lowering cortisol and supporting better sleep, digestion and recovery. By enhancing blood and lymph flow, massage reduces fatigue and helps the body clear built-up strain.

You deserve it...

Stay connected to your body - come and see me once a month and after 6 months you will be gazing out to sea!

Please tag anyone in comments who needs some TLC!