Ayurvedic Massage in Porto

The ayurvedic massage is the longest massage we give to one person: eighty minutes, with generous warm oil, long rhythmic strokes and gentle stretches. It comes from the Indian tradition of Ayurveda, which treats the body as a whole rather than as a set of areas. At Mirra, in Porto city centre, near Trindade metro station, we give it as an oriental signature massage: ayurvedic technique with some elements of Thai yoga massage, stretches and glides, with the pressure rising only where and when it makes sense for you.

Why have your ayurvedic massage in Porto at Mirra

The time. Eighty minutes allows what an hour does not: the whole body, including the head, feet and hands, with no part left half done. It is the massage for an afternoon given over to yourself, not for a lunch break.

The oil. It is used warm and in quantity, unlike the relaxation massage, where it is only there to let the hands glide. Here the oil is part of the treatment: the skin is fed by it and its warmth arrives before the hands do.

The place. The Baixa, Porto’s downtown, near Trindade metro station. Opening hours: Every day, 9am–10pm. The visit includes tea after your treatment and slippers. Arrive 10 minutes early, and allow time for a shower at the end if you want the oil off before you go out.

The people. A team of 7 therapists, named further down this page. The ayurvedic massage has a sequence of its own, and whoever gives it learned it as a whole.

How the ayurvedic massage is done

Warming

Face down, covered. Generous warm oil over the back and legs, spread in long rhythmic strokes that keep the same beat. In this phase the pressure is light: the point is the rhythm, and the body picks it up quickly.

Working

Along the back, legs and arms, the strokes alternate between gliding, kneading and light percussion with the palm. On the tighter areas the therapist may raise the pressure and use gentle stretches, in the manner of Thai yoga massage: an arm drawn out slowly, a leg bent and straightened. Nothing is forced; if a stretch bothers you, say so and she stops.

Settling

Face up, the massage reaches the belly, chest, arms and hands, and ends at the head: warm oil in the hair and on the scalp, with slow circular movements, and a few minutes of silence. If you do not want oil in your hair, say so at the start and the head is done without it.

Benefits

On ayurvedic massage specifically, good research is scarce, and we tell you no more than it does. On massage in general, a meta-analysis found that a single session reduced the anxiety felt in the moment, and a course of sessions had an effect on anxiety and mood.¹ The rest is experience, and in this massage the experience is above all the rhythm: you leave with the sense of having been treated as a whole, not in parts.

Afterwards

Drink water. You will have oil on your skin and in your hair: shower at the spa before you leave, or keep it on for a few more hours, as the tradition prefers. In that case, wear clothes you do not mind marking. This is not a massage for before the sauna; if you want the thermal circuit as well, take it first.

If you want the simplest thing, the relaxation massage. If what you want is heat, the hot stone massage. The head alone, in twenty minutes: the Indian head massage. All our massages in Porto are on one page, and this one makes a good gift voucher.

1. Moyer CA, Rounds J, Hannum JW. A meta-analysis of massage therapy research. Psychological Bulletin, 2004;130(1):3-18. PMID 14717648.