He places his hands on two spots. A liturgy of shivers begins. Classic massage has something prudish about it, and absurd, in stubbornly avoiding the most sensitive zones. Thierry doesn’t avoid them. And doesn’t linger there either.
The entire body is part of his choreography. And when he has awakened each centimetre of skin with his hands, from the roots of my hair to the tips of my toes, he returns with his entire body, his body like a new vector of gentleness. I imagine this requires technique, but what I mostly perceive is an intention. This man wants to do me good. He is gentle. He is tender. I’m going to say something huge: I feel loved.
I expected some kind of performance, and instead I’m slipping into an act of communication. It’s clear that our bodies are speaking to each other. There are subtle places, hot places. We could choose to go towards pleasure – we can do that, Thierry tells me later. But there’s more than mere pleasure to be discovered in this adventure. There is perhaps a focal point of ecstasy – a spiritual state as well as a physical one.
Here, the body is a piano, on which one plays the sensitive notes: skimming over them, freeing them, lighting them up. Bliss can be skin-deep, and we don’t even realise it.
I expected some kind of performance, and instead I’m slipping into an act of communication. It’s clear that our bodies are speaking to each other. There are subtle places, hot places. We could choose to go towards pleasure – we can do that, Thierry tells me later. But there’s more than mere pleasure to be discovered in this adventure. There is perhaps a focal point of ecstasy – a spiritual state as well as a physical one.
Here, the body is a piano, on which one plays the sensitive notes: skimming over them, freeing them, lighting them up. Bliss can be skin-deep, and we don’t even realise it.
Elisa Brune
A WOMAN’S OPINION
Massage crème de la crème
I leave my friends to go for a tantric massage.
Mocking glances. Are they confusing tantric with erotic? Or even carnal? I don’t know if I really understand the difference, but I just want to find out.
A mansion with waxed parquet floors, candles, soft music and sparse furnishings. It’s a meditative atmosphere. Mary welcomes me with an angelic smile. Could I be at the gates of paradise? Thierry has just shaken my hand. In ten minutes, I will be naked, and so will he. Mary talks to me about this passion they have, both of them, for bringing wellbeing to others. It is clear this is a true commitment for them, a case of body and soul.
A quick shower. I wait for him. Stretched out in the middle of the futon. He comes in and places his towel next to mine, with slow movements.
Are you comfortable?
Massage crème de la crème
I leave my friends to go for a tantric massage.
Mocking glances. Are they confusing tantric with erotic? Or even carnal? I don’t know if I really understand the difference, but I just want to find out.
A mansion with waxed parquet floors, candles, soft music and sparse furnishings. It’s a meditative atmosphere. Mary welcomes me with an angelic smile. Could I be at the gates of paradise? Thierry has just shaken my hand. In ten minutes, I will be naked, and so will he. Mary talks to me about this passion they have, both of them, for bringing wellbeing to others. It is clear this is a true commitment for them, a case of body and soul.
A quick shower. I wait for him. Stretched out in the middle of the futon. He comes in and places his towel next to mine, with slow movements.
Are you comfortable?
However, we are directly inspired by the first principle outlined above during these sessions. The essential feature of this technique is to consider the person as a whole. The sexual organs are taken into consideration along with all the other parts of the body. All of your vital and sexual energies are stimulated and brought to the brink of the point of no return. A code is agreed upon with the masseur/masseuse at the start of the session to prevent your energy from being freed.
Taoist massage
Taoist wisdom considers orgasm to represent a significant loss of energy. And what better proof than the fact that, once our little copulations are over, we tend to feel drowsy or even fall asleep!
Taoists are fully aware of the importance of sexual energies. These energies, if not freed, are redistributed throughout the body and nourish the vital organs such as the heart, liver and kidneys. So it's easy to see why they call it 'Vital Energy'. According to this philosophy, conserving vital energy enables us to live longer and in better health! Yet we poor Westerners don't consider amorous relations to count unless they end with orgasm (I'm talking about the men, of course!). So there's only one option left, gentlemen: mastering another Taoist technique which involves re-absorbing the sperm you have deposited inside your lover.
We're talking about the men here, always the men. And what about the women you say? Ladies, please pardon my audacity, but you should know that your vagina is much more than it appears! I'm not going to give you an anatomy class, you should know a great deal about it already. But did you know that the vagina is surrounded by very strong muscles? These provide tone, firmness and energy. The more toned these muscles are, the more exciting the sexual sensations and the faster and more easily orgasm comes. The ability of the vagina to tighten around and caress the penis from inside becomes evident and the sensation between the partners is therefore amplified. Unfortunately, these muscles are often too weak. Nobody knows how to work them - except for Taoists!
Taoist wisdom considers orgasm to represent a significant loss of energy. And what better proof than the fact that, once our little copulations are over, we tend to feel drowsy or even fall asleep!
Taoists are fully aware of the importance of sexual energies. These energies, if not freed, are redistributed throughout the body and nourish the vital organs such as the heart, liver and kidneys. So it's easy to see why they call it 'Vital Energy'. According to this philosophy, conserving vital energy enables us to live longer and in better health! Yet we poor Westerners don't consider amorous relations to count unless they end with orgasm (I'm talking about the men, of course!). So there's only one option left, gentlemen: mastering another Taoist technique which involves re-absorbing the sperm you have deposited inside your lover.
We're talking about the men here, always the men. And what about the women you say? Ladies, please pardon my audacity, but you should know that your vagina is much more than it appears! I'm not going to give you an anatomy class, you should know a great deal about it already. But did you know that the vagina is surrounded by very strong muscles? These provide tone, firmness and energy. The more toned these muscles are, the more exciting the sexual sensations and the faster and more easily orgasm comes. The ability of the vagina to tighten around and caress the penis from inside becomes evident and the sensation between the partners is therefore amplified. Unfortunately, these muscles are often too weak. Nobody knows how to work them - except for Taoists!
Don't worry, we're not going to make you do exercises like these, we just want to arouse your curiosity.
The Esalen Institute, a personal development centre located in Big Sur in California, was home to the majority of researchers working on this area, giving rise to numerous new forms of therapy and physical techniques.
Within this context - more specifically during personal development workshops - massage was combined with group therapy work. Inspired by the gentleness of the Esalen massage, Margaret Elke went on to develop the Californian massage technique which she taught professionally in the United States and then in France as a tool for complementing psychotherapy. The technique gained in popularity in the 1980s.
It goes without saying that we offer the "Mary Hash" version of Californian massage.
Californian massage
This massage is the first technique I ever tried, at the end of the 80s. It soon became clear to me that it lacked a principle notion: considering the individual as a whole. Accepting the individual as he or she is - masculine or feminine - as a whole, without prudishness, without excluding the more sensitive areas and particularly without the intention of creating any kind of sexual excitement. I therefore set about developing what I consider to be 'correct'. Marie followed close behind, experiencing more difficulties at that time.
I find it astounding that the buttocks are still massaged under a towel in some massage centres today! This striking example reflects the many prohibitions and conditioning which men and women need to free themselves from. Our bodies, our sexual organs, have been constrained. No wonder then that our spirits and our society are so concupiscent!
I find it astounding that the buttocks are still massaged under a towel in some massage centres today! This striking example reflects the many prohibitions and conditioning which men and women need to free themselves from. Our bodies, our sexual organs, have been constrained. No wonder then that our spirits and our society are so concupiscent!
Initially developed in the United States at the Esalen Institute in California, this massage is inspired by various different Oriental techniques and by the works of Reich on the circulation of energy. It aims to relax the body and rid it of any tensions which have accumulated, creating a state of psychic relaxation which can lead to a state of heightened well-being. It also enables people to discover or rediscover a means of approaching others through touch, something which is usually lost after early childhood.
Californian massage first appeared at the start of the 70s, at the time when group therapies were first emerging, focusing on liberating the body from its restraints, expressing feelings and developing the human potential.
Tantric massage® for couples
This session is exactly the same as for the individual sessions except that you are massaged side by side, hand in hand…
You will be massaged by a masseuse and a masseur, or by two masseuses depending on your preference and sexual orientation.
At the end of the massage, you can spend some intimate time with your partner if you wish. You can benefit from this time to share and exchange views on what you have just experienced. We will leave you alone in this situation and will join you again later to discuss your views.
This session can be playful, educational or therapeutic, as you wish. You can also ask to be blindfolded if you wish to enjoy it without seeing.
This session is perfect for couples seeking personal or sexual enrichment and development as well as for couples who are experiencing intimacy difficulties in their relationship. In the case of the latter, we would highly recommend a session with Marie and Thierry.
Set aside two hours of your time.
You will be massaged by a masseuse and a masseur, or by two masseuses depending on your preference and sexual orientation.
At the end of the massage, you can spend some intimate time with your partner if you wish. You can benefit from this time to share and exchange views on what you have just experienced. We will leave you alone in this situation and will join you again later to discuss your views.
This session can be playful, educational or therapeutic, as you wish. You can also ask to be blindfolded if you wish to enjoy it without seeing.
This session is perfect for couples seeking personal or sexual enrichment and development as well as for couples who are experiencing intimacy difficulties in their relationship. In the case of the latter, we would highly recommend a session with Marie and Thierry.
Set aside two hours of your time.
Tantra, tempted?
Have we all gone blind?! Quite a paradox in today's world where everything is just illusion and superficiality and where image and the visual dominate over the essential and existential.
All too often our guests (male and female) are fixated with purely aesthetical criteria when they make appointments: "Oh no, not with that person, he/she's too this or not enough that" and I come across plenty of naïve and immature people…
Tantra is totally removed from considerations of this kind! It doesn't matter who takes care of you: male or female, thin or fat, blonde or brunette, Belgian or from elsewhere, young or more mature, etc., etc. What is important is what this person wants to offer you and share with you: his or her skills and human values, the quality of the massage, the love, tenderness and respect you are shown, no matter who carries out the massage.
This new session aims to submerge you completely in our philosophy.
Unlike with a 'classic' tantric massage session, we will not be allowing you to choose the person performing the massage. We will also blindfold you throughout the massage. To retain the magic of the moment shared and experienced, you won't know who has massaged you and you will never know. Your powers of hearing, smell and touch will be put to the test. We will awaken your emotions, your sensations and your perceptiveness. You will be listening to yourself completely… and in depth. And listening to the other person also, such as they are and for what they are. You will notice a series of small things which you probably didn't even know exist…
So - to tantra or not to tantra?
All too often our guests (male and female) are fixated with purely aesthetical criteria when they make appointments: "Oh no, not with that person, he/she's too this or not enough that" and I come across plenty of naïve and immature people…
Tantra is totally removed from considerations of this kind! It doesn't matter who takes care of you: male or female, thin or fat, blonde or brunette, Belgian or from elsewhere, young or more mature, etc., etc. What is important is what this person wants to offer you and share with you: his or her skills and human values, the quality of the massage, the love, tenderness and respect you are shown, no matter who carries out the massage.
This new session aims to submerge you completely in our philosophy.
Unlike with a 'classic' tantric massage session, we will not be allowing you to choose the person performing the massage. We will also blindfold you throughout the massage. To retain the magic of the moment shared and experienced, you won't know who has massaged you and you will never know. Your powers of hearing, smell and touch will be put to the test. We will awaken your emotions, your sensations and your perceptiveness. You will be listening to yourself completely… and in depth. And listening to the other person also, such as they are and for what they are. You will notice a series of small things which you probably didn't even know exist…
So - to tantra or not to tantra?
Korean massage
As a classic form of Oriental massage, Korean massage encourages the circulation of the blood and energy as well as lymphatic circulation.
It relaxes muscular tension as well as stimulating and fortifying the whole body.
This massage combines essential oils containing relaxing properties with a range of special techniques, applied in accordance with the requirements of the massage client: touching, pressing, kneading, drainage, articular work and plantar reflexology.
The session finishes with a facial massage.
It relaxes muscular tension as well as stimulating and fortifying the whole body.
This massage combines essential oils containing relaxing properties with a range of special techniques, applied in accordance with the requirements of the massage client: touching, pressing, kneading, drainage, articular work and plantar reflexology.
The session finishes with a facial massage.
The Shaän massage
Named after our little girl, this massage technique came to me intuitively and instinctively. In addition to the many other activities and exercises we carried out with her, we had also been massaging Shaän over several months. I tirelessly applied the same rituals, the same intentions, the same caresses, the same pressure.
This massaging seemed to calm and relax her. She soon slipped into a deep and soothing sleep. It's hard for me to quantify the importance of this massage in Shaän's progress, but I'm certain it made a valuable contribution.
This technique is characterised by pressure from the finger tips, exerted to the rhythm of soft background music and placed all over the body. This pressure alternates between caresses and movements of a greater or lesser force, depending on the area of the body in question.
I would recommend this session for anyone seeking well-being, balance and deep relaxation… a moment of completeness.
(cf news du 04 juni 2007)
