Relax, I will ease your body

A well-laid cot complete with orange bedsheets stands majestically in front of me, as a jewel dressed in a light blue top and a pair of jeans welcomes me.

She immediately explains what she
does and convinces me to go for a two-hour session.

She draws the curtains and instructs me to undress as she hands over two hangers and a snow-white towel.

“You have to go and take a quick shower first,” she instructs in a lovely voice. I turn to the next open door, which is the shower room.
I try out Chameleon’s Dorotia as my shower song. After a few minutes I emerge. I am nervous... why should I remove all my clothes and lie on this hospital-like bed?

The lady makes it worse a few moments later when she says: “Throw away the towel and cover yourself with this wrapper.”
More instructions are to follow. “Lie on your back,” she says.

I persuade her to call in other girls. I am just not in the mood of being worked on by one person.

Lying on my back in a room located at Ekitobeero Restaurant and Bar, four beautiful ladies are busy ‘tickling’ me after pouring some liquid on my body. It is called aromatherapy.

The oil has a pleasant scent like olive or grape fruit oil. They start with my feet, which they endlessly rub and tickle. I just can’t help but laugh. As I continue with my uncontrolled laughter, the whole process becomes a little bit painful, when they uncramp my stressed ankles. “It seems you walk a lot,” the lady, whose name is Harriet says. I agree.

“You see, my work involves a lot of walking,” I explain.
The aromatherapists are now massaging my heels. I giggle uncontrollably because this is a very sensitive part. The two ladies then abandon the feet and get hold of my hands, rubbing the palms and the fingers. They get two wooden sticks, which they use to firmly press my fingers. They professionally call this “Ache Pressure.” Yes, it’s damn painful. I complain and make some loud noise like a baby who’s been injected by the no nonsense family nurse.

“Your work involves a lot of writing, isn’t it?” Harriet inquires. I sternly look at her. I think for a while. This lady must be a majimoto (witch doctor). How did she know? “Oh, yes. I type a lot,” I finally answer. “You screamed when I touched them. The expression on your face showed pain,” she explains in detail. She smiles before rubbing more oil on my body. She now starts to massage the legs.

The other two ladies are busy ‘scrubbing’ my hands. “This is what we call Hand Reflexology,” another one called Winnie says. “Reflex... what?” Harriet then answers back, trying to correct me. She continues with her foot reflexology thing as she explains all the details and benefits of this kind of treatment. She then starts the treatment of the sciatic nerve found somewhere on the sides of my legs.

As two aromatherapists massage my shoulders and try to ‘relocate’ them to some other place, the others are busy delicately rubbing down my thighs. That part (sorry, I won’t tell you which one) is now covered with the other drapery. I start asking questions about their work. “We were trained by the Reflexology Academy of South Africa. We started in 1999,” Harriet answers.

All their hands are now massaging the whole body. Some are touching my hairy chest while others are moving my stomach muscles. Another masseuse is tapping away at my flabby flesh. Keeping quiet at this moment is not the best solution.

And if you are that lad who thinks about sex all the time, aromatherapy or massage is not the best session for you.
After an hour of this treatment, I’m
instructed to lie on my stomach.

They continue applying oils that smell like lavender, pine or black pepper. “They help in relaxing the muscles,” Harriet explains. They rub my back shamelessly towards my bottom. One of them extends my underwear and rubs my ‘cheeks’. Harriet meanwhile, is busy pressing her elbow up and down my spine. It’s lovely encounter. I just don’t want her to stop.

The pillow is then removed. The neck is the next on the massaging line. The more she pushes her soft fingers, the more I laugh. She continues her work for a while. She starts on the waiting ears. She softly touches them as my mood is instantly uplifted, for the better of course.

I didn’t know that the head also gets this rare treatment. She pats my head gently for a while then gives me a head massage. She then tells me in a soft voice to turn again. I oblige and lie on my already massaged back.

The pillow is returned then she starts to give me a facial wash. “Could you please stop there. What will people think when they see me with a bleached face?” I am furious as I knock on the nearby table that is full of massage oils. “Oh no. I am just cleaning your face. These are strictly natural herbs,” she explains. I accept and let her continue with her work.

She smears the clay musk all over my face, which she lets dry by fanning it. After a while, she gets a cleanser and removes everything. The real facial massage thing now starts. She gently rubs my rugged face. When she reaches the forehead, she asks whether I get migraines. I shake my head in disagreement. “But it seems you are either exhausted or worn out,” she says. I peep at her and after a thought i mumble: “Maybe she has a point.” She goes ahead with her work.

After some minutes, she declares the end of the two-hour session. Another masseur brings my clothes and I stroll out with my head up, feeling more relaxed than before.
Aromatherapy has established itself as the in-thing for the majority of Ugandans who are doing well.

The Ekitobeero aromatherapy sets you back by about sh20,000 or less. There are quite many big names waiting. Syda Bbumba and Brigadier Moses Ali have been spotted on a number of occasions here.

Suzan Kavuma of CBS FM says that she visits an aromatherapist once every week. “It can get quite painful at times with the feet and back, which shows that there is something wrong,” she says. “But after the session, I get very relaxed.”

A prominent lawyer in town says that aromatherapy helps him smell better. “I feel awesome after the session,” he says.

Florence Williams of Beauty Tips, a professional masseuse with an experience of 10 years says she also takes off time to enjoy aromatherapy. “I always have massage on the legs because I spend almost the entire day standing,” she explains. “It releases all the pain and I feel lighter.”