At the end of the island on the South West tip overlooking the sea you will find what is often described as the “Millionaires’ Playground”, Puerto Andratx. If you haven't been then you really should as it’s a stunning natural harbour sheltering some very expensive looking yachts, and overlooked by some even more fancy villas housing the aforementioned Millionaires. These sorts of people often expect, and demand the best: service, restaurants, results, and Puerto Andratx businesses have responded to those demands and risen to the challenge. It is here in Puerto Andratx that you will find massage therapist Andra Ciupercea.
Where are you from? “I am originally from Romania, but I have been living on the island for about a year.” Where were you working before you moved here? “I worked in the spa in luxury hotel settings and onboard cruise ships. I had seen Palma before as that was on the route for the ship, and I decided that I wanted to live here.” Do you miss being onboard? “I enjoyed seeing different places but I am very happy here as well. I am looking forward to seeing more of the island when the season is over.”
Andra has been very busy this summer working at Cap Hair in Puerto Andratx, and it is there that I visit her to see her at work. She has a peaceful treatment room, which once you enter it you could easily forget that you are in a top class, and very busy, hair salon. What kind of treatments do you have on offer? “I do various types of massage, as well as body and skin treatments.” What kind of products do you like to use? “I enjoy using the products from Gaia Natural. They are made here on the island using herbs grown locally, and I think the clients like them for this authentic touch as well.” Where did you train? “I am a certified Beauty Therapist, Esthetician and Make Up artist. I trained in Romania and then in the UK at Elemis, but I really started to learn when I started to work with other therapists and on different clients. You really begin to refine your work and your style when you gain experience.”
What are the benefits of massage? “Clients come to see me with a lot of different issues, but you can often bring the cause of their pain back to the same things: stress and anxiety can create a lot of pain in the body. Massage helps to lower the stress levels in the client, improve the function of their immune system which means they can fight off viruses better, it boosts their mental health and their feelings of wellness, and helps them to just feel better in their bodies. A happy body equals a happy client, and that in turn means the client is happier and more pleasant to be around.”
Tell me about the different types of massage you offer? “I have learned and used several massage techniques and treatments but some of my favourites are the Warm Herbal Stamps, Warm Bamboo Sticks, and the Hot Stone Massage. They are all very nourishing and nurturing and help the client to feel safe and relaxed. I find that massage is very much like leading a dance with the body. When the client is on the treatment table their eyes are normally closed and they cannot see where I am. I don’t encourage them to talk, and I will only talk if I need to check in with them, but we are in a kind of flow together. Sometimes the body can tell me more about it than its owner ever could, I can tell by looking at the skin how relaxed the person is, and what I need to do to help them.”
How can you tell if you have a good massage therapist? “It depends on what you need, but the therapist should be able to listen to you, and to your body, and adapt as needed to solve the problem you have presented them with. In many ways massage is an unspoken language, a communication between the therapist and the client.”
You can find Andra at Cap Hair in Port Andratx.