Massage with a bamboo stick may sound like torture, but it is sheer bliss, discovers MAXINE GORDON

BATONS of bamboo bigger than a policeman’s truncheon lie in wait for me in the treatment room.

I’m at Kuki Hair and Beauty Spa in Huntington Road, York, to try its latest “weapon” against the twin evils of modern life: stress and tension.

Therapist Kate McCusker offers a friendly, welcoming smile, as she invites me to climb aboard the treatment bed.

The old proverb warning that enemies come with a beaming face crosses my mind as I try to square Kate’s benevolent demeanour with the images I’ve seen in the brochure of a body being pummelled with a giant wooden cane.

But within moments of slipping under the fluffy towels and feeling the heat of the electric blanket flood through my skin, my barriers begin to come down.

Kate uses warm oils to gently massage my body, starting with the legs, before moving on my back, shoulders and neck.

She uses her hands and knuckles to work away at knots, but also her wooden friends: bamboo canes, which have first been warmed in a special heat sack. The flow between her hands and the bamboo is seamless. Far from being painful, it’s heavenly, and as Kate presses deeper into my trouble spots the only thing I want to yell out is: don’t stop.

There are a variety of sizes of bamboo canes, from palm-sized pieces to ones that could double as a curtain pole.

The longer one she reserves for the end when I am on my back and she slides the stick beneath my shoulder blades and rolls it all the way up to my neck. I feel the knots crunch as she does it. The Chinese have a term for it, says Kate, "happy pain".

The bamboo is surprisingly smooth and silky. The massage is particularly good for busting cellulite as the strong, rolling motions help improve circulation and lymphatic drainage.

It offers the best of both worlds: a work-out for your knotty areas, but also deep relaxation. By the time my 75 minutes is up, I am almost asleep.

The warmth from the bamboo reminded me of massages I had had before with hot stones or lava shells – and if you like those types of treatments, it’s worth giving bamboo a go.

The heat enhances the therapeutic aspect of the massage. “You need to warm up the tissue before you work the muscles,” says Kate. “And when you are warm, you are more relaxed.”

Besides the warm electric blanket, Kate covers my eyes with a heated eye pillow. It’s a lovely sensation; it’s just a shame it had to come to an end.

* Kuki Hair and Beauty Spa, Water Meadows, 367 Huntington Road, York, offers two bamboo massages: a full body lasting 75 minutes for £60 or a 30-minute back massage for £35. Find out more at kukispa.com or telephone 01904 659007.