I only first heard of Galentine’s Day a few years ago through one of my best friends. And, since then, I have been making an effort to spread the word and celebrate it with my closest female friends.
Typically marked on February 13, Galentine’s Day celebrates women’s friendships and, in my opinion, also acts as a rejection of Valentine’s Day. As someone who came out of a long-term relationship not that long ago, marking Galentine’s Day felt even more important this year.
Female friendships – and one in particular – have made all the difference in a very difficult year of my life, listening to me when I needed the most, keeping me company and also providing much-needed practical help. So, to say thanks, last weekend I took my best friend out for lunch and then for a much-needed and much-deserved massage.
I was invited to try out Owlfinch Therapies, based at the Alma Vale Centre in Clifton. Rated number 4 on TripAdvisor for Spa and Wellness – behind big local names such as the Lido -, Phaedra and Adriano Owlfinch specialise in side-by-side holistic/deep tissue massages for couples.
With a warm welcome, we were both excited to have our first side-by-side massage. We both loved the heated blanket placed on top of the massage table, and appreciated the regular check ins from Phaedra and Adriano.
They paid great attention to detail, focusing on the areas we had both highlighted as needing extra attention.
Phaedra and Adriano are, in fact, a couple themselves. They met at university, having been together for almost ten years and married for two.
“I’m currently training as a talking therapist, but over the pandemic I wanted to diversify my skills in the therapeutic professions,” said Phaedra.
“It was Adriano that suggested I train in massage. I immediately thought, why not? I’m Greek – we hug a lot, so touch feels really natural to me. After training, I worked in various places, and noticed that there was a lot of demand for couples massages, but very few places to offer them.
“I also got to deliver a couples massage with a coworker the very first day I met them! It was very awkward and unsynchronised, and I wondered what it might be like if we were more attuned to each other as massage therapists. So over time I convinced Adriano that not only would he love massage, but we could offer something special together. “
Phaedra said she loves working with her partner, saying Adriano is her/their best friend and that “everything is better when he is there too”. “I found massaging by myself lonely sometimes, and him being in the room massaging at the same time makes all the difference,” the 30-year-old added.
Adriano said: “It’s been such a lovely career change to work with my best friend and be our own bosses. We already spent all our time together over the lockdowns and we’ve worked on creative projects together in the past – we already knew we work well together.
“We have the same values, and we’re pretty good at supporting each other. “
Adriano said their clients are all sorts of people, from couples and relatives to people who are just friends. “We even gave a massage to two people who were in the middle of a break-up once, though that was unusual!,” added the 34-year-old.
“Some come with particular pain or conditions they’d like help with; most want to relax and spend some quality time together for a special occasion or a date night.”
Phaedra said they try and offer a safe, relaxing space for all. She/they said: “We also love seeing people who might not feel as comfortable receiving massages in mainstream spas – people in the LGBTQ+ and neurodivergent communities for example.
“I get really excited when we’re able to offer them a safe and relaxing space, because we’ve struggled finding those ourselves in the past. “
Speaking about what makes their offering unique, Phaedra added: “You can’t find many places in Bristol that will offer a couples massage in the same room. You also can’t find many places that offer a four-hands massage.
“Most importantly, you can’t find any place where the therapists are also a couple – in practice that means the vibes are just better. We know each other, we know how we work and we feel safe and comfortable and in sync. So much better than colleagues.
“We’ve been enjoying talking and interacting with our clients so much that we’ve been slowly and mindfully getting into teaching them massage, actually!”
Phaedra said they have introduced three workshops so far to teach couples or friends how to give each other massages. Adriano continued: “Massage is a great thing to be doing for your self-care in any case, and a couples massage is such a lovely way to spend quality time with a loved one, sharing a space where you both reach a state of effortless relaxation side by side.
“We regularly see couples practically float out of our therapy room, and it always brings us a smile. The world is full of bustle, so taking time to properly unwind and reconnect with your partner can be magical.
“We’re also big fans of Palentine’s Day – bring a friend or family member and you won’t find a better place to relax and forget about the V-day hype.”