When Martine de Richeville developed her ‘body remodelage’ method in the 1990s, she was looking for a solution to her Parisian clients' most persistent request: how could they look slimmer, instantly?
To find an answer, de Richeville has fused teachings from Traditional Chinese Medicine with the various massage techniques she is trained in to create her own intensive, rhythmic form of massage that makes the body look more svelte and toned within one session.
In a way, it seems too good to be true, laying on a bed for an hour and getting the same results as a few days at the gym, but the de Richeville method is hardly as easy as it sounds. In fact, the first treatment hurts a lot, and the second one too, and the one after that – although thankfully it does get easier each time.
And while it is nice to step off the bed and look instantly slimmer, the real benefit of the ‘body remodelage’ method is its ability to supercharge your body’s natural detoxification abilities by activating the circulation, skin tissue, fascia and organs to get them working at full capacity. It is also an effective treatment for cellulite and, for pregnant women, can be used to avoid stretch marks and sagging skin post-birth.
All the de Richeville therapists–a small group with backgrounds in sports therapy, personal training, and the like– have been trained by Martine herself on how to practise the massage.
It consists of applying pressure deep into the muscles while twisting the skin like puddy and moving in a wave-like motion down the body. Therapists always start at the stomach, the centre of the body’s functioning according to de Richeville, and, according to one therapist, the physical manifestation of the mind’s anxieties. As per the teachings of Traditional Chinese Medicine, the stomach is the area most affected by anxiety and overthinking, and so the de Richeville practitioners, (most of whom have a background in psychology), know where their clients are emotionally from the levels of tension in their stomach.
Each treatment lasts about an hour and leaves the body with the same low level ache it has after a taxing workout (and surprisingly no bruises). According to one therapist, the most devoted de Richeville clients think of the treatment as an integral part of staying healthy, the same as going to the gym, meditating, or any other common wellness practice. Those lucky enough to attend de Richeville for a few sessions (a pack of ten costs £1600) will see some immediate results– slimmer frame, improved digestion– as well as longer term benefits– less cellulite, fewer stretch-marks.
