Harmony Glow pairs ear candling with a face treatment. The candles clear the feeling of pressure in the ears and sinuses; the face work that follows warms the skin and lets the jaw and forehead go. It is light, warm and pleasant, and a good first Ayurvedic treatment if you are new to all of this.
What Harmony Glow is
You lie on your side while a hollow herbal candle is placed at the ear and lit; the warm air draws gently on the ear canal for about ten minutes per side. Then you turn onto your back for the face: a cleanse, warm oil, slow strokes over the forehead, cheeks and jaw, and pressure on the marma points around the eyes and temples. I finish with the neck.
Where it comes from
Ear candling is a folk practice with roots in several traditions; I pair it with the face work because the warmth and the quiet suit each other. The face treatment is Ayurvedic: oil, marma points and the slow strokes of shiro abhyanga, the head massage of the daily routine. The face work follows the head massage of the daily routine in Vagbhata’s Ashtanga Hridaya [1].
What it is for
What people come to me for:
- A feeling of pressure or fullness in the ears
- Sinus heaviness once a cold is over
- Jaw and forehead tension
- Dull, tired skin
- A gentle introduction to treatments
The face treatment is classical Ayurveda and my own experience; the ear candling is what people describe to me: warmth, quiet, and a lighter head afterwards.
How often to come
This depends on why you come. These are the rhythms I suggest most often; we settle on yours at the intake.
| If you come for | I suggest |
|---|
| Ear or sinus pressure | Two sessions two weeks apart, then as needed |
| Skin and relaxation | Once a month |
| Seasonal | At the turn of autumn and spring |
What to combine it with
Treatments that work well alongside it:
And at home, in the days around the treatment:
- Warm drinks and steam inhalation at home when the sinuses are heavy
- Less dairy for a week if you are prone to congestion
- Oil in the diet for the skin: ghee, sesame, nuts
Practical
50 minutes, €85. Amsterdam city centre, by appointment. Come without face make-up.
- Eat lightly, and nothing heavy in the ninety minutes before.
- Tell me beforehand about pain, injuries, pregnancy or conditions you are being treated for.
- Keep the rest of the day easy if you can. The body is warm and open, so a hat helps on cold days.
When not to book
Better to wait, or to choose another treatment, with:
- An ear infection
- A perforated eardrum or grommets
- An acute cold with fever
- Open skin on the face
Earwax problems or an infection are for a doctor first.
Afterwards
Keep the ears warm and dry for the day. No make-up for a few hours.
Booking
Before a first treatment I suggest an Ayurvedic consultation of forty minutes for €90, so I know which oil and which treatment fit you. If you already know what you want, write to me or book directly.
Before a first visit, read the preparation notes and contraindications and the cancellation and rescheduling policy.
References
Numbers in square brackets in the text point to the entries below. Journal references are given in the National Library of Medicine style; each was checked against the Crossref and PubMed registries.
- Srikantha Murthy KR, translator. Vagbhata’s Astanga Hrdayam. Vol. 1. Varanasi: Chowkhamba Krishnadas Academy; 2004. Sutrasthana, chapter 2 (Dinacharya): daily oil massage of the body, head, ears and feet.
The frequencies and combinations above are my general advice from practice, not medical treatment. If you are being treated for a condition, tell your doctor and tell me.