I’ve been on the look out for a good massage therapist since arriving in Huntly, and the closest I came to finding one reasonably priced was when I went down to The Holy Isle (but they weren’t around that weekend). Spending a good portion of my time hunched over a keyboard has left knots and pains in my neck, shoulders, arms, wrists, and back over the last ten years, and while I use to think getting a massage was a pampered luxury, I have come to see it as a necessity to maintaining a healthy circulatory system. 

Having found nothing suitable in Huntly, I got recommended to Lucy Aykroyd, who I first met as the painter of this, during the Huntly Writers stint running Orb Books a few weeks ago. As a trained DIP, APM, DIP NN, Lucy offers a pure and holistic approach to the business of body work, providing the service of Swedish massages and yoga classes just outside of Huntly at the Ford of Clatt, where she used to run a B&B. Well worth its price (£40 after tip), the massage left me completely zonked, having released some (though certainly not all) well-stored tension, leaving me with the best night’s sleep I’ve had in months. 

I also got my hair cut finally in town at Jackie’s (69 Bogie Street), after trying unsuccessfully for months to meet up with a friend of a friend in Glasgow and even almost partaking in Alan Grieve’s The Hairdresser’s Salon in Aberdeen. The main hurdle to becoming a prolonged visitor, or maybe just a really flexible traveler, is being able to trust the locals for all kinds of services. Like most people who prefer their family GP for a physical, I hold the equivalent to my hairstylist, who I’ve known longer than almost anyone. But Huntly born and bred Lyn McRailt-Young at Jackie’s was just great, understood how the last cut had grown out, did a simple clean up and trim, all for £10 (after tip). The general atmosphere at Jackie’s was also preferable as I popped into a handful of salons before reaching their establishment, which appeared more like a private home from the outside. Relaxed and unpretentious, a good atmosphere just makes it easier to trust local strangers. 

Appointments are necessary for both, contact Lucy 014646 831115 / Jackie’s 01466 793940