I TRY not to wince as Boudica, the 12ft albino python slowly wraps round my neck, and attempt to remember why I'm doing this. I'm at Snakey Sue's Live Snake Encounters and Sanctuary in Harwich, Essex, and for her, this is just a normal Thursday. A wellness chokehold has taken the world by storm, but there is one therapeutic practice that has taken the phrase quite literally - Snake Massage.
![[Woman holding a large albino Burmese python.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/pictures-andrew-styczynski-sun-online-952904935.jpg?strip=all&w=737)
Two words you wouldn't necessarily put together might be the one thing that can help you unwind. Snake Massage involves sitting or lying down as live snakes are placed on your back and can cost up to £200 if you choose the biggest one, Boudica. Reptile fanatic and former belly-dancer Sue has adopted rescue snakes since 1992, and is convinced of their benefits.
![[Woman receiving a snake massage from two corn snakes.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/pictures-andrew-styczynski-sun-online-952904923_b308cd.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
She said: "It's like a meditation. "If you're meditating you're supposed not to think of anything else. "Just your breath, you're thinking just the breathing and it's the same thing here.". She offers educational talks, sanctuary visits - and sometimes, for those who don't get easily rattled, a massage.
![[Two women holding corn snakes.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/pictures-andrew-styczynski-sun-online-952904798_725fda.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
The first step was picking out the snake. Snakey Sue's Live Snake Encounters and Sanctuary is home to 19 rescued serpents, including two python sisters, Lesley the corn snake, and Dobby the boa constrictor. Sue affectionately talked me through how she came to adopt each one, and how each rescue became part of the family.
![[Belly dancer Suzanne Patrice performing in the 1980s for Michael Crawford at a London restaurant.]](https://www.thesun.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/12/1980s-dancing-star-micheal-crawford-952905092.jpg?strip=all&w=960)
