Benefits of Massage

While to many, a massage sounds like a luxurious day spent at the spa, the practice has a long history of therapeutic uses. Currently, in the United States, it’s considered part of the CAM (complementary and alternative medicine), as scientists are not 100% certain of all of the effects the body experiences as a result.

But the extensive history (going back thousands of years in multiple cultures like China, Japan, Egypt, Greece, and Rome) and the relief experienced by so many is hard to argue with.

Therapeutic Massage

Massage therapy is a part of treatment plans for a plethora of conditions, including but not limited to:

• Chronic pain

• Cancer

• Blood clots

• Depression

• Fibromyalgia

• Chronic headaches

• Autism

• Diabetes

• Asthma

Types of Massage

Swedish Massage

Typically used to relieve tension in the back and shoulders, the Swedish massage is the go-to massage for newbies, and is what most people envision and expect from a massage. Gliding, long strokes are used with kneading and circular Motions.

Aromatherapy

A version of a Swedish massage, Aromatherapy adds essential oils to the mix to give an additional healing element.

Hot Stone

The Hot Stone massage takes therapeutic heat to the next level and helps to loosen trouble tension spots.

Deep Tissue Massage

Just as the name suggests, the Deep Tissue massage goes a step beyond the Swedish massage to relieve tension found in deeper layers of tissue. Used for chronic tension relief and improved range of motion, more intense techniques are applied.

Shiatsu Massage

Stemming from natural Chinese medicine practices, the Shiatsu massage promotes good circulation, helps with the production of oxytocin and helps eliminate blockages.

Pregnancy Massage

As the name suggests, this type of massage is for prenatal purposes – and not just for pampering prenatal purposes. Pregnancy massages have been shown to relieve pain, anxiety, depression, insomnia and other ailments common to expecting mothers.

Reflexology

If your eyes are the window to your soul, your feet are a window to the rest of your body. According to reflexology, your feet have various points that each correlate to other organs and bodily systems. This type of massage focuses on your feet to improve your health elsewhere.

Sports Massage

As an adaptation of the Swedish massage, Sports massages are geared towards athletes who have injuries or aches due to repetitive motion.

Trigger Point Release

Deep Tissue massages deal with widespread body tension, but Trigger Point massages focus in on one very specific spot such as sciatica, rotator cuff, plantar fasciitis and more.