Ongoing stress is a recipe for disaster that can impact your ability to follow your daily routine. Once your body has reached its limit, you are more than likely to fall apart physically and be prevented from meeting your obligations or having any fun. Before stress takes over your life, take a break to care for yourself. Head to your local spa and treat yourself to a massage that will allow you to put a halt to your hectic pace.
Make some time in your busy schedule to check out massage services at a nearby day spa or massage therapist. They’ll be able to advise you of the options available to help you overcome your stress and feel pampered. There’s more than one type of massage technique, so read up on the various ones available that will meet your needs. You’ll need to take into consideration what will best solution to your problems, how much time you can allow, and whether you can afford it.
What Kind of Massage is best?
Knowing how each type of massage therapy works and what its particular benefits are is a must before you dive in. Once you know the basics, go ahead and indulge.
- Hot Stone Massage: This is a particularly good procedure if you suffer from aches and pains in your muscles. The massage therapist will place special heated stones on your body in key locations. The heat from the stones relaxes tense muscles, and you’ll find you have greater mobility and flexibility, and less pain. The slow application of pressure and some friction by the therapist will further loosen you up.
- Shiatsu. This massage technique has its origins in Japan. It has some similarities to acupuncture and acupressure, but has been practiced for even longer. The practitioner uses the fingers and palms to apply pressure to certain parts of your body. It’s believed to restore imbalances throughout your body and thereby improve your overall health. Shiatsu massage is especially useful for the treatment of headaches and muscle stiffness related to stress and circulation difficulties.
- Aromatherapy. This is a very luxurious massage experience. The therapist will use essential oils on your body during the massage, most likely lavender which is known for its stress relieving properties. You’ll feel soothed and pampered, and your muscles will be loose and limber. During the massage, you’ll probably feel calm almost to the point of sleep, but afterwards you’ll have renewed energy. Aromatherapy massage is popular with those who suffer from emotional forms of stress.
- Thai Massage. This massage therapy utilizes a little more pressure than does shiatsu massage, and incorporates stretching similar to yoga. But you don’t have to do any of the work. The massage therapist will guide your body through the postures for you. This is excellent for stress reduction as well as improved flexibility and range of motion.
Touch is one of the highest expressions of love, and love is our purpose for living. What we strive for in life is emotional comfort (serenity, relaxation). Massage can be cathartic in this regard. When the body is relaxed, the mind can let go. As the mind opens, self-awareness begins.
Massage is a valuable tool in learning about yourself. It is a means of obtaining love and comfort, feeling your own skin through another person’s hands, balancing and relaxing your body, loving yourself.
Massage can be a brief yet powerful vacation. It soothes the nerves, makes aching muscles feel better and gets the blood flowing. A massage can wake you up, or put you to sleep.
Massage is a way to gain happiness through healthiness. Allow yourself to concentrate more on the pleasures of receiving massage rather than on anxieties — the mind chatter that could become obsessive, if you let it.
What to Expect
No two massages are alike. Each is as unique as the person who gives it. When you seek a massage, know what kind you want. Massage is simply a variety of strokes and pressures. Swedish massage employs any combination of oils (creams are acceptable, too, but require repeated application); in it, one kneads the body like bread, using “petrissage,” and uses long, firm strokes called “effleurage.”
Shiatsu, jin shin jujutsu, reflexology and acupressure are zone therapies concentrating pressure or energy on various points along your body’s “meridians Golfers give a deep massage reaching behind muscles for joints, bone origins and cartilage (i.e., that between the ribs and up the nasal cavity) sometimes leaving bruises. The desired effect after ten sessions is a structural realignment of your body.
You have a right to expect what feels best for you. This is where communication comes in. Know where your pains are (if you have any) and describe them to your practitioner. S/he can easily modify a general body massage to fit your needs.
Where to Get a Massage
A quick glance through the yellow pages will tell you where to find a massage. Look for massage schools and therapeutic massage services. A school may offer massage on their premises (by students or instructors) or can refer you to graduates with private practices. If you wish, the practitioner can come to your home to perform the above-mentioned massage as well as the renowned Tantric Massage Singapore.
Here we’ve an easy and quick solution, certain health clubs employ massage therapists who specialize in half-hour “slap-down” rubs after your workout. A good, thorough session lasts from forty-five minutes to one hour or longer, and costs $30 to $50 and up. Some establishments offer a sauna, Jacuzzi and/or steam bath; most facilities have showers. You can also use Muscle Stimulator Pad to relieve your muscle tension
It is important to feel comfortable with the massage therapist. Any feelings of discomfort from the beginning will only increase during the session and you will not enjoy the massage. Better to walk the yellow pages again than submit yourself to someone you cannot trust. Remember that massage uniquely is an art expression. The giver must be clear about why s/he does what s/he does; this becomes evident in her “handiwork.”
