Five Reasons You Need a Massage
Story & Photography Provided by Healing Hands Natural Therapy Spa
Stress Reduction: Massage therapy aids in lowering stress hormones like cortisol, while increasing the production of endorphins, promoting relaxation and reducing anxiety.
Pain Relief: It can alleviate chronic pain conditions by easing muscle tension, improving blood flow and releasing trigger points, leading to decreased discomfort and improved mobility.
Improved Circulation: Massage enhances blood circulation, delivering oxygen and nutrients to tissues, aiding in better healing, and flushing out metabolic waste products from the body.
Enhanced Immunity: Regular massage sessions have been linked to bolstering the immune system by increasing the activity level of natural killer cells and lymphocytes.
Mental Wellness: It contributes to improved mental health by reducing depressive symptoms, enhancing sleep quality, and fostering an overall sense of well-being and relaxation.
Massages involve many modalities, with Swedish/relaxation and therapeutic massages being the most popular. True Swedish massage incorporates actions like percussion, kneading, vibration, tapping, rolling and sometimes range-of-motion exercises. Relaxation massages and sensual couples massage may include those same movements, but their primary goal is to use light to firm strokes to relax the client.
Therapeutic massage is a more targeted massage that focuses on addressing actual muscle and joint issues that the client or referring partner (usually a doctor) has concerns about. The massage therapist will use modalities of their choosing to achieve the desired results. More than one massage session is recommended for the best results, and massage therapists will work with the client to create a plan to optimize results and/or maintenance. This massage can be full body or just targeted areas – the client and massage therapist create a plan together.
Deep-tissue massage is often requested, but unfortunately most people think they want what they see on TV or social media. The most preconceived idea is that a big, burly massage therapist will crank and compress the client’s muscles to oblivion – some have even asked for that! However, not everyone should receive deep-tissue massage until they have talked with their massage therapist first. A deep-tissue massage will generally work on the more obscure muscles and connective tissue in a specific area. Deep-tissue massage is used to treat musculoskeletal issues such as strains and sports injuries. It involves applying sustained pressure using slow, deep strokes to target the inner layers of muscles and connective tissues. This helps to break up scar tissue that forms following an injury, and reduce tension in muscle and tissue.
Contact Healing Hands Natural Therapy Spa at 765-450-4602 for more information.
