17 Nov, 2007
Ahhh … nothing like a massage to clear the blues
Posted by: healthnut In: Good Stuff for You
Its amazing how a massage can lift the spirits and relax you at the same time. After weeks of non-stop work, the one hour swedish/cambodian massage did the trick! Just inhaling the essential oils in the room calmed me immediately. Bliss …
Types of Massage:
(1) Swedish- therapists use long smooth strokes, kneading, and circular movements on superficial layers of muscle using massage lotion or oil. This can be very gentle (up to you to tell the masseuse the pressure you want) and relaxing. It’s my favourite.
(2) Thai- includes compressions and stretches that are yoga like and can be very painful. Definitely not what you want if you’re thinking of falling asleep while being massaged.
(3) Hot Stones- Heated, smooth stones are placed on certain points on the body to warm and loosen tight muscles and balance energy centers in the body. My friend got 3rd degree burns when they placed a bag of too hot stones on him and lifted them too late. I personally hate this type of massage but some people swear by it.
(4) Deep Tissue- this is painful as lots of pressure is used and if the masseuse doesn’t know how deep to go or where to go deep, things can get from bad to worse. People who go for this often have chronically tight or painful muscles, repetitive strain, postural problems, or are recovering from injury. People often feel sore for one to two days after deep tissue massages- but in my opinion, if its a good massage, you shouldn’t feel sore at all afterwards, only during the massage.