If you asked anybody close to me what I would request for if I will be sent to a secluded island all alone, they would tell you a massage! I love massages, and I mean LOVE them, I would eat bread and water for an entire month if I had to in order to get a massage. Partially because I love being a pampered girl, and the other part is work related. Being an esthetician/make-up artist causes my neck, shoulders, and back to be really tight...not just "oh I have a knot on my shoulder" tight, more like I have rocks weighing down my shoulder tight. Every time I get massaged, the entire session not only will consist of nice tranquil music (sometimes) to get me into the zone, but also "hmm(s), wow(s), and oh my you are really tight(s)!" (even was told that I will be paralyzed in 2yrs if I don't treat my problem...that was probably 4yrs ago...but that's an entire story of it's own that I will not bore you with)
So needless to say, this is the reason I eat, live, breathe for massages. I realized many people don't know the difference between the various styles of massaging and since I'm somewhat of a self-claimed connoisseur, I wanted to share my experiences of different styles and explain the difference. There are still many that I haven't personally tried, but once I do, I will update!!
My philosophly for massages is that pain is good, but that's just me! Everybody has different preferences on style and pressure. I tend to prefer a male massage therapist just because they are typically stronger, but a female who knows what she's doing can also be good.
Here is a list of massage styles that I've either tried or heard about, if there any other kinds not mentioned please let me know so that I can try it!! =)
Swedish: The most common style of massaging. Usually done directly on the skin with massage oil/cream and consists of long strokes. This is great for the relaxation and perfect for people who do not like too much pressure. Results last for probably just the rest of the day.
Deep Tissue: Similiar to Swedish except massage therapist uses more of the elbow to get deeper into the muscles. Fabulous for somebody who is knotted up. Key to enjoying this style is to relax your body and breathe~ exhale as the massage therapist applies pressure, this will allow the therapist to get deeper into your tense muscles since you are not fighting back by tensing up. There's a possibility of feeling sore the next day, but the results last longer than a day. It is very important to be vocal to your therapist and make sure he/she knows what they are doing. You should never feel the pressure directly on your spine or bones.
Sports: This consists of quicker movements like pounding, kneeling, etc. Great for athletes or gym rats to loosen up tense muscles after a workout. More for tense muscles rather than knotted up muscles.
Hot Stone: I haven't personally tried this one yet, but some people really like it and some don't care for it much. This massage style uses heated up stones which are placed on pressure points along the body, then used to massage with rather than hands. Don't have any experience on it so not sure about the details, I will update when I finally get one!
Lymphatic Drainage: Purpose of this massage is to detox the body by moving your lymphatic system. This is done by a light touch in the direction our natural system flows. Not for muscle work but actually is pretty relaxing. It is recommended to drink lots of water after getting any massage, but more so for this one in particular.
Shiatsu aka Accupressure: A massage technique originating in Japan and widely used in Traditional Chinese Medicine. This style focuses on the pressure points all over our body rather than muscle work, but amazingly if you get the right pressure point it'll relax all the tenseness around the area. This is done fully dressed in loose fitting clothing with no products applied directly to the skin, great for people who have sensitive skin. This is considered a healing type of massage and is claimed to have the ability to treat certain illnesses, but with little evidence to prove it. I personally am a huge believer in Eastern medicine or holistic alternatives of treatment, it's been practiced in Asia for thousands of years so something about it has to be working...but there are very limited studies to prove it's efficacy.
Chinese Tui-Na: Similiar to Shiatsu (aka Accupressure), except it is done with the principles of Qi Gong and martial arts to bring the body to balance. This style of massage can consist of accupunture, accupressure, or cupping. It is also supposed to be healing for musculoskeletal conditions rather than internal illnesses. This is a very painful massage, not much relaxation during the session but you will feel really good after. Although you will feel bruised and sore from the tendon pulling and pressure point gauging movements, the results probably last the longest compared to all other styles of massage I've tried. Great for pain management.
Thai-style: Another style of massage you gotta be preparred to take a beating for. This one is typically done laying on the floor rather than a massage table. The massage therapist will include their feet to do the massaging and consists of stepping on you and twisting you in all kinds of yoga positions. Lots of bone cracking going on, but you'll feel like you came out of a workout session...which is a pretty good feeling afterall! Results will last for a couple of days.
Foot Massage: I'm not sure if this is an official style of massaging, but I'm sure you've seen these places popping up all over the place. Main focus of this style is hand and feet reflexology, which is massaging or applying pressure on various parts of the hand/feet to improve the health of the rest of the body. The first half of the session will be some typical massaging of the back, head, and face (I usually opt not to get the head/face massage...picky about who touches my face!), second half will be focused on the feet. This can be painful or ticklish, as some people would say, but you literally leave feeling like your walking on clouds. It is amazing how getting your feet massaged will result in the relaxation of the rest of the body. Results usually last about a day or two...I have done it 3days in a row before in Asia, but that's because of the amazing pricing there. This is your perfect refresher to get you through the week!
Hope this has helped you in choosing the right style of massage for you and ridding yourself of those tight shoulders, I will update when I try other styles. My next experiment will be at a floating chamber, this consist of one hour of deep relaxation by floating in a chamber filled with heavily salted water. Supposedly it will allow for my body to reach the deepest relaxation mode since our body will be free of all tensions...I will let you know how it goes. Thank you for visiting and just remember, a pampered girl is never tense!
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