Massage Therapy

Also known as: Massage, Back Massage, Neck and Shoulder Massage.

Ask not what your body can do for you, but what you can do for your body. Running for the train, lugging shopping home, tensing up over a keyboard all day... you put your body through stress and strain on a daily basis. Massage therapy is a fantastic stress-buster for both body and mind. It can help you to relax, re-align, improve your posture, boost your immune system and some forms of massage can even be used to help heal specific injuries.

The crux of a lot of massage treatment lies in boosting your circulation. When your blood is flowing freely it delivers more oxygen to your tissues and flushes toxins away more efficiently – so, with a breath of fresh air and no poisonous baggage, your cells are able to get on with functioning and healing more effectively.

It’s also important not to underestimate the feel-good factor of massage therapy. Physical contact is a natural tonic; even the gentlest of pressure releases endorphins, which not only relieve pain but can cause deep relaxation throughout the body. If you feel groggy or light-headed during, or after a massage, that’s the endorphins getting down to business.

The profound state of relaxation that massage can create is used to treat migraines, digestive problems and stress. Improved circulation will benefit the immune system, increase lymphatic drainage, aid recovery from injury or disease and enable your internal organs to function more effectively. So, while there’s no such thing as a “miracle treatment”, a good massage can really work wonders for your health.

How does it work?

There are dozens of different forms of massage therapy, but on the whole they tend to involve rubbing, pressing and manipulating the body. A massage therapist will, in most cases, use their hands – though sometimes feet, elbows and forearms are used for different techniques.

Some massages (for example the popular Swedish massage) use oil on bare skin, while others are restricted to certain body parts, such as hands or the head, and can be done with your clothes on. Most often, your treatment will take place in a private treatment room where you may be asked to lie on a massage bed or to sit in a specially designed chair. Treatment times vary enormously – anything from a five-minute foot-rub to two hours of full-body indulgence.

While most massage treatments feel extremely pleasurable, a deep-tissue massage to treat muscle spasms and knots may be painful at times.

Is it for me?

If your muscles could show the navy a thing or two about knots, then a massage is an obvious choice for you. One of the most common uses of deep tissue massage is to tackle those points of tension and knead them out. Beyond this conventional use of the treatment, though, there are many other techniques that might suit you.

It would be impossible to list all of the different massage techniques available, but here are some of the most popular wonder-treatments:

• Swedish massage – a light massage with oils. Perfect for total relaxation and particularly benefits skin and circulation.

• Sports massage – often fairly brisk, for optimum physical condition rather than for pleasure. Fantastic for rehabilitation after an injury.

• Deep tissue massage – uses slow, intense strokes to reach deeper layers of muscle. An effective treatment for chronic muscle pain and posture problems.

• Aromatherapy massage – similar to a Swedish massage, but using scented oils with uplifting, relaxing or energising effects.

• Reflexology – uses a system of points on the feet that are thought to correspond to body parts, including internal organs.

• Thai massage – uses a combination of massage and stretching. A full body (normally fully-clothed) treatment, particularly good for stress relief and flexibility.

• Indian head massage – a light touch is used to disperse tension around the head, neck and face. Extremely relaxing and uplifting.

See individual treatments for a fuller description.

Good to know

Massage has stood the test of time. The earliest records of massage therapy date back to 2700 B.C. in China, where massage was used to treat paralysis, chills and fever. Hippocrates, the famous Greek physician also recommended that physicians should treat sports and war injuries with massage and rubbing in 400 B.C.