Massage therapy is something that I have always been an advocate of. I know it is really good for the body but I’ve always thought of it as being good for your entire well-being as well. There are many different types of massage therapy too. Here are just a few of them.
Swedish Massage
Undoubtedly, Swedish massage is the most popular and probably the most well known. It is ideal for people who are new to massage therapy. The massage will usually last for around 60-90 minutes. This type of massage is good for pain. So if you suffer from knotted muscles and/or tension, this would be a good choice for you. It’s also great purely for relaxation too. If you are sensitive to touch then Swedish massage should also work well for you.
The massage itself usually consists of long flowing strokes, kneading, deep circular motions, lightly rhythmic, tapping strokes. These are combined with the movement of your joints too.
Hot Stone Massage
Another popular massage is Hot Stone Massage. This is similar to Swedish massage except the massage therapist uses heated stones to massage you. The added heat from the stones may help to relieve more pain and tension than Swedish massage though. The massage therapist will also place the heated stones on your body, concentrating on different areas at a time. The heated stones also help improve blood flow too. I watch a lot of massage videos from Thailand on YouTube because I find them really relaxing and most of the ones I watch use hot stones as part of the massage.
Thai Massage
As I mentioned earlier, I watch a lot of videos featuring massage therapists in Thailand. Using hot stones is not something all of them do. Thai massage is a lot more active and the massage therapist will use their own body to manipulate your body into various positions. Being flexible certainly helps with this massage but it also helps to increase flexibility too. If you think of yoga stretches, it’s akin to that. They will also use their fingers and palm to massage you by applying firm pressure.
A Thai Massage usually lasts 60-90 minutes and is one you can have done fully clothed too.
Lomi Lomi Massage
One massage which treats the body as a whole and not just physically is Lomi Lomi Massage. This one treats your mental, emotional and spiritual self as well as your physical body. It was first practised in Hawaii by the early Polynesian settlers over 1000 years ago. They believed that if your mental, emotional and spiritual self were not in harmony, then it manifested into a physical form such as illness or tension. Lomi Lomi is also known as ‘loving hands massage’ as it is a much gentler form of massage. Be prepared though that no towels will be used, so as to be able to perform continuous long strokes down the body. There are no set routines or techniques either but rather the practitioner will intuitively know what is needed for your body, mind and spirit to be in harmony once more. Healing one part of the body affects the others, so it really is a healing of the whole body.
People that have received Lomi Lomi often feel lighter and more in tune/connected with their own body once their massage is complete.
Not to be rushed, a Lomi Lomi massage can take from 90 minutes to 2 hours.
I’ve just touched on a few different types of massage but there are still many others that are available. It really depends on what you are looking to get out of your massage. You might just be looking for some relaxation, or maybe you have tension and knotted muscles. Whatever your needs, there is a type of massage out there for you.
