Offering Expert Professional Orthopedic, Sports and Swedish Relaxation Massage
for healthy upkeep of your body.
BENEFITS OF MASSAGE
ORTHOPEDIC MASSAGE: Alleviates upper and lower back pain,
this healing massage can be customized to your special needs areas.
Utilizing Compression-Stretches™ for upper back and scapular areas
to relieve constant pain and stress. Lower back pain is targeted through deeper massage, pressure points and stretches.
$60 per hour
SPORTS MASSAGE: For the athlete or exerciser, Sports
massage helps maintain a healthy physic, keeps you moving, alleviates strains and muscle pulls and your tendons; muscles are stretched and maintained.
$60 per hour
SWEDISH RELAXATION MASSAGE: An excellent, relaxing, calming and rejuvenating massage that helps with stress. Swedish massage helps all the functions and systems of the body by encouraging healthy movement of blood, lymphatic fluids and digestion with gentle manipulation
of the muscles and fascia.
$50 per hour
HOT STONE MASSAGE: Hot stone massage is the placement of stones in various places on the client's body. Larger stones go on the larger areas, such as the shoulders and the hips. The smaller stones go up and down the spine in various other places, such as the hands and the feet. Hot stone massage is a very relaxing, soothing deep heat massage that actually penetrates your client's body and really helps to relax the muscles and helps us, as massage therapists, to be able to get deeper into the muscles. Hot stone massage can be done in a different variety of ways. Today we are going to demonstrate basically just on the back. We are going to discuss the placement, as I said before, and how to work with the back and then start working on different parts of the body as the heat from the stones settle into the back.
1. Far beyond simply helping one feel good, massage has an impressive range of health benefits. Research studies conducted in Europe, the United States and Asia have documented the positive effect of massage on adults with job-related stress and anxiety, cocaine-exposed infants, premature babies, adolescents with anxiety disorders, the immune function of HIV positive males, Alzheimer’s, dementia, cancer and many other conditions
2. With a variety of hands-on methods, a skilled Massage Therapist not only stretches and loosens muscle and connective tissue, but also improves blood flow and the movement of lymph throughout the body. The therapist’s hands facilitate the removal of metabolic waste products resulting from exercise or inactivity, allowing oxygen and nutrients to reach the cells and tissues
3. Sensory receptors in skin and muscle ‘wake up’, bringing new awareness to areas that have been ‘cut off’ by chronic tension patterns
4. In addition, massage can stimulate the release of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers – into the brain and nervous system. The release of muscular tension also helps to unblock and balance the overall flow of life energy throughout the body (known in different cultures as vital force, bio-energy, c’hi, prana, ki, etc). All of this benefits the body’s general health and well being
5. Movement is essential for life. Massage helps us to keep mobile by encouraging all our moving parts to move – which is essential for health. This is because the body relies on movement for the flow of nutrients and oxygen into our cells and wastes out of them
6. Health relies on a state of balance and can be described as the ability to adapt and cope with whatever occurs, combined with feelings of comfort, safety and enthusiasm
7. Touch in the form of massage can make a huge difference. There are many explanations for this:
8. Improved circulation – more oxygenated blood plus removal of toxins
9. Reduction in pain – massage stimulates the brain to release natural painkillers
10. Anxiety reduction – it has been shown that relaxation and anxiety cannot co-exist. This helps the person realise that they can cope.
11. Relaxation effects – as the body lets go of accumulated tension it is able to work better as there are fewer demands being placed on it
12. Healing – Touch is healing and certainly the improved circulation already described improves healing time and is why sports people seek massage therapy
13. Energy – We tend to have more energy after a massage. Tension tends to ‘trap’ energy; massage tends to encourage energy to flow. The Massage Therapist will hopefully create all these effects which are made even more special by the caring and love given, as well as his / her intent
14. People who are starved of touch can feel very isolated and anxious which then affects their total well being, after all, solitary confinement must be the worst punishment. Appropriate touch is soothing and relaxing and also helps that ‘feel good feeling’.
15. The use of the word massage is perhaps misleading. As although you will feel relaxed and invigorated after a Sports Massage, it can be really quite uncomfortable at the time.
Sports massage is a form of bodywork geared toward participants in athletics. It is used to help prevent injuries, to prepare the body for athletic activity and maintain it in optimal condition, and to help athletes recover from workouts and injuries.
"The scientific manipulation and assessment of soft tissue for the prevention of injuries and therapeutic purposes, involving the restoration to normal functional activity of the various structures of the body, while maintaining good physical condition and health, through mobilizing and improving muscle tone, promoting
relaxation, stimulating circulation, and producing therapeutic effects on all systems of the body.
Sports massage has three basic forms:
1. pre-event massage,
2. post-event massage,
3. maintenance massage.
Sports massage can also give valuable information about the athlete's condition and the effects of their training program. Regular sports massage can help to avoid problems associated with overuse, so allowing for extra training sessions without the risk of injury or trauma.
Sports massage is not necessarily an hour, but is specific to a particular muscle group or for the speedier rehabilitation of a muscle injury. A person does not need to be a top flight athlete to gain from sports massage. Anyone who exercises or seeks to improve their general physical fitness may benefit from treatment - in particular those who do so less regularly.
Sports Massage has five main benefits
• It helps to maintain the entire body in a better physical condition.
• It reduces the possibility of injury and the loss of mobility, especially in high-risk areas and potential trouble-spots.
• It can aid in the cure of injured muscle tissue and restore mobility.
• It can boost athletic performance and enhance endurance.
• It can extend both the good health and overall life of a sporting "career".
Main effects to be drawn from sports massage.
• Physically, the pressures of massage along the flow of the lymphatic and venous systems encourages blood with oxygen and other substances (which are essential for repair and growth) to be pumped more effectively through the body. This
aids the restoration of normal tissue condition. The process also facilitates the exchange of fluids and helps in the removal of waste products, such as lactic acid. Massage will also stretch muscle fibres and the fascia surrounding muscles, breaking down scar tissue and adhesions.
• Physiologically, massage aids in the reduction of muscle pain and enhances relaxation.
• Psychologically, the client will feel stimulated with a feeling of warmth and readiness to perform. Anxiety may also be relieved.
A classical European massage technique of the muscles with special oils by therapeutic stroking and kneading of muscle tissue to promote stress relief. It is used to improve circulation, relieve muscle pain and tension, increase flexibility and induce relaxation. It combines three basic strokes to the skin: long, firm strokes; kneading strokes; and small circles. This is the most requested and one of the most enjoyable massages.
Swedish massage also incorporates a collection of techniques designed primarily to relax muscles by applying pressure to them against deeper muscles and bones, and rubbing in the same direction as the flow of blood returning to the heart. Swedish massage combines the use of five main strokes to stimulate the circulation of blood through the body; petrissage (kneading), effleurage (stroking), friction, tapotement (tapping), and vibration.
Swedish massage can also involve the use of hands, forearms or elbows to manipulate the superficial layers of the muscles to improve mental and physical health. Active or passive movement of the joints may also be part of the massage. The benefits of Swedish massage include increased blood circulation, mental and physical relaxation, decreased stress, muscle tension and improved range of motion.
Stone massage is a form of bodywork that involves the application of heated or cooled stones (thermotherapy) to the body during deep tissue massage.
Origins
The use of materials of different temperatures on the body to bring about healing is an ancient technique. Stones have been used in many cultures, such as in the Native American sweat lodge, to adjust the temperature of the healing environment. Traditional lomilomi (Hawaiian massage) goes further and applies heated stones directly to the body.
Although stones have been used for many years as an adjunct to bodywork, their use was formalized in 1993 by Mary Nelson-Hannigan of Tucson, Arizona.
Stone therapy has benefits for both the client and the massage therapist. For the client the application of heat and cold on the body:
• Stimulates the circulatory system and promotes self-healing.
• Softens and relaxes the muscles.
• Helps to release toxins from the muscles.
• Induces a state of deep relaxation that washes away stress.
• Helps relieve pain and muscle spasms.
• Creates a feeling of peacefulness and spiritual well-being.
Stone therapy also benefits the massage therapist. It reduces stress and strain on the therapist's hands, wrists, and arms so that the therapist can work longer and more efficiently. The stones do the heavy work, so that the possibility of repetitive stress injuries to the therapist's thumbs and wrists is decreased.
Description
In many ways a stone massage session is similar to any other type of massage. The stones are heated (usually to about 130°F or 34°C) or frozen prior to the client's arrival. Massage oil is spread on the client's back and legs. The stones are then worked over the body. The client turns over and the process is repeated on the arms, hands, and fingers. The final parts to be massaged are the neck, head, and face.
Preparations
The client needs no special preparation before receiving a stone massage. The therapist prepares the stones in advance and maintains them at the proper temperatures.
Precautions
No special precautions are necessary in having a stone massage session. This type of massage is suitable for almost everyone.
Side effects
Generally a stone massage produces only the positive side effects of a feeling of peacefulness and spiritual renewal. No negative side effects have been reported.