Types of Massage I Offer
Swedish
A very popular style of massage that involves the use of hands, forearms or elbows to manipulate the superficial layers of muscles to improve mental and physical health. Active or passive movement of the joints may also be part of the massage. Immediate benefits include increased blood circulation, mental and physical relaxation, decreased stress and muscle tension and improved range of motion.
Deep Tissue
Similar to Swedish massage but with deeper pressure to help release chronic muscle tension. This style of massage gets to the deepest layers of muscle tissue, tendons and fascia (the protective layer surrounding muscles, bones and joints).
Reflexology (also called Zone Therapy)
An ancient Chinese technique that uses pressure-point massage to restore the flow of energy throughout the entire body, based on the premise that each part of the body is interconnected through the nervous system to reflexes in the hands, feet and ears. Stimulation of these reflexes with pressure and manipulation improves nerve function and blood supply, alleviates stress and other health problems and helps to restore balance throughout the body.
Trigger Point
A bodywork technique that involves the application of pressure to tender muscle tissue in order to relieve pain and dysfunction in other parts of the body. Trigger point therapy was developed by Dr. Janet Travell (in the United States in the 1940s) who advanced the theory that pain experienced in one part of the body is actually caused by an injury or dysfunction in another part. Ultimately, she mapped what she termed the body’s trigger points and the manner in which pain radiates to the rest of the body.
Prenatal
Shares many of the goals of regular massage – to relax tense muscles, ease sore spots, improve circulation and mobility and just make you feel good, but is tailored specifically to the needs of pregnant women and their changing bodies.
Pregnancy causes many changes in the body, which can be ameliorated by massage.
• Additional weight can cause backaches, cramps and swelling/edema. Massage stimulates reduction of fluids in swollen joints.
• Pregnancy can cause anxiety and sleep deprivation which produces stress hormones. Massage increases in the release of pain-reduction hormones like dopamine and serotonin.
• The extra weight of pregnancy creates muscle tension. Massage can relieve tension by encouraging greater blood flood, bringing more oxygen to the affected areas, and increasing lymphatic fluid which cleanses the body of toxins and metabolic waste.