Spa Essentials

Massages are more than just indulgences. They’re proven health and mood treatments. Massages reduce stress hormone levels, heart rate, blood pressure and boost mood and relaxation levels by triggering the release of oxytocin and serotonin. Common massage techniques can help you relax and trigger an endorphin release that raises your threshold for pain; and this can help people with all sorts of body pain, especially lower-back pain.

HEAD MASSAGE

There is nothing like a great head massage that relaxes the tense muscles in the head and neck to boost our feel-good factor! Head massage improves blood circulation, re-hydrates the scalp, promotes hair growth and makes hair stronger.

SWEDISH MASSAGE

Swedish Massage is the most common and best-known type of massage in the West. If it's your first time at the spa or you don't get massages very often, Swedish Massage is the perfect massage for you. A Swedish Massage can be slow and gentle, or vigorous and bracing, depending on the therapist's personal style and what he/she wants to achieve. 

In Swedish Massage, the therapist lubricates the skin with massage oil and performs various massage strokes. These movements warm up the muscle tissue, releasing tension and gradually breaking up muscle "knots" or adhered tissues, called adhesions. Swedish Massage promotes relaxation, among other health benefits.

Before the massage, you should tell the therapist about any injuries or other conditions that he should know about. Things you would want to tell a therapist include areas of tightness or pain, allergies, and conditions like pregnancy. You can also tell him upfront if you have a preference for light or firm pressure. It's best not to get a massage if you are ill.

After the consultation, the therapist instructs you to change your clothes and put on the disposable undergarment and then leaves the room. He will knock or ask if you are ready before entering. He will then instruct you to lie on the table, face up or face down, covering the middle part of your body with a bath towel. The therapist uncovers only the part of the body he is working on. This technique is called draping.

You usually start by lying face down with your head in a U-shaped face-cradle so your spine stays neutral. The therapist generally starts by working your back, using various massage strokes that include effleurage, kneading, friction, stretching and tapping. 

When the therapist is finished with your back, he works the back of each leg. When done with that, he holds the towel up and looks away while you turn over onto your back; then he quickly covers you again. The therapist then massages the front of each leg, both arms, and generally finishes with your neck and shoulders. 

Some therapists work in a different order, and all have their own style and techniques. If you only have 60 minutes, you can also ask them to spend more time on a certain area. If the pressure is too light or too firm, you should speak up and ask the therapist to adjust it. Swedish Massage usually includes some deeper work on areas of specific muscle tension, but if you truly want deeper, more intensive work and firmer pressure, book a Deep Tissue Massage.

DEEP TISSUE MASSAGE

Deep Tissue Massage is a type of massage aimed at the deeper tissue structures of the muscle and fascia, also called connective tissue. Deep Tissue Massage uses many of the same movements and techniques as Swedish Massage, but the pressure will generally be more intense. It is also a more focussed type of massage, as the therapist works to release chronic muscle tension or knots (also known as "adhesions."

Will a Deep Tissue Massage hurt?

It shouldn't hurt, but it's likely to be a bit more uncomfortable than a classic Swedish Massage. You should always feel free to speak up if the pressure is too much for you.

It's important to drink a lot of water after a Deep Tissue Massage to help flush lactic acid out of the tissues. If you don't, you might be sore the next day. 

It's possible that you might feel some soreness the day after a Deep Tissue Massage even if you do drink water. This just means a lot of waste products were flushed out of the tissues. It should pass within a day or so. 

How fast will I get results with a Deep Tissue Massage?

It's important to be realistic about what can be achieved by Deep Tissue Massage. Many people ask for more pressure, thinking that if the therapist just pushes hard enough, they can get rid of all their knots in an hour. This just won't happen. 

In fact, undoing chronic knots and tension built up over a lifetime is best achieved with an integrated program that includes exercise, working on your posture and ways of moving, relaxation techniques and a regular program of massage. 

Finally, while Deep Tissue Massage is certainly valuable, you should be aware that gentle styles of massage therapy can also produce profound release and realignment in the body

AROMATHERAPY MASSAGE

Aromatherapy uses essential oils that are thought to have healing properties. These oils are the concentrated essences taken from the flowers, fruits, seeds, leaves and barks of certain plants. There are about 400 essential oils, but only about 40 are commonly used in Aromatherapy. Aromatherapists believe Aromatherapy can boost well-being, relieve stress and help to refresh your body. In Aromatherapy Massage, essential oils are usually mixed with a carrier oil like sweet almond, apricot kernel, or grape seed oil. A relaxing aromatherapy massage, for instance, might have lavender or bergamot, while a massage for sore muscles might include peppermint and eucalyptus. Before your first Aromatherapy Massage session, your massage therapist will conduct an initial consultation with you to learn about your desired outcome. They might ask about the current state of your work life, home life, physical health and mental state to learn about what you need. 

How does Aromatherapy work? 

There are a couple of theories to explain how Aromatherapy might work. The first is that you directly absorb the oils through the skin into your bloodstream. The oil can then travel through your body and have an effect on a specific organ or function in your body.

 Aromatherapy Massage is the alternative therapeutic technique which combines the natural therapeutic properties of the essential oils and the healing power of massage therapy. Aromatherapy Massage not only has powerful physical, emotional and mental effects but it is also described as a great relaxing and rejuvenating experience. 

Aromatherapy Massage has positive effect on a wide range of health conditions of nervous, circulatory, lymphatic, immune and muscular systems. Aromatherapy Massage is a pleasant method for mental clarity, relaxation, alleviation of stress and headache. It relaxes, balances, harmonizes and strengthens the entire body and supports the body in its own healing process and encourages a healthy immune system to fight infection. The subtle aroma of the essential oils fills the air around you during the massage!