Anyone who has had the pleasure will verify that a good massage feels terrific. It leaves you feeling relaxed, refreshed and re-energized. But the effects are often far more than just a pleasant afterglow. A good massage can provide a definite boost in health.
Tight muscles can result from over exercising or from stress, disease, injury [...]

Massage is an ancient art. Though no one knows exactly when it became a formalized system of touch and pressure, several forms go back to at least 1500 B.C. in India. Often associated with spiritual practices and beliefs, the therapy itself is fully grounded in physiology.
Muscles of the type that respond to massage striated like [...]

Swedish is the most common style practiced among massage therapists.
The modern form was developed in Sweden around the beginning of the 19th century, though the origin is disputed. Many attribute the usual techniques to Per Henrik Ling, a Swedish gymnastics instructor who developed the style for athletes. Others give credit to a Dutch-born physician by [...]

Aromatherapy is the use of essential oils and other plant extracts as part of a therapeutic session.
As with much in the massage therapy world, aromatherapy has its adherents and its critics. While the claims of curing disease are overstated, aromatherapy does have some unquestionable benefits.
There’s no doubt that certain scents help provide a pleasurable atmosphere [...]

The human body is an amazingly complex system, and the massage therapist has to know it well.
The human body has over 650 muscles, more than 200 bones and uncounted connective tissue, tendons, ligaments and more tying them all together. Though the therapist doesn’t have to memorize every single one, he or she has to be [...]

There’s a good reason massage therapists charge what they do. They’ve undergone intensive, long-term training that involves learning anatomy and physiology. They’ve practiced for months or longer, hours per day, to develop the understanding and the skills to detect body problems. They’ve learned a demanding trade.
But sometimes dedicated amateurs can emulate their skill to a [...]

Picture a massage. What comes to mind are images of someone lying on a table, partly covered with a sheet, being kneaded. But one of the newer and now equally common forms doesn’t use a table or mat at all. The recipient isn’t even prone. He or she is sitting. Chair massage has come of [...]

Swedish massage and similar techniques seek to stimulate the surface and relax muscles that are readily accessible. Deep tissue massage tries to go further, to get down to layers where trigger points (muscle knots, localized pain areas) and other problems may reside.
There are a number of specific techniques utilized to accomplish that aim. Classic movements [...]

Effleurage is one of the most common massage techniques employed. Using a succession of light or deep stroking or gliding motions, the masseuse or masseur floats across the contours of the body. The therapist uses a flat surface, such as the hand or forearm. He or she moves with low-friction over large expanses of skin, [...]

Among the many health benefits of massage is one that will surprise the novice: the ability to manipulate fascia. Fascia are body components located between the skin and the underlying muscle. It’s here that inflammation and injuries can produce damage that can be encouraged to heal by a good massage.
The fascia form a system of [...]