Shelby                            Massotherapy

Swedish Massage

This is the most common form of massage. It is the best choice for a first time experience. This can be slow and gentle, or vigorous and bracing, depending on what I need to achieve. Most common are 50-60 minutes, or 75-90 minutes depending on a clients needs. I use a lotion, oil or cream, and the client is normally nude under a sheet but this is completely the clients preference.

 

Relaxation Massage

While a relaxation massage has health benefits, I will go slower and avoid deeper work. This is good if you are a beginner, or are sensitive to pain, or if you have had a lot of deep work done recently. This is usually 60-90 minutes.

 

Deep Tissue Massage

This type of massage uses the same movements and techniques as swedish massage, but I will work deeper tissue structures of the muscle and the fascia (connective tissue). It is a more focused type of massage, working to release chronic muscle tension or knots called adhesions. This is usually 30-60 minutes.

 

Therapeutic Massage

This is just another way to say that the massage will have therapeutic purposes and health benefits. This is a way to distiguish it from "massage parlor" massage. This massage may be a little deeper, not just a pure relaxation massage. This can be 60-90 minutes.

 

Benefits of Massage Therapy***

Benefits of touch go beyond simply soothing aches and pains. It soothes anxiety and depression by reducing the levels of the stress hormone cortisol, resulting in lifted spirits and lowering blood pressure. It also boosts serotonin and dopamine which are involved in depression. Massage has been linked to decreased stiffness and pain, as well as a better range of motion in people with osteoarthritis. A massage promotes healthy sleep. Massage has also been linked to increase the function of the immune system by increasing the function of white blood cells. It also decreases PMS symptoms like bloating and mood swings. Massage raises alertness. It also reduces the pain of tension and migraine headaches. 

 

Massage increases blood flow, which plumps slack skin, encourages lymphatic drainage (the shuttling of toxins out and away from cells so more nutrients can travel in), and adds vitality to a dull complexion and lackluster hair.

 

Massage is particularly helpful for people living with or undergoing treatment for major illnesses, like cancer. Studies have shown that massage can relieve fatigue, pain, anxiety, depression, and nausea in cancer patients.