How Often Should You Get A Massage?
Massage for beauty, mental, and physical wellness
Everyone always wants to have a healthy body. More than just a healthy body, people also want to look good. Let’s be honest, any age and any gender, whether it’s a male or female, they always try to make some effort to keep their body healthy and look good. One of the ways is to have a self-pamper session like a massage treatment. Massage has been proven to have a lot of advantages regarding wellness and aesthetics. There are a lot of celebrities who put massage on their schedule and routine to achieve a healthier life and a fabulous look.
Lisa Snowdon (50), a fabulous British model, has shared a gentle massage she uses to help her look brighter and less puffy. She has been doing the facial massage regularly and started to feel the improvement. The facial massage soothes her skin. She claims that this regular massage really helps her skin, as she has been busy with a lot of schedules that might stress her and worsen her skin. As an entertainment, it is really important to have to maintain her look, and she is a living proof that massage can be an anti-aging and beauty booster for you as long as you do it regularly.
Not only for her beauty, but Lisa also feels the psychological effect of regular massage. Regular massage made her sleep well during the night and feel refreshed at the next day. This was a huge difference that she felt after she applied the regular massage in her life.
Knowing her story, now we are all tempted to have regular massages as well. But the question is, How Often Should We Get a Massage?
Some people consider that massage is a luxurious lifestyle which makes them doubt to do it regularly. Even some people think that massage is a part of a touristy business that is very normal to be done only by tourists. This is why the place like Bangkok and Bali are having a good number of tourism by their special total body massage. Instead of a luxury good, massage is a holistic medicine. Over the years, massage therapy has proven itself in the medical community as a highly effective alternative treatment for relieving stress, joint pain, muscle tension, and pain caused by muscle-related injuries. So, having a massage is as important as going to a medical check-up. Instead of calling the professional doctor or nurses, we call them as therapists, masseuses, or chiropractors.
After having a lot of research and surveys, we are finally come to an average number on how often should we get a massage. For the best result, we can have a massage every week. But as a starter, we can try at least once in a month, depending on how you feel and what you need.
Regular Massage As A Part of Medical Treatment Plan
According to the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA), the majority of people are no longer getting a massage as a means of “pampering” but instead are seeking out massage as part of a medical or therapeutic treatment plan. This happens because having a massage is a relaxing way to be healthy. It has been scientifically proven in a lot of research that massage can relieve muscle pain, reduce soreness, improve circulation, increase energy, boost the immune system, and lower heart rate and blood pressure. Further studies have shown massage to be helpful with digestive disorders, lower and upper back pain, neck pain, fibromyalgia, headaches, stress-related insomnia, nerve pain, and soft tissue strains or injuries. With so many healing properties, it’s no wonder more patients are asking for a massage therapy as part of their health treatment plan. In the year of 2021, AMTA Consumer Survey found that 63% of massage customers stated that their regular massage habit was part of a treatment plan from a doctor or medical provider.
In that research, we find that gender and income play a big role in the people's preference for having a regular massage. Women tend to have a massage more than males do. This is in line with the fact that women pay attention to their bodies and beauty more than men. And if we talk about income, maybe the people from the upper class tend to have regular massage more than middle or lower income. This is the reason why we always think that massage is a luxury good. Massage services are affordable. There are some spa and massage parlors with a luxury concept, but there are a lot of different concepts of spa and massage for middle and lower-income but still give the same advantages, including the out call massage service.
With Regular Massage, Do We Still Need Regular Medical Care?
Even though regular massage has a lot of health benefits, that doesn’t mean that it can replace the whole function of regular medical care. The key is collaboration because there are things that cannot be healed only by massage service and vice versa. For example, regular massage cannot help relieve pain from open injuries and can't even help manage patients’ cancer symptoms. But with the combination of medical care and traditional medication, like massage, the patients will recover sooner and better.
Massage and regular medical care work in different ways. Having a massage is not only heal your body but also sends positive energy. While regular medical treatment might give you anxiety, massage will calm you down. These differences are not going to make us compare which one is better, but try to use them wisely in collaboration for better results because both services offer immediate and long-lasting benefits that improve physical and emotional well-being.
What Kind Of Massage Therapy Should You Have Regularly?
Just like other medical services, massage also has a lot of different kinds based on what the customer needs. All kinds of massage will work on your muscle which includes deep tissue and trigger-point massage, but the human has a lot of different muscles. There are some types of massage therapy, and it keeps growing and developing as a general massage therapist may use a mix of similar techniques along with a variety of massage types, including four-hands massage, six hands massage, couples massage, body to body massage or nuru massage. All of them have a different function in the healing process, but all have the same purpose, to promote relaxation and reduce stress. This thing might give you confusion on which kind of massage therapy that I need?
To get a better understanding about the kinds of massage, we can differentiate the massage based on the movement and media. We can also classify the massage treatment based on the body parts.
Here are the common types of massage based on the movement and media:
Swedish Massage. This massage will rub, pamper, and give tension to the whole body in order to release tension and muscle knot. Usually, this massage uses some techniques of long, flowing strokes, kneading, deep circular movements, vibration, and tapping to help the body feel relaxed, energized, and invigorated.
Deep Massage. This massage is similar to Swedish Massage but whit more pressure. Specially designed massage to reach the deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue. Really recommended to recover from muscle problems or soreness from injuries.
Sports Massage. As a sports maniac, you would probably feel muscle soreness after working out, then this kind of massage is perfect for you. It can be done full-body or focusing on the particular body parts that need to be healed. Even though Sports Massage is known as a massage to recover from post-workout soreness, Sports Massage can be done before the workout to prevent injuries for those who participate in sports.
Trigger-point massage. This type of massage focuses on the muscle tissues that are located in the areas of tightness (trigger point). It is called a trigger point because those points can cause pain in other body parts because of an injury or overuse.
Hot stone massage. This massage uses a media of hot stones instead of hand to reach the same purpose, to ease muscle tension, improve blood flow, relieve pain and stress, and promote relaxation. Depending on the practice and preferences, cold stones are sometimes used in this massage service.
Reflexology. We could say this type of massage is a massage for everyone. Its gentle movement makes reflexology massage become a friendly massage that can be done by children, adults, or even seniors. It works to firmly press the different pressure points of the feet, hands, and ears. This movement also makes reflexology massage is friendly for introverts or everyone who is not really comfortable being touched full-body. Reflexology massage can improve relaxation and restore natural energy levels.
Shiatsu Massage. Derived from Japanese Culture (finger pressure), this massage is administered using pulsing, strong rhythmic pressure of the fingers, thumbs, feet, and palms. For Japanese people, Shiatsu Massage can help you improve their relaxation and overall emotional and physical well-being.
There is also another classification of massage service based on the body parts. They are:
Full Body Massage. A complete massage from head to toe, we are not going to miss every single part of your body, which can relax your body and improve your blood circulation. This is a perfect service as an appreciation to your body after working for such a long time.
Couple Massage. This is a massage that can be done as a couple. Besides the health advantages, this massage also has another meaning to create a stronger boundary for a couple. A lot of couples witness that doing a couple massage can make their relationship become more intimate. This can be another way to show love for each other.
Four Hands Massage. This is a really great and heavenly massage service if you want to eliminate your muscular tension. It combines four professional hands of the therapist to rub, scrub, and pamper your body at the same time. What a booster to melt away any fatigue.
Six Hands Massage. For some people, the Six Hands Massage service is the highest level of relaxation in the massage world. A gentle massage service by three professional therapists will give you the most satisfying relaxation that you have ever experienced. This service is really perfect for you who want to feel special and never get enough of the ordinary massage service. It has a lot of benefits to your body and your mind to help you feel young, fresh, and rejuvenated. It will be a truly worth trying service as well as the most satisfying massage you have ever tried.
Now, after you know all kinds of massage, you can start having your regular massage, which could be weekly, biweekly, or monthly. You can focus on a particular massage type and particular body area, or you can also change the method and massage types in every session. The thing is to always listen to your body and keep communicating with your therapist.
Can anyone have a regular massage?
There are still some doubts about who can have a regular massage? Usually, the doubt appears when it comes to the children, pregnant ladies, or women on periods. Didn’t we tell you that there are a lot of different types of massages and it keeps growing? It means that there are some types of massage that are specifically designed for specific people like children, pregnant ladies, women on period, and many more. So, the answer is everyone can have a massage, regular or not, even if it’s still better to do it regularly. The important thing is to always communicate clearly about your condition with the therapist, and they will know what should they do to give you the right massage service.
Can my insurance cover a massage therapy?
We are really sad to say that even though the benefits of massage has been proven in terms of medical treatment in a lot of times, but we haven't even reach the point of insurance coverage. But with this article, we would like to bring more awareness about the importance and the advantages of massage therapy, so everyone would see and finally understand that this is the easiest and the most relaxing treatment for everyone in any economic class. So, we do hope and will keep sharing the awareness of massage therapy until one day we finally meet the day when an insurace can cover massage therapy.