Pregnancy Massage: The Many Benefits Of Pregnancy Massage

If you're pregnant or are looking to become pregnant, you might want to consider looking into getting a pregnancy massage. The benefits can be numerous if you find the right massage therapist, and it can be good to have some time to yourself. As everyone who has ever been pregnant can tell you, having a baby can be a very stressful situation. Pregnancy can be difficult, especially as you start to deal with the stresses that go along with it. From nursery painting to the changes your body is going through, sometimes feelings of anxiety and panic can overcome you like a tidal wave. Whenever you're feeling like you can't take another minute of stress, it can be good to get away from it for awhile.

Pregnancy massage can be a great escape, even if it's only for an hour. If all of your money is going towards the new baby, instead of getting a full hour long massage you can go for 30 minutes. Also, you can ask for massage gift certificates as presents during the baby shower. After all, your friends and family are celebrating you just as much as they are the baby you're about to give birth to. Additionally, depending on who you talk to, some people claim that massages are great for releasing the toxins that can build up in your body. I'm not sure about the science behind that, but you can probably look it up for yourself online or as your massage therapist.

When you're pregnant, you're supposed to be happy and glowing. But let's be honest: it's hard to be that way when you can't see your feet and you have to wear flip flops every day because your shoes don't fit any more. Pregnancy massage can help you work your frustrations out, and treating yourself to one is a good idea.

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Massage & Massage Rollers

When lower back pain hits you, a massage and massage rollers can be very effective in relaxing the tensed muscles. Massage is an ancient pain relieving technique and provides you relief from day-to-day stress, muscle cramps, while easing the back pain and headaches, by increasing blood circulation. A massage also flushes out toxins and wastes from your body, thus lending a healthy shine to the skin.


Effective Massage through Massage Rollers


These days, an alternative way to providing your body with the much needed massage is through massage rollers. If you don’t have the time to go to a massage parlor or if you are staying alone, you can use a massage roller to give yourself instant relief. There are various types of massage rollers available in the market today:


The Omni Massage roller –


It provides pressure and has the necessary mobility for a great massage. It has a directional massage ball, with an easy to grip handle. You can use it anywhere and carry it in your purse or bag. You can massage your lower back, neck or even forehead, if you have a headache.


You can begin by applying pressure on the roller and then gently roll the ball in circular motions around the lower back. While moving it in circular motion, you can apply the necessary pressure. Once you are able to identify the spot from where the pain is originating, you can continue to massage the affected area for 10-20 minutes. The massage roller will, thus, provide you relief as it soothes and loosens the muscle tissue or ligaments. It will also gradually increase your blood circulation, leading to the healing of the affected area and elimination of the back pain.


You can also find a Knuckle baller sports massager in markets. This massager fit into your hand near the knuckles and has four directional massage balls to provide you with four times the comfort. A Knuckle baller sports massager is small, so, you can carry it to a theater, park or your office. Massage anytime and feel relaxed!


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Warm Up With Your Massage Stones Before a Massage

Can a massage with massage stones be a workout? Well, not in the sense that you get the same cardiovascular workout as running around on a sports field, or peddling for half an hour on an exercise bicycle. There is no heavy lifting. There is no heavy pushing or pulling. In fact, the most movement you will engage in during a massage, is moving from your back, to your stomach--and then vice-versa. So are warm-up and cool-down periods necessary before and after your massage? Conventional wisdom says that since a massage is not a typical cardiovascular workout, no need exists to prepare your body for it, or slowly return to your body’s normal mode. But is that correct?

More than muscles
Before determining whether a warm-up and cool-down period is needed after a massage with hot stones, we should examine some of the benefits of such massages. They include:

• Relaxed muscles
• Improved range of motion
• Lower heart rate
• Decreased blood pressure
• Better blood circulation
• Increased endorphins (improving medical treatment)

Can a therapeutic massage build muscle, as weightlifting does? No, but massages can excite muscles that have been weak and unused. This is beneficial for people who have been inactive for a while, after suffering from an injury, for example.

So while getting a massage with massage stones will not make you winded or exhausted per se, the kneading of the muscles and the use of hot stones, gives your body a “light workout.” In fact, you could think of it as a warm-up stretching exercise before a cardiovascular workout—without the cardiovascular workout.

The low-down on warm-ups (and cool-downs)

A warm-up exercise is used before a workout, to start stretching the muscles, and increasing your heart rate. It is a slow transition from normal mode to exercise mode. Similarly, a cool-down activity will shift you back to normal mode. Before performing strenuous exercising, warm-ups and cool-downs are vital for preparing the body for a workout, and can even be effective in preventing injuries.

Workout without motion

Is a warm-up and cool-down activity necessary before or after your massage with hot rocks? Yes, and no. Stretching before the massage is not necessary, as the massage itself serves as a type of stretching. Similarly, there is no need to jog around the building after your massage, to allow your heart rate to drop to its normal value.

However, before your massage with massage stones, it is important for you to gradually move your mind and body into a relaxing mode. Incense, peaceful music and soft lighting are some ways to prepare you well for the massage. These elements will help to make the massage experience with hot stones, a holistic one that involves senses other than the sense of touch involved in the massage itself.

Likewise, after the massage is over, your mind and body will need to gradually return to their pre-massage state. Again, this process will be less drastic than the ones needed before and after a cardiovascular workout. Nonetheless, you will still need to “recover” from the massage. Some of the most common methods are drinking a hot cup of green tea, or sleeping. With sleeping, you cool down into somewhat of a frozen state. But even if you do not catch a catnap, resting alone will serve as an excellent cool-down.

Like a computer that needs to be booted up and shut down, your body needs a gradual transition from normal mode to massage mode—and then back again. A “warm-up” and “cool-down” period will help to make this transition smoother whenever you enjoy a massage with hot stones. Make sure that the temperature range of your body coincides with the range of the massage stone. Warm-up while the stone does!

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Massage Chairs - Massage Your Way To Health

Looking to buy a massage chair? Well if you do your homework and buy the right massage chair, it can bring about many health benefits. Massage is an age-old therapy that has been used for thousands of years, and has over time proved very beneficial.

Massage therapy can work wonders in relieving tension, neck pain, muscle strain, tension and speed up the recovery time. There is nothing quite as relaxing as getting a massage from a qualified therapist, but when you don't have that option, the next best one would be to use a massage chair.

The massage chair does a job similar to what a therapist does, which is to touch and put pressure on the areas where the pain persists. While a massage chair may not be something you need everyday, for some people, depending on the extent of their aches and pains, the relief it brings will certainly outweigh the expenses incurred in buying one.

If muscle ache, stiffness, or back and neck problems are some of your medical woes, then a massage chair might be an ideal option to consider. Going to a therapist on a regular basis is expensive and time consuming, so it would be a good option to consider buying a massage chair as a long-term investment. Massage chairs have also helped to treat back pain, headaches and digestive problems.

The reason for their popularity is because they are simple and affordable, and they make you feel better, anytime you want.

One of the advantages of owning a massage chair is that it helps to reduce the stress in your body by increasing the blood flow, reducing muscle stiffness and increasing the movement of oxygen and other necessary nutrients to your muscles and organs. The massage chair also helps with muscle repair and brings about general pain relief. At times when you are unable to exercise, using the massage chair will help keep the lymph drainage moving.

Many athletes and those who work out, use the massage chair as it helps to reduce muscle stiffness and pain as a result of cooling down after a workout. Furthermore, the lactic acid that is built up during a work out is also reduced.

Although massage chairs are wonderful, the overall benefits are short term, and while they are effective to some extent, they cannot really compete with human hands. Then again, temporary relief is better than no relief at all.

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Effective Massage In A Massage Chair

Most people have never used a massage chair and have no idea how they function. They have been around for years and are very sophisticated machines in the form and shape of an arm chair. Many of them are produced in Japan.

It is really great to just sit in the chair and get the massaging.

Inside the chair there are a number of motors, often 2-6, and a computer program that runs the program you choose. The whole body can be massaged within 20 minutes, sometimes less and sometimes more.

What kind of massage can you get? Let me give you some examples.

Air arm massage is a feature on some massage chairs. This is especially great to relieve weariness from the arms which are working restlessly for operation of a personal computer or a cellular phone, during works, domestic chores, leisure and so forth. The air massage mechanism is provided on the armrest and it will move naturally with the change of the body angle caused by the reclining movement. In this way the stiffness and strains in the wrists and back of hands will be relaxed thoroughly.

Depending on how the backrest is set, the function of the arm massage will work differently. The backrest can be in an upright position, slightly reclined and completely collapsed.

The air massage option is also available for the lower part of your legs. It massages with repeating cycles of compression of the muscles in an oblique direction and releasing. This stimulation assist an important function, to return the blood to the heart.

As the shape and form of our bodies differ it is vital for a good massage chair to have the option the adjust for that. Now there are chairs that automatically scans the persons body and use the data collected to change the tools, often small wheels that role and push, inside the massage chair.

Movements of hands and whole arms are reproduced to realize complicated and stereoscopic kneading up and kneading down massage. There are even more complex functions added in some programs of a massage chair. For example a function that combines the stretch massage, which resembles pressing with hands to push up first and then down, with the simultaneous application of the kneed, tapping and wavelet.

The most common functions of massage chairs are vibrations in the seat and backrest. Pleasant intermittent vibrations can be enjoyed simultaneously with the massaging. It promotes blood circulation and relieves strain from muscles.

What is the price of a massage chair? As always it depends on the functionality you want but prices range from just over $1,000 USD up to $8,000 USD. Many companies buy or rent a chair and have it for the personal. This is appreciated as a very efficient way to help the staff to stay healthy. There are studies showing that the number of sick-days will go down considerably when the massage chair has been installed.

An usual effect when a new chair is installed is that people will line up and try the massage. A schedule is almost always required and many use it frequently to get rid of the problems a stressful work situation sometimes creates.

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Massage Oil For Massage Therapy

Massage oil is a great addition to any massage experience. It enhances not only the relaxing nature of the massage therapy session, but also adds to the healing benefits of the massage.

The use of massage oil is not a new idea. Homer, Plato, Socrates – all of these men referenced the use of massage oil as an aid for pain relief in their writings. Today, pain relief is one reason for using massage oil. Others include the facilitation of more gliding massage, skin nourishment, and the promotion of good health in general.

How do you choose a massage oil for massage therapy? First, choose an oil that is cold-pressed or expeller-pressed. Both of these have had the least amount of processing and will last longest. Prevent them from spoiling by keeping them in a cool place and adding 300 IUs of vitamin E per pint of oil monthly. In addition, essential oils, or oils that are distilled from various plants, roots, or seeds) can be added. Seek the aid of a professional to advise on a good combination.

Some oils to choose from for massage therapy include:

* Sweet almond oil – Anti-inflammatory, light, and good for most skin types, especially dry skin.

* Apricot kernel oil – Reduces stress, provides balance, and good for all skin types, especially prematurely aging skin.

* Avocado oil – This is a heavy oil best diluted at a rate of 10% in a lighter oil.

* Borage oil – Good for eczema and psoriasis, it penetrates, regenerates, and stimulates.

* Castor oil – A thick sticky oil good for drawing out toxins and for use on scar tissue. Best used in a poultice.

* Coconut oil – A thick, heavy oil that should be warmed before use. Good for cracked skin.

* Emu oil – Anti-inflammatory and used for arthritis, sore muscles, bruising, and eczema. May block pores.

* Grapeseed oil – Non-allergenic and good for all types of skin.

* Jojoba oil – A penetrating, anti-bacterial oil for eczema and acne.

* Kukui nut oil – Anti-bacterial, anti-oxidant, anti-inflammatory that is light and has a slight warming effect.

* Olive oil – Has a warming effect and relieves stiffness.

Different skin types will fare better with different types of oil. As such, it will be a good idea to experiment with different kinds for massage therapy. If one doesn't work, try another. Also, some may personally prefer the smell or the effects of one massage oil to another. The selection of massage oils is pretty wide; so there is bound to be a preferred one for just about anybody.

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In Your Massage Therapy Business Do You Know The Value Of Your Massage Clients?

A lot of massage therapists are unaware of their clients' value, which is something you do need to be aware of. It is vital to know their massage value in order to maximize the effectiveness of your treatments and get the most from what you do and how you operate your massage business. Many massage therapists believe all their clients are equally valuable and are grateful for any business they receive. You need to think in a different way, in order to maximize your business and know which clients are more "valuable" than others.

Ask yourself the following questions:

• Do you have clients who show up late or cancel their appointments at the last minute?
• Do you have clients who never refer others?
• Do you have clients who never tip you?
• Do you have clients who only use your services when you offer a special discount?

If you have clients such as the above, it is essential to know that they might be taking away value from your business, rather than adding to it. If I were to suggest that you might not want this type of client on your books you might think, "Of course I do – a client is a client!" But this is not always the case. You need to look at the bigger picture. Just because you trim down your client base, this doesn't mean you're shooting yourself in the foot. If someone takes away from your business rather than adding to it, this is bad for business. Someone not showing up or only using you when you have a special offer on isn't a valued customer. They are a drain on what you are offering and if they don’t use their booked slot, you could have a valued customer in their place, who will show up, will pay and will probably tip and rebook.

Knowing the value of your clients will help you identify clients who truly appreciate your work and the service you offer. If you have clients who do any of the above negative things, it negatively impacts your business, taking up your energy which you could be spending on more appreciative customers.

If you are aware of the massage value of your clients, this will help you with your marketing tactics. Let's say one of your customers doesn’t show up for their massage because they were stuck in traffic. Do you charge that person for the treatment or not? If you have a client database, you might find out that the client in question visits you 10 times a year (almost always on time), has been using your services for 3 years, has a 60 minute massage each time and usually gives you a $10 tip. You can work out that this client represents someone who spends $2400 in their time as your client. Knowing this, you might let them off payment for the one missed session, in the knowledge they will continue to be a regular client who uses your services. The person will also feel bad about letting you down and delighted that they don’t have to pay for their missed session. This is an example good customer relations. Your valued client will also value you and your services more.

Now, the question is this: would you make the same exception for a client who comes in twice a year for a 30 minute massage, never tips and usually arrives late? Are you going to let a client like this disrupt your schedule and your business? Is this person still a "valued client"? Or would their slot be better filled with someone like the client in the first example?

Knowing the true massage value of your clients will help you to boost your business and attract valuable clients.

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Massage Tips – Preparing For Your First Hot Stone Massage

You've always wondered how it feels to indulge in a massage session. Most of your family and friends have tried it and you hear nothing but positive feedbacks from them. There's a part of you that wants to try it for yourself and another part of you that feels conscious about having another person touch your body.

The hot stone massage is probably the solution for a person like you. During most of the time of the session, it would be the stones which will be doing most of the work, relaxing your body and releasing tension from your muscles. Only minimal skin contact will be received from the therapist.

With the growing popularity of this hottest fad in massage, it is probably about time that you try it for yourself. Here are some tips to help you prepare for your first hot stone therapy.

Select a convenient location and arrangement. A local day spa is a good choice for first-timers since everything is already set up for you. Get recommendations from family and friends or research online to learn about the facilities and amenities of the day spas in your town.

1. Schedule your appointment on a day that is not very hectic. A weekend free from all work and plans is ideal since this will allow you more time to relax before and after a session.

2. Dress comfortably. Avoid wearing many layers of clothing when you go for a massage. A hot stone therapy session will require you to be naked but you will be appropriately covered with a blanket during the session, exposing only a part of the body being treated at a time. If you're feeling self-conscious about being naked, be sure to tell your therapist so she can make arrangements for you to feel comfortable and less anxious.

3. If you have a long hair, tie it up to a ponytail so your hair won't get in the way when the therapist works on your neck and shoulders. It's also a good idea not to wear any jewelry.

4. Arrive on time. You need time to relax and cool down before the session.

5. Communicate with your therapist for any preferences that you may have. If you like dimmer lighting, or the aroma of the room makes you dizzy, or you prefer another type of background music, never hesitate to speak up. Good communication is one of the keys to having an ultimate massage experience.

6. Drink plenty of water before the session to help flush out the toxins from your body. Do the same after to avoid getting dehydrated.

7. Don't eat a heavy meal at least one hour before your scheduled appointment.

8. Relax. This is probably the most important step in your preparation. Loosen up those tightened muscles and let your mind wander and take you to a peaceful place where there is nothing to worry about, where the words laundry, office work or stress do not exist.

Once you've experienced how blissful and relaxing a session of hot stone therapy is, you'll surely be looking forward to your next.

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