When you think of a perfect spa day for some "me time" does the idea of soft music, mood lighting, and someone massaging your tension away come to mind? What if I were to tell you that's not what massage used to look like? In the past few years there have been some companies who have increased the public awareness of massage and boosted its popularity as a relaxation tool making it common place in the United States. Now when someone brings up the word massage many people think about spas, pampering, and luxury. This is what therapists call Swedish massage, relaxation massage, or standard massage. However massage has been around long before spas, incorporated into ancient medicine, and is much more diverse. Massage therapy can be nice and relaxing but also serves a purpose as a therapeutic field that helps the body heal or maintain a better standard of living.
Massage is still a young field in the United States and is always evolving. Therapists are branching out as more research and studies are done that help prove the effectiveness of massage on many different conditions and populations. There are massage therapists who work in hospitals, with cancer patients, with sports teams, in offices, with chronic pain sufferers, with the elderly, with infants, on small animals (pets), and many more! The diversity of the field is vast and growing especially with the current initiative of the Veterans Affairs working alongside massage therapists to incorporate holistic approaches and conduct research on the benefits of massage on specific conditions.
Every massage is as distinct and different as the person who is giving it and as diverse as the health issues presented. Each therapist has a different skill set, a variety of modalities to use, and a unique touch. Many large chains and franchises have a similar feel as therapists there are taught how to give a consistent product to customers, that matches the brand. However when looking at independent therapists, the variety is vast. This is why good therapists know that if a client wasn't satisfied, they may need to approach the therapy from a different angle. The client may have different needs that another therapist could fulfill and that every person needs to find the right therapist for them.
If you have questions about massage, call or email a therapist you would like to work with. We love talking to clients about their interests and concerns. Therapist are well educated and love sharing that knowledge with others seeking to take their first steps towards getting a massage!
Comments