Getting a massage is one of the ultimate symbols of luxury in our society. We view the massage as a great way to help us relax and unwind, and many people also state that they believe that massages can have some medicinal value as well as helping you to get rid of your stress. Certainly it is one of the best ways to make your body feel better if only for a short period and it can be applauded for that if nothing else. Massages are now extremely popular thanks and more and more we are seeing massage parlours and spas opening up and offering treatments to help you enjoy your day a little more.
But when we talk about getting a ‘massage’ what do we really mean? There are hundreds of different types of massage that you can get. They can work on different parts of the body, be used to do a certain thing or just be from a different school of massage treatment. Either way, there is no broadly defined massage. So if you’re thinking of getting a massage, you have got lots of different options, so we thought we would compile a list to help you decided which is right for you. We’ve broken it down into three sections: traditional European massage, contemporary European massage and Oriental massage.
Traditional European Massage
This form of massage includes methods that are based on conventional Western concepts of anatomy and physiology and the manipulation of soft tissues in order to achieve the desired effect. Traditional European massage is extremely popular, and probably by far the most well-known of the techniques is the Swedish massage. Swedish massage is thought to have been developed by Per Henrik Ling in Sweden around the time of the 1830s. It uses techniques such as strokes, kneading and friction on the more superficial layers of muscles to help you achieve relaxation. Oil is generally used in the process and generally the whole body is focussed on.
Contemporary European Massage
There are actually many different kinds of contemporary European massage systems, but they are all based around modern medical science’s idea of how best to manipulate and massage tissues of the body. They can also employ techniques such as attempts to balance the mind, body and spirit as well as allowing for emotional release to help you. The different forms include sports massage, which is generally used on athletes to help relax their muscles after they have been involved in their sport or discipline. Another of the most famous is the deep tissue massage, which promotes a more strenuous form of massage attempted to reach tissues underneath the affected muscles. The technique incorporates direct pressure as well as friction and long gliding strokes.
Oriental Massage
There is an enormous variety of different Oriental massage techniques with a highly varied degree of different wanted outcomes and theories behind them. Many of them are things that you will probably have heard of such as acupuncture. Acupuncture is a treatment that places pressure on different areas of the body in order to channel energy, this can either been done using hands and fingers, or more famously use needles. It has become extremely popular in the west despite a complete lack of evidence that it can do any good for you.
Another form of Oriental massage is Jin Shin Jyutsu which is an ancient Japanese technique. It is similar to acupuncture, and is a rare massage technique in the sense that it is one of the few where you can remain fully clothed throughout.
