It’s not uncommon that a customer new to Coastal Day Spa will be surprised to find that there isn’t one massage on offer, but rather a whole menu of them. Our specialists are professionally trained and able to offer a wide range of different treatments, but which do you choose?
Here, we’re going to look at what the differences between the massage techniques are, and what benefits they can offer based on your aches and your needs.
Swedish
What makes a massage Swedish? It’s not because someone from Sweden performs it, but because it was mostly developed by a Swedish physiologist, Per Henrik Ling. This is the most traditional massage offered widely in the western world. It primarily relies on five techniques: stroking, kneading, tapping, vibrating, and rubbing.
It’s a head-to-toe massage, during which you are usually nude except for underwear, a towel, or a sheet. It has a huge host of benefits, too. It increases the production of serotonin, which relieves pain and provides a mood boost while decreasing the production of cortisol, the hormone primarily responsible for stress and physical tension. As a result, it’s commonly used for general relaxation, pain relief, and alleviating muscle cramps.
Deep Tissue
As the name suggests, the deep tissue massage digs under the surface. It’s a treatment designed to be performed by licensed professionals, targeting aches, injuries, tension, and chronic pain that requires a little more attention and care. This massage is characterized by slow, sweeping kneading that’s rhythmically applied to the affected area.
The slow pace, alongside the harder pressure applied, allows the massage therapist to reach the deepest areas of the muscle and the connective tissue around it. This breaks down adhesions in the muscles, making it perfect for treating leg pain and back pain, especially for those who suffer from poor posture or spend a lot of their time sitting or standing in one place.
Sports
This is a massage designed specifically to help those who live more active lifestyles. The primary goal of the sports massage is to prevent and treat sports injuries and muscle soreness as a result of exercise. It’s similar to a deep tissue massage, making use of the same techniques to break muscle adhesions and offer some to aching, sore, and tense parts of the body.
However, what sets the sports massage apart is the addition of passive stretches. The massage therapist will help you perform a range of low-stress stretches, such as rotating the foot, which can help you improve the range of motion in your joints. As a result, it might not feel quite as relaxing as a deep tissue massage but can ensure that you’re always at the top of your game.
Hot Stone
Many of the different treatments at Coastal Day Spa make use of stones. One of the most popular is the hot stone massage. This technique makes use of flat, smooth rocks that are heated before the treatment and placed on different areas of the body. While they heat the targeted areas, the massage therapist will use them as a kneading tool or apply the techniques used in Swedish and deep tissue massages.
The primary benefit of the hot stone massage is that the heat helps spread warmth through the body, which can relax the muscles and connective tissues, making it much easier for the massage therapist to target those areas.
Prenatal Massage
There are a host of massage options designed to help treat specific ailments or conditions. Women who are expecting might find themselves suffering from a range of problems. This can include irritability, increased tension in the body, back pain, and edema (which is swelling in the feet and ankles due to fluid buildup).
A prenatal massage makes use of many of the techniques mentioned above, such as Swedish and deep tissue massage techniques. However, these sessions are specially adjusted and designed to help pregnant women with some of their most common concerns. So long as both mother and the massage therapist take the right precautions, prenatal massages are safe for the entire duration of the pregnancy.
Massages can help not only alleviate tension and offer some much-needed relief and relaxation. They can also treat a variety of physical and mental issues such as anxiety, edema, PMS, injury, and more. Don’t hesitate to get in touch with the team at Coastal Day Spa if you want to learn more about any of the massages named above or the others featured on our online menu.
