The styles of massage have a number of benefits, from relaxation to increased circulation and flexibility. A massage should give you a better mood and in the longer run, better health. The benefits of healing via the hands have been known worldwide for centuries.
The benefits of the main styles, and our Signature combination, will be detailed in the posts that follow but a brief overview looks like this:
Traditional Thai Massage – a distinctive style, with a long history and ties to Ayurvedic and Chinese medicine, Traditional Thai massage focuses on yoga-type stretching. The benefits are an increased flexibility, which allows the body to move more freely and naturally, and in the longer term to realign and unlock the flow of energy in the body for a rejuvenated feeling.
Swedish – this is the style most focused on relaxation through the application of gentle pressure, with attention to the main areas of tension. “Swedish” massage is usually only recognized in English and Dutch-speaking countries, the rest of the world refers to this style as “classic massage”. The primary benefit is the relaxing feeling of muscles being gently kneaded and pushed, almost stretched.
Deep Tissue – this style focuses on adhesions on muscles or restrictions and blockages to circulation. As the name implies the therapist will apply a greater level of pressure that goes deeper than the surface muscles to break down the adhesions. The primary benefit to breaking down adhesions is easier and more complete muscle movement, what clients refer to as “working out the kinks”.
Therapeutic – this is not a distinct style in the sense that the strokes are different or that there is less or more stretching. Therapeutic Massage is typically the most focused style of massage, it looks to alleviate or solve a problem in a particular muscle area or joint. The primary benefit is short-term relief of a specific problem or issue in a specific area.
Lymphatic Drainage – the lymphatic system is a body-wide network that moves cell-level waste to the liver. Blockages or insufficient movement of this waste leads to swelling and the gentle assistance of a Lymphatic Drainage massage is designed to get this body system moving again. The primary benefit is reduced swelling and the more rapid movement of waste toward the liver and out of the body.
Sanity Signature Massage – our combination massage will mirror a Traditional Thai massage to begin with and definitely incorporate the yoga-style stretching. From there it will borrow elements from the other styles and incorporate them into a continuing Thai-based massage. Whether it’s the gentle relaxation of Swedish, the probing power of Deep Tissue or the focused work of Therapeutic we add in what is necessary as we seek the maximum benefits for our clients.