Why Exactly Is Massage Good For You?

It is well know that massage is an important part in any wellness routine. The fact is undeniable that after you receive a massage, you feel great. Your body is relaxed, your mind is calm, and you are just in good physical place. But why do you feel great? The answer may surprise you!

Your Body Literally Has More Energy

Research is finding that regular massage produces more energy within the cells themselves to allow for faster cellular recovery (Crane et al.). Mitochondria within the muscles produce ATP which gives the body the energy necessary to perform.

With massage therapy increasing the level of mitochondria, more ATP is produced. Thus, allowing better and faster repair of damaged muscles. Massage also decreases inflammation and increases circulation within the body and cells to further improve your physical health.

With all of the cellular changes that occur after a massage, clients ofter report that they feel almost drunk after a massage. Don’t worry, that is completely normal.

How to Recover From a Massage

There is one school of thought that says drinking water after a massage is important because it helps flush out the toxins that were released from your massage. The reason for this is that oxygen in the water can help clear your system, so drinking water gives you more oxygen. You get enough oxygen by breathing normal.

Guess what? I disagree.

I always tell my clients to recover from a massage how they would after a good work out. Whether that means drinking water, wine, coffee, or protein shake, go for it. Maybe it means napping and then eating a giant piece of cake, even better. Just take the time to recover as your cells just had some major changes occur in a short time period.

How Often Should You Receive Massage?

Ideally, we could all get massages everyday, but sometimes that is not realistic for both your time and your bank account.

Research has found that about every four weeks is the optimal amount of time to get a massage. This amount of time gets your body time to adjust to the changes that occurred after the massage, but not get stuck in the same old (sometimes uncomfortable) ways.

Since the benefits of the previous massage will still be present, your massage therapist will be able to consistently improve, rather than repeating the benefits that were felt in previous sessions. There was a study done at Duke that proved that individuals who receive a 60 minute massage once a week can see a reduction in pain related to osteoarthritis after just two months (Pearlman et al.).

So What Type Of Massage Is Best?

That is completely dependent on you and your goals from the session. While the stereotypical version of a massage therapist with her elbow deep in the back of client can be therapeutic, sometimes a deep tissue massage is not best for you!

Our massage therapist will take the time to learn about your preferences, as well as your goals to completely customize your experience. Because of this, most of our massages are the same price so that you can receive a little of all the modalities.