Swedish massage is one of the most well known massage techniques practiced worldwide. At Massage Me Day Spa, our swedish massage focuses on gentle strokes that help with muscle relaxation throughout the body leaving you feeling relaxed and at ease. It’s the most ideal option for those of you looking to release all tension from within your body. This is accomplished by rubbing the muscles with long gliding strokes in the same direction as your blood flowing back to the heart. Swedish massage therapy is more than just relaxation. The improved circulation and increased flexibility resulting from the gentle technique helps to ease muscles, increasing oxygen levels in the blood and decreasing toxins.
Although Swedish massage predominantly uses effleurage (gliding/sliding) to open up your blood vessels and increase blood flow, we also utilize petrissage (kneading, lifting, rolling) to soothe any existing muscular pain you may have, and friction (small circular motions) to attain complete relaxation of the body. To get the best out of your Swedish massage, communicate with your massage therapist before, and throughout, is key so that they can customise your Swedish massage to suit your needs best.
How Swedish Massage Therapy Can Benefit You
A study done in 2010 that was sponsored by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine, and was also published in The New York Times, showed that the volunteers who received a 45 minute Swedish massage experienced an increase in lymphocytes - white blood cells that are a part of the immune system. They also saw a significant decrease in the levels of cortisol, a stress hormone found in blood and saliva, as well as a decrease in arginine vasopressin, a hormone that can lead to an increase in cortisol. By having a decrease in stress hormones, and an increase in lymphocytes, your immune system is able to grow stronger, and so you can spend more time doing things you love and enjoy since you’ll be less likely to get sick.
