Our massage therapists offer beautiful intuitive massage treatments tailored to your body’s needs.
Remedial Massage/Sports Massage
If you’re searching for relief from tight muscle knots or injury a remedial massage could be just the solution. Generally a remedial massage is used to treat a specific area or an injury on the body that is causing pain, and isn’t always deep tissue. It incorporates muscles, ligaments, tendons and fascia as well as various techniques such as stretching and active release in order to achieve the desired results.
It may include myofascial trigger point therapy which focuses on relieving specific tight knots in muscles through focused and sustained pressure that gradually encourages these areas to relax. Knots tend to form due to repetitive strain or overuse of particular muscles. So if you spend most of your day slouched at a desk or have been ramping up your training lately, a trigger point massage is a fantastic way to ease sore muscles.
Sports massage is a type of remedial massage to help with sport performance or prevent injury. It is wonderful for relieving aches, strains, tightness, aiding in recovery and maintaining the health and mobility of joints and muscles. It is a firm, or deep tissue style of massage that is great for anyone involved with sports or work related issues.
Cupping (originally used in Traditional Chinese Medicine) may also be used during a remedial massage. As part of a remedial massage therapy session it is an effective technique for increasing circulation and releasing fascial tension over muscles, particularly useful for long-standing tension spots.
Deep Tissue Massage
A deep tissue massage is not just a massage that uses a firmer pressure. Although deep tissue massage does use a firmer pressure than a relaxation massage, the biggest difference is really in the technique. A deep tissue massage is slow and specific. Your massage therapist will stop and hold tight spots, knots and trigger points in order to help them release. Additionally, your therapist will focus on helping break up fascia, increasing blood flow to unhealthy muscles, and increase your range of motion.
Relaxation Massage/Swedish Massage
A gentle style of massage (also called Swedish massage) using long & flowing, kneading strokes, leaving you with an overall sense of well being. An amazing way to brush away all of life’s stresses, this is a beautiful way to unwind and calm your mind down, feel deeply rested. You will also sleep incredibly well after this style of massage.
Pregnancy Massage
Pregnancy massage is amazing to receive during this time of so much change. We work according to the stage of your pregnancy to release tension/discomfort in a specific area or simply give you some much needed relaxation. Lighter strokes are used in combination with trigger point releases while you lie on your side with a body pillow for comfort or face down with your belly nestled in a “Belly Pillow” with a big hole in it – amazing (especially if you miss lying on your tummy).
What are the benefits of a Massage?
- Release waste and toxins: When a muscle is tight or has developed a trigger point, it means that the cells of the muscle are holding in toxins and waste and aren’t able to function to their full potential. As a deep tissue massage loosens up the muscles, it allows for the toxins and waste to leave the muscles and brings oxygen and nutrients to the tissue, which then allows your body to recover faster.
- Perform better: When the muscles get loosened up, it allows you to have increased flexibility and range of motion, which then in turn helps you perform better.
- Injury prevention: If your muscles are able to perform to their full potential, you are less likely to overcompensate with other parts of the body. Additionally, your joints are able to function properly, which in turn helps you avoid injury.
- Decreased pain: By releasing the tight spots and trigger points, deep tissue massage will decrease your daily pain. This, paired with the increased blood flow allows you to recover from injuries and pain faster.
- Decreases stress: Massage allows your body to decrease production of cortisol, which is the hormone your body releases when it is stressed. Simultaneously it increases your body’s production of feel good hormones such as serotonin and dopamine.
- Improves sleep: The lowered production of cortisol and increased state of relaxation allows your body to sleep better.
How often should I get a massage?
For general maintenance, we recommend getting a 60 minute massage once a month. If you are training for something or under a lot of pressure at work, we recommend getting a 60 minute deep tissue massage every 2 weeks until your competition or deadline. If you are recovering from an injury it may help to get a massage weekly.
The reason? The more regularly you get massaged, the more accustomed your body gets to releasing. What this means is that the more regularly you get massaged, your muscles will release faster, which in turn will allow your massage therapist to work into the deeper muscles sooner. And because your muscles will be getting loosened more often, you won’t be as tight for each following appointment, which will improve your muscle’s long-term health.