Saturday 17 April 2010

What is Swedish Massage?

Swedish massage - or holistic massaage - is a full body massage therapy and I, as your massage therapist, will use grapeseed oil. This is by far the most popular form of massage in the UK.


There are 5 main techniques that are used during a session:

Effleurage – this is the most common stroke which involves a gliding, stroking movement across the muscles. It is used to warm up the muscles.

Petrissage – a kneading technique where I work your skin in a similar way to dough; it's aim its to release tension from the muscles.

Friction – this is pressure stroke and works on a deeper level than the other techniques.

Vibration – this is where I will use my hands or fingers to vibrate the flesh in certain areas. This removes tension in specific areas.

Tapotement – this is a very quick choppy movement on certain areas of the body and stimulates and tones the body. This may be too strong for some people and other will find it invigorating.

The use of Swedish massage can be very beneficial to many people as it uses a variety of techniques. On a physical level, it can help release tension from muscles, relieve muscle cramps and spasms, increase the range of motion and improve the strength of your muscles.

It can also calm the nervous system, improve blood circulation and make your skin firmer. Swedish massage can relieve the symptoms of asthma, arthritis, carpal tunnel syndrome, chronic and acute pain syndromes, myofacial pain, headache, temporomandibular joint dysfunction and athletic injuries.

Swedish massage can also help you relax and improve the quality of your sleep. It can also improve your levels of concentration.

The specific conditions which Swedish massage can help are: stress, anxiety and depression.

(You cannot have a massage and a waxing on the same day).