There are many people in this world that look at massage as a luxury, an indulgence, or a special treat. While to others massage is considered a medically necessary. Which type of person are you?
To be honest before I was a massage therapist, I always thought of massage as a luxury and not a necessity. I didn’t start receiving massage until I was in my early 20s, because my now husband, got me a massage as a gift. It was a wonderful experience, and I was hooked. I had never felt as stress free, relaxed and in less pain then after my first massage. It was then that I realized that I would have to make this a priority in my life. Like most people in their 20s I lived paycheck to paycheck, but when I did have the extra money, I would get a massage.
Now that I am a massage therapist, I have learned so much more about why massage is beneficial and why everyone should make it part of their routine. Massage has been a part of many cultures medical routines for the past 6000 years, possibly more. We do know that the in tombs in Egypt, we can see massage depicted. Even Hippocrates, the father of medicine, taught form of friction (massage) for injuries.
One of the most interesting facts about massage is that a 60-minute therapeutic massage is equal to 8 full hours of sleep. I know there have been many massages that I have fallen asleep and woken up a new person. Every time I fall asleep durning massage, it is a deep sleep. When I wake up, it feels like I have been asleep all night, but it has only been an hour or less.
Another interesting fact is if you are a healthy person and you get massage monthly, massage will help keep you healthy. Monthly massage, or more often if you like, will help prevent illness and injuries versus not getting a monthly massage. Massage keeps the muscles loose and helps move the waste product out of the muscle belly. Massage also helps your circulatory system and will help keep your immunity up. If you get a massage at the end of an illness, like a cold or the flu, it will help speed up the recovery. With all those benefits why wouldn’t you want to get massage?