Getting a massage shouldn’t be a luxury. Because of the obvious benefits of massage therapy, I believe that massages should be part of routine life — for absolutely everyone.
About a year ago, my mother gifted me with dozens (literally dozens!) of extra massages from a membership-based massage chain. I’d never had routine massages before this. Instead, I’d only gotten massages as one-off, special-occasion gifts from loved ones. But armed with the opportunity to get a weekly massage, I took full advantage.
Now I’m addicted.
Let’s be honest. Who wouldn’t be?
I get to be fully-relaxed, experience my normally-tense muscles turning into jelly, and step into a zen-like meditative state that floods me with affirming feelings of self-care and happiness.
But massage therapy is about more than just relaxation & pain management, and the benefits are legion.
Here are just a few.
Unexpected Benefit of Massage Therapy #1 — Perspective and Clarity
It’s rather simple. If I walk into a massage dragging a suitcase full of emotionally draining and confounding energy behind me, I walk out knowing exactly what to do to relieve myself of that burden.
I can guess at dozens of reasons why this is so. It may be that the because the massage releases endorphins (your body’s natural feel-good hormone), I’m able to feel well enough to distance myself from the tangled emotional baggage and thus give myself the mental distance to “solve” the problem.
It may be that because I’m so physically relaxed during massage therapy, I can emotionally “relax” as well and let go of my psychological burdens.
Who knows?
What I do know is that I always walk out of a massage therapy session feeling like I’ve gained a bit of wisdom, despite the fact that I’m not using the session like a confessional and instead choosing to remain silent with my massage therapist.
Unexpected Benefit of Massage Therapy #2 — Greater Energy
I never take naps. That’s because when I do, I wake up feeling even more tired than I did when I fell asleep.
Surprisingly, a massage therapy session has the opposite effect. I walk out feeling energized. Again, I’m not sure exactly why this is so. Perhaps it’s that release of endorphins again? Perhaps the massage is giving me the quintessential “runner’s high” but without the running?
Unexpected Benefit of Massage Therapy #3 — Better Sleep Quality
Now, I by no means am asserting that getting routine massages will solve all your sleep problems. But it’s certainly a valuable tool to have in your tool belt!
I’ve noticed that in the nights immediately following my massages, I have no problems falling asleep at a reasonable time, no problems staying asleep, and no problems waking up feeling well rested.
Maybe it has to do with the decreased stress levels, as massages help decrease cortisol levels (the hormone that’s an integral part of your stress response) and increase seratonin and dopamine levels (the hormones that contribute to happiness and good sleep).
Unexpected Benefit of Massage Therapy #4 — Improved Self-Esteem
Now this is a less tangible benefit to massage, but arguably a more important one. You know how you have that voice in your head that sometimes undermines your self-worth? The one that’s telling you you’re too fat, too dumb, too selfish, too (fill in the blank)?
Getting a massage silences that voice, at least for a little while.
Think about it. A massage is basically you telling yourself that you’re so important and valuable and loved that you’re worth it. You’re doing it in the most physical way, in a way connected to human touch. You’re allowing human touch to soothe you, to relieve your pain, melt away tension. And you’re doing it because you’re worth it.
Even if you’re not consciously telling yourself that you love yourself and that’s why you’re getting a massage, you are certainly sending that subconscious message to yourself. I believe your body hears that message loud and clear, and it affects how you view yourself.
Unexpected Benefit of Massage Therapy #5 — Increased Intimacy
No surprise here: I am the introvert of introverts. (There’s a reason I write for a living, yo.) Along with that introversion comes a certain protective shell I’ve built around myself. I tend to have only a few really intimate friends, and I keep my emotional distance from others.
Believe it or not, routine massage therapy has inspired me to let more people in, to open up and be more vulnerable, to be more intimate and trusting.
I can’t speak for what it will do for those of you who err on the side of being too trusting, but for me it’s been a life-saver. I’d often err on the side of people thinking I was being dishonest or cold with them just because I held all my emotional cards close to my chest. Being able to express some kind of vulnerability and openness to these people (whom I’ve always loved dearly) is a massive step in the right direction.
How to Work Routine Massages Into Your Life
I know what you’re thinking.
All this is well and good, but your were GIVEN dozens of massages! These babies are too expensive to be part of my everyday life.
I wholeheartedly agree. Unless you’ve got some nice disposable income just burning a whole in your wallet waiting to be spent, a good massage may cost too much to do it on a weekly basis.
That’s why I suggest you should … (gasp) … learn how to give a massage.
A really, really good one.
Then get your best friend or partner to learn how to give a massage too.
And then … (ZOMG!) … you can give each other massages!
For free!!! Anytime you want!!!
!!!
It’s a crazy idea, I know. But once those dozens of free massages from my mother ran out, I needed my routine massage fix.
So I did what I do best and found an online course to take. It’s called MELT: Massage for Couples.
Check out this little teaser for the online video course:
As you can see, the series is beautifully-shot and taught by a professional massage therapist. The videos are PG-rated, and you’re taught basic techniques for three different massage routines that can be done comfortably at home without any fancy equipment.
My husband and I have already mastered the routines. I will confess I was a little intimidated by the idea of giving massages at first, mostly because the professional massages I’d been getting for so long had been so awesome.
What I discovered is that by following the techniques outlined in these videos, I was able to give my husband deeply satisfying massages. And he, in turn, has upped his massage game, too.
How this Couples Massage Course Works
Here’s the idea: you spend what you would normally spend on ONE good, hour-long massage, and for that you learn how to give exquisite massages to the people you love (and they learn how to give them to you!).
(Click here to discover how to give an exceptionally good massage.)
It’s like the old saying, “Give a man a fish, and he eats for a day. Teach a man to fish, and he eats for a lifetime.” This way, you can give and receive a lifetime’s worth of amazing massages — all for the cost of one good one.
(Click here to check out this online massage course.)
(photo & video credits: couplesmassagecourses.com)
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Chris Corsello
Jimmy Gialelis!
Nichole Nanez
Patrick Harney
Amy Glenn Carabetta
For me, massages would make a migraine go away and when I was having them daily I would schedule a massage every two weeks to keep them away add long as possible
Morgan Lynn Kidd !! You could share this on your wall and maybe your fb friends will book more appts. with you
Omg I love this thanks Sista
Susana Munguia
Shannon Klipstein
Duh
I need one now. I’ve had a headache since Sunday night! And it’s safer than going to the chiropractor!
My husband spent two years training including in depth study of anatomy and hours of hand on practice. He also have over ten years of experience in the field. An instructional video cannot teach someone how to give a massage like what you can get from a professional of his caliber. There is no comparison.
Hi Judith,
I don’t think anyone’s going to take this online massage course and be as equipped as a Licensed Massage Therapist. That’s clearly not the goal!
The goal is to be able to give simple, sensual, relaxing massages to the people you love, and I’ve found a lot of people lack the confidence to do that. Most people rub their loved one’s shoulders or feet for 5 minutes and exclaim, “My hands are tired! Hope that felt good, hon.” This course teaches them 3 useful massage routines of varying length and shows them how to 1)make it feel good, and 2)not tire their hands out. And of course, the hope is that you’ll do the course with a partner so you can take turns giving good massages!
As a mother of two young children, I’m tempted to go look for a massage therapist right now just for the second and third benefits. I feel like I am constantly running on empty, and a massage might help me finally recharge. In fact, I think I am going to talk to my husband about making an appointment this week. After all, it would be able to take advantage of the time I can sleep, and to be more energized throughout the day as well.
I like massage therapy. Thanks for sharing this awesome Benefits of Massage therapy with Us.
Kristen I just loved your blogpost, I now have a plan to find a great massage therapist in my town to make my body feel relax, I’m just fed up of this busy 9 to 5 routine and also don’t need more muscular pains, if massage can do that these much wonders then I think a massage is far better than Doctor.
I’ve always found that I get over a cold much more quickly when I get a massage. Especially if I take it easy that day and drink a lot of water. Does that make sense?
Cool article you got here, thumbs up! It has been really helpful and I just couldn’t stop reading through. Actually massage has so many benefits. During all these years that I have practiced as a professional therapist however, I have realized that stress is one of the most important things that massage therapy will address. From physical stress to mental stress, massage therapy reduces the levels of production of cortisol, the stress causing hormones. This protects anyone from falling into depression especially if they also needed counseling. Massage therapy has for that simple reason saved so many lives today.
My wife and I have been looking at ways she could get help with her back pain. I’ve heard that massage therapy could be a good option. I didn’t realize that massage therapy could also improve self esteem by showing to yourself that you’re worth pampering. I’ll let my wife know about these benefits.
I didn’t realize that getting a regular massage could help you get better sleep quality. I often have trouble sleeping, so I will try anything that might help. I will have to look into massages!
I didn’t know a massage releases endorphins. I guess human touch and working out knots is something your body rewards you for. I’ve been really stressed at work, so I might have to try a massage.
I feel relaxed already after reading this article on massage therapy. I had no clue that it benefited sleeping as well as the physical body. My back has been hurting lately and I am trying to find a good way to heal it without any medication. This was great at showing all the other natural benefits a massage can give you. Thanks for the information, all I need now is to find a place for an appointment.
I didn’t realize that massages could help increase dopamine and serotonin levels thus ensuring you get proper sleep. This is good to know since I’ve been trying to look for natural solutions to help me sleep better. I definitely wouldn’t mind trying massages out to see if they improve my sleep length and quality.
It sounds like getting a good massage has some good benefits. I like the fact that it can help with self-esteem. I have a pretty low sense of self-worth, so I’d love to try this out. My wife and I will try out massage therapy.
It was interesting how you said that through massage therapy, a person will feel important because it’s a physical way of letting them know that they deserve to be cared for and that they’re worth it. Actually, I have a friend who has been acting all depressed and worn out lately, saying that we don’t care about him and all. I think there’s a deeper reason as to why he started feeling that, but I want to make him feel better and seeing this article really helped me. I’ll take him for a massage therapy. Thank you for the info!
I liked what you said about finding it easier to fall asleep and wake up feeling rested. I have always had a hard time sleeping and I’m willing to try anything to help me out. I would love to see if this would work for me as it has for you.
Good blog on unexoscyex benefits of MASSAGE! Who doesn’t LOVE a good Massage?! I get a professional one weekly! I have to so I can be sane lol!
My sister and I are planning a girl’s day out and we are thinking of getting massages to help us relax. I appreciate that you say massages help you to gain perspective and clarity because you are able to clear your mind. I think that this will be a huge benefit for both of us because it will give us the chance to truly meditate and relax and we will be able to leave feeling energized!
I never took into account the fact that getting a massage can actually increase self-esteem. As you mentioned, the human touch gives you a feeling that you are important and valuable which eliminates tension an pain. With that in mind, I might be considering getting a therapy this weekend because I have been feeling down ever since I got the results of my board exam. I passed, but it was almost failing. So I feel low of my self.
Thank you for emphasizing that massages actually help the person achieve a better sleep because of the idea that the cortisol levels in the body will decrease. That is good to know because ever since my mom started working alone, her stress levels spiked and her sleeping problems started. Because of this, I can agree with your theory of stress in relation to a lack of sleep. Maybe I should convince her to try a massage therapy.
It sure is interesting to know that massage releases endorphins to help you feel good about yourself. I can now certainly see the appeal of the ever-burgeoning spa service facilities in my area. Me and my wife can really benefit from a bit of endorphin rush after a day’s work.
massage therapy is very useful for our body it really relax our body and we don’t feel tired and they have simply mentioned the best benefits of having massage
It got me when you said that you feel energized after the session due to the endorphins that it produces. I guess I have to undergo this procedure because I feel low these days due to stress that I am experiencing at work. One time, I was not even able to go to work even if I am not sick due to that.
Thanks for the interesting article about massages. You mentioned that massage sessions have made you feel energized. I’m kind of curious to learn if the type of massage you get affects how energized you feel.
Great info! Very Informative Article!
My wife goes and gets a message once a month because she says it relaxes her. Before I read this article, I did not know that there were so many side benefits to massage therapy. I find it so interesting that massages release endorphins that make you feel good.
I appreciate what you said about having no sleep problems the night following a massage. I would say that body massages have physical, mental, and emotional benefits. My girlfriend wants to get a couple’s massage, so we’ll find a place that offers these relaxing services.
I had no idea that getting a massage to help relax your muscles can also help you have better sleep quality! I think it’s so important to fall asleep quickly and wake up refreshed, in order to avoid stress and the onset of depression, which are often associated with lack of sleep. I’ve noticed that my muscles are tight all through my back since I’ve started lifting more heavy things around the house. I’ll have to see a therapeutic massage clinic in my area to get the kind of massage that I need to not only provide pain relief to my aching back, but also to help me get a good night’s sleep each and every day.
That is awesome that the nights following your massages that you have no problem falling asleep at a reasonable time. That would be so beneficial for me seeing that I can never fall asleep at a good time. Maybe getting a massage is something that I should look into.
Thanks for writing! Yes, I agree and massage will help moisturize and may stimulate toxin release, leading to cleansed and healthier skin. A professional deep tissue massage can help you in recovering from all the pains.
That is nice you can have increased intimacy. That is something that I would love to have. Maybe I should get massage therapy.
I like how you mentioned that massage therapy helps to improve your sleep quality. I’ve been sleeping horribly for the past couple of months. I will definitely keep all of your benefits of massage therapy in mind and will consider it to help me sleep better.
I like what you said about how a massage can help decrease cortisol levels which is the stress hormone. My mother has a lot of stress and works more than she wants. It would be really helpful for her to go to massage therapy to help with her stress and sleep.
I know it is good to have a massage and this post has given me more reasons to visit a massage parlour on a regular basis. Thanks for sharing this!
Now that we’re on vacation, a lot of us are trying to find ways to relax and destress from work. It really helped when you stated that massage therapy is a great source of getting bodily energy back up to shape because my sister, in particular, has had her sleep routines messed up after burning several hours talking to clients even up until the evening, so this could be perfect for her. I’ll be sure to show this article to all my relatives so we can look around for places we can get massages and have a better vacation. Thank you!