Swedish Massage can elongate the muscles, open and lubricate the joints and decrease swelling, all of which can ease movement and increase flexibility. This type of massage focuses on muscle relaxation, targeting superficial muscles (rather than the connective tissues targeted in deep-tissue massage) and increasing blood circulation.
Are you experiencing stress, muscle soreness, or pain? Do you feel like your body is a giant knot of tense muscles? Deep tissue massage therapy might be the solution to your problems. Deep tissue massages are used to break up scar tissue and break down muscle adhesions (the “knots” that we feel in our muscles are muscle adhesions, which are bands of rigid and painful muscle tissue).
With a Hot stone massage, the benefit of heat loosens your muscles more effectively. This technique also helps reduce inflammation common with muscles in spasm.
At first, it might seem weird to have warm, flat stones placed in specific locations on your body. But these are special stones with a purpose.
Massage therapists typically use Basalt river rocks. These rocks are smooth and hold heat well.
Using a stone heater, your therapist heats the stones to temperatures between 110 and 130° Fahrenheit. This is the ideal temperature range to warm your muscles without burning skin.
Stones sit along your spine, on your chest, feet, palms, and even your face.
After the stones heat your muscles, your therapist begins the massage. Taking advantage of warm muscles helps improve the benefits of hot rock massage. The benefits include more relaxation, improved poor blood circulation, any previous pain subsides, your flexibility increases, helps fight diseases, and also boosts immunity.
Trigger points are sore, painful spots—also called knots—found in muscles. These knots are sensitive, and when pressure is applied, they produce pain in a different part of your body. A trigger point massage helps work out those knots and reduce the pain associated with them.
Muscle knots can happen to anyone because they’re caused by injury, using your muscles too much or too little, and poor posture.
Fortunately, many people experience immediate relief after just one trigger point massage!
How does trigger point therapy work?
The objective of trigger point therapy is to release or soften a muscle knot to reduce (or eliminate) the pain and associated symptoms. This release happens by applying various levels of pressure to muscle knots and then stretching the affected areas through a complete range of motion.
Though the “map” of muscle trigger points and associated pain is complicated, the process of relaxing the trigger points is simple.
What to expect during and after your trigger point massage
In this type of massage, your massage therapist focuses on rubbing and pressing your muscle knots. You may experience both discomfort and relief throughout the massage. After your massage, you may feel tired and have some soreness for a day or two.
Most people experience a boost in energy after a trigger point massage