Types of Massage

Massage has been practiced throughout most cultures for thousands of years for one simple reason: touch is a powerful healer. Today more than ever, the stresses and strains of our fast-paced lives take their toll on our bodies, relationships, and enjoyment of life. Studies show that touch measurably improves health and well being. According to research done by the Touch Research Institute, based at the University of Miami, touch can reduce stress hormones, combat depressive symptoms, alleviate pain, and boost the immune system.


Styles of Massage:
A massage menu is as delicious to a Goddess as a dessert menu. So how do you choose which style of massage is right for you? You simply must sample each one, memorize the definitions, find your favorites and realize different massages can be more appropriate on different days for different needs and benefits.

Swedish – This European method reduces tension, increases circulation and soothes sore muscles using a combination of various movements including kneading, petrissage and effleurage.

Shiatsu – This ancient Japanese technique of applied finger pressure to your body’s meridian channels, allows your chi to flow naturally, inducing a state of deep relaxation and well-being.

Watsu – Watsu consists of shiatsu stretches in a pool of body-temperature water. You feel weightless as a therapist cradles you and stretches your limbs and is ideal for people who can’t have other types of massage (such as pregnant women and those with disabilities).

Aromatherapy - The powerful aromatic effects of pure essential oils are applied to the skin with Swedish massage techniques to revitalize and detoxify your body.

Sports - Aimed at performance, this massage technique uses compression; deep transverse friction and stretching to prepare the body for intensive exercise or for recovery after athletics.

Deep-Tissue – A therapeutic treatment that works deep tissue to relieve muscular spasms and prevent soreness resulting from many things like stress, over-exertion, or athletic activities.

Reflexology – The hands and feet have points that correspond to the organs and functions of the body. This massage involves stimulating these points to provide a positively calming and healing experience.

Reiki – Reiki is a Japanese word that means universal life-force energy. This ancient healing art uses gentle and non-invasive energy to encourage personal awareness and well-being.

Cranio-Sacral – Through light touch, this practice alters imbalances in the central nervous system between the cranium and the sacrum, resetting the body’s natural healing potential.

Hot Stone Therapy – Smooth, polished Basalt Lava Stones are heated and incorporated into a massage that loosens tight muscles and relieves tension.

Thai - Thai massage combines pressure-point massage and yoga in slow, rhythmic stretches along the body’s ten sen, or energy lines. As you lie on a floor mat, the therapist uses her palms, thumbs, elbow and feet to apply pressure to your body and move it through yoga poses to balance energy and increase flexibility.

Lomi-Lomi – Passed down through Hawaiian elders or Kapuna, this therapeutic technique uses both gentle and vigorous kneading strokes and body manipulations to ease muscle pain thus renewing a sense of well-being.

Shirodhara – In this Eastern-Indian treatment, warm oil flows onto the forehead and is gently massaged into the scalp while hot stones are place in your hands and at your feet to calm the mind and body.

Tui Na – This ancient Chinese healing art is based on energy flow, meridian and pressure points. The focus is less on immediate relaxation and more on restoring the body’s health and energy through intense stretching and muscle manipulation.

MLD – Manual Lymphatic Drainage is the most widely researched and proven massage in the world. Rhythmical, whispery soft finger strokes or ultra-light drumming stimulate the flow of lymph with the benefits ranging from a decrease in facial puffiness and a boost in immune function to smoothing of cellulite and relief from headaches.