Relax With a Soothing Hot Rock Massage

It's an oasis from a summer afternoon, this dimly lit room brightened by a candle's flame and pleasant aroma.

With her eyes closed, Dorothea Sammur looks relaxed beneath a freshly laundered sheet while Terri Crawford prepares to place a hot stone on her forehead.

Sammur has anticipated this moment for months.

There's no sizzle, no burning flesh, just the sound of Sammur's breathing as the rock touches her skin. Sammur is an aficionado of hot-rock massage.

"Most of my jobs are high-stress," said the Wright-Patterson Air Force Base program manager and mother of a 6-year-old.

"I find hot-rock massages therapeutic. They're relaxing."

Hot-rock therapy is not new. The practice has been used over the centuries by many different cultures and is popular at spas in trendy places like California and Arizona.

Stones are heated to approximately 120 degrees and then placed on strategic areas of the body to soften tissues, increase circulation and provide comfort and relaxation. Massage therapists like Crawford also use the stones as extensions of their hands as they perform other massage techniques.

Although Darlene Snyder, a licensed massage therapist who works at Long Chiropractic in North Dayton, Ohio, has received training in the hot-rock massage technique, she said there is no call for it with her clientele.

"My practice is in response to injuries, conditions and medical referrals from chiropractors and licensed medical doctors. The hot-rock therapy is more for relaxation purposes, so I really don't have a demand for it," Snyder said.

Crawford, who is trained in a variety of massage techniques, said that the hot-rock massage typically appeals to people who are open to alternative treatments or frequent spas and resorts.

"When we first started, it was unusual for people to come in because of the credibility. People related messages to the less reputable massage parlor. But therapists go to school and go through an intense program to be licensed," Roberts said.

Therapists who receive hot-rock massage training learn how to select, place and use the stones. According to Bonnie Skogman, a licensed massage therapist in Tucson, Ariz., the stones used should fulfill four criteria: They should be capable of radiating warmth for 20 minutes, fit comfortably into the contours of the body, have a pleasing texture and have sufficient weight to exert grounding and traction.

Crawford said there is no single way to give a massage with hot rocks.

"Le Stone, one of the distributors of hot-rock stones, wants the therapist to be creative and do your own thing," Crawford said.

Stones are commonly placed on the forehead, abdomen, in the hands, between the toes and on the back during the massage.

The massages are meant to be comfortable and encourage relaxation. If a person experiences nausea or pain, the massage should be discontinued, and, if a person has a fever, swollen glands or bruises easily, they should avoid having a massage.

Sammur limits herself to a hot-rock massage every couple of months. At O'Neys, the cost of a hot-rock massage is $85 to $120.

With a full-time job and a youngster at home, Sammur said the massage is the only time she sets aside for herself.

"I personally make a point to encourage my friends to go for a massage. I think it is important for women to take some time for themselves to relieve their stress," Sammur said.

Source: Dayton Daily News. Powered by YellowBrix, Inc.

Thai massage

From the old palace of Wat Po in Bangkok comes an ancient healing method set to raise a sweat from practitioner and client alike. Thai massage is a dynamic form of body therapy that will stretch you to your limits.

I feel good

The Massage Therapy Career Focus Workbook

Have you read workbook about massage? This advertise send to my mail :

“This workbook is a must-read for massage therapists, practitioners or students. If you didn't read this before you went to massage school it's not too late.”

Sample Chapter and Table of Contents:

The following is the Preface to The Massage Therapy Career Focus Workbook.

Preface

Focus. Just another buzzword, perhaps? The fact is, clarity of purpose in any endeavor is always more efficient and rewarding than an unfocussed approach, be it in massage or life in general. Having focus means getting what you want—not settling for whatever comes along or for that which seems most expedient at the time. Unfortunately, massage is a vast industry which, unlike most other professions, virtually defies all attempts at career focus. Until now, that is.

If you have just started your training in massage you stand to reap the most benefit from these principles. This is because you haven’t already spent any of your valuable time and money learning techniques or investing in business opportunities that don’t meet your career focus. If you are already a practicing therapist, we assume you are reading this because your career locomotive has jumped its track. In your case, these principles will help you to get your career locomotive back on track toward a practice which is not only enjoyable but also rewarding. If you are a school or clinic administrator, these principles will give you greater insight into what courses to offer or therapists to hire.

However, before we let you rush onward to figure out your exact massage career focus, we need to explain a few things. First, we want to explain the situation and reasoning which lead to the development of these principles. Why is this? you ask. It’s just that solutions are always better appreciated when one understands the full extent of the problems and circumstances which lead to the solution. Second, we will explain the benefits of these career focus principles. And third, we will give you some insight into the layout of this workbook and some tips on how to get the most out of it.

Two years ago, while writing the script for a ten-minute promotional video on massage therapy, we tried to answer this seemingly innocuous question: What is massage and why is it valuable? Our intuitive response was: Massage therapy is the manipulation of muscles and soft tissues and it is valuable because it makes people feel better. But that answer just didn't seem to do the profession any justice. What kind of touch was it? How did it make people feel better?

We pondered these questions awhile and came up with dozens of possible answers. We realized the answer to What is massage and why is it valuable? depended upon many things. It depended on the individual therapist, his or her training and objectives, the nature of the practice, and the needs of the clients. We also realized, given the terminology extant at the time, that no two therapists described massage or its value in the same way. We knew right then we were in trouble; we couldn’t possibly explain all these answers in a ten-minute video.

In the end, we limited the video’s scope to educating the public about common, everyday activities which could lead to muscle and soft tissue complaints. We then simply added the assertion that massage was uniquely suited to relieving such complaints. This approach, although not our original one, deftly skirted the entire issue of defining the nature of massage. But we weren’t ones to skirt an issue, especially when it came to something as important to us as massage. We resolved to do more intellectual ruminating starting with why the public should value massage.

Value is a highly subjective term. Were we talking about monetary value or just the intrinsic value of human touch? Or, were we talking about the value of good health? Because of this uncertainty, we decided to go back to the basics. We asked ourselves the following: What motivates a person to go to a therapist of any sort? We came up with another list of answers, most of which had to do with improved wellness. So, we surmised, massage’s ability to improve wellness made it valuable. But wellness was another one of those subjective terms; we still hadn’t discovered anything concrete. Finally, we asked ourselves, Why is wellness valuable? That’s when we had it ...Wellness allows people to do what they want, how they want.

Perhaps that sounds overly simplistic, but if you think about it, you will realize, as we did, that most people only seek health care services when they actually experience or fear the loss of a desired activity such as running, walking, or typing at a computer. Therefore, it wasn’t pain relief, stress reduction, or even good health per se that made massage or any other health service valuable to the public, it was their ability to help individuals regain or maintain the ability to do certain, chosen activities without pain, stress, dysfunction, or limitation. However, desired activities were not simply limited to those conscious activities people cared about, it could also include unconscious activities like breathing, digestion, and growing healthy skin. Furthermore, because every person has different activity desires and needs, wellness could not be defined as a single thing for all people.

What we needed was a simple method of determining a person’s activity needs and hence, their wellness. So, based on the assertion that activity was synonymous with wellness, we developed a model which divided all the activities humans perform into three wellness areas. We then used this model to create a massage practice building manual which exploited this phenomenon and called it The Active Wellness System.

At this point, we knew why massage was valuable, but we still hadn’t been able to describe massage. Being professional communicators (in addition to being massage persons) it was readily apparent to us that a significant factor contributing to the difficulty lay in the terms therapists were using; most were obscure, unfamiliar words to the public. Once again, back to the drawing board. What came out of that research was a plain-English guide for massage consumers we called The Massage Treatment Objectives and Preferences Guide or TOP Guide for short.

The objectives portion of the TOP Guide drew upon our previous discoveries revealed in the Active Wellness System. The Preferences portion of the guide were those optional factors we felt were common throughout all massage practices. What happened next was totally unexpected.

Therapists who ordered TOP Guides for their clients started telling us that the information (originally intended for the massage consumer) had helped them to focus their careers. Until the TOP guide, these therapists had never seen such a succinct, yet comprehensive, explanation of the range of possible choices available through massage. That’s when the penny dropped.

It became clear to us that it wasn’t the consumer who needed educating, it was the therapists. So we got out our pencils and paper (again) and revamped the entire format of the TOP Guide for use by therapists. It was only later, after we and some willing volunteers had a chance to test and implement these principles, that we discovered the range of benefits this approach to career focus afforded.

Now you know about the problems, and circumstances which led to this workbook. Let’s now take a closer look at those benefits we just mentioned.

The first benefit these principles offer is that they drastically reduce the amount of time required to find a career focus. Until now, even the most determined therapist would still probably require from five to ten years to find his or her chosen career focus. That is because it is basically a trial and error process (i.e., you just keep taking this course and that seminar until you finally latch onto a preferred career focus). This approach may have been fine in the good ol’ days when massage certification only required a hundred (or fewer) hours of training. Nowadays, however, massage certification can take up to 3,500 hours and cost thousands of dollars. Therefore, today’s new therapists just don’t have the resources to support themselves or the luxury of time to spend finding themselves. With these principles you can reduce the time from five or ten years down to a few hours of reading and practicing. Not a bad way to spend a few afternoons, wouldn’t you say?

The second benefit afforded by these principles is their user-friendliness. User-friendly not just because they incorporate terms which are easily understood by the public, but they are also specific enough to communicate the real-world value your massage practice offers. The self-explanatory nature inherent in these terms will help you to overcome the limitations of descriptions such as Shiatsu, Manual Lymphatic Drainage, or even Swedish Massage.

The third benefit is in the way our theory of wellness areas from the Active Wellness System reveal how every style or technique has its own unique and valuable place within massage. Until now, you really could not defend yourself if someone said their method or technique was better or truer than your method or technique. We are truly hopeful that this aspect of these principles for career focus will bring peace and harmony o'er the land of massage.

The fourth benefit is actually an extension of the third, but it is one of the most exciting. Because our model of wellness areas is non-massage specific, we find these career focus principles apply to virtually every form of health care. So, not only will you understand where your particular massage practice fits within massage, but you will also understand where it fits in relation to the entire health care system. And, if you can see where your practice fits within health care, it doesn’t take a great leap of intellect to realize that other health care practitioners and organziations will see where you fit.

Lest you not fully appreciate this benefit, let us explain further. Almost since the day massage became an organized profession it has struggled to justify its existence within the conventional health care system. Even the fact that we have to refer to the conventional health care system illustrates this point. Ipso facto, the conventional practitioners see massage as alternative. But now, with these principles, there is no need for phrases like conventional or alternative health care. Wellness is wellness, the only difference now is the degree and scope of the therapy.

The fifth and final benefit (so far) that these principles provide is that they allow you to do away with all the demographic, cultural, tradename, and symptom specific modifiers of the word massage. Examples of these are Sports Massage, Thai Massage, Cayce-Reilly Massage, or Stress-Relief Massage respectively. Granted, from a marketing standpoint, these may be useful, but they will no longer be necessary for describing or focussing your career.

Now that we have brought you up to speed on the development and benefits of these principles, we would just like to spend a moment telling you about the design and structure of the workbook.

First, there is the cover. Some people have asked us why we chose the image of a prism. It wasn’t because we are big Pink Floyd fans; rather, it was because prisms are simple yet powerful tools for revealing a complex phenomenon. That’s how we like to think of these career focus principles: simple yet powerful. And since there are three main sections (analagous to the three sides of a prism) from which seven focus principles emerge (like the seven colors within white light) we thought the image was a natural fit.

Now, we know we have been going on about how critical career focus is for success, and that’s true, but career focus is really only half the equation. The other half is effective communication. If we were not to give you the ability to communicate your career focus, we would be guilty of wasting your valuable time. That is why we have divided the seven career focus principles into those three sections we just mentioned in the preceding paragraph. Each section represents a portion of an effective communications statement you will use to tell others about your existing practice, school, or clinic, or to talk about your future schooling or professional development needs.

Specifically, the three main parts of the workbook which represent the three components of a communications statement are: Part One - Service Provided, Part Two - Service Method, and Part Three - Service Context. These are just fancy titles which reflect the fact that if you want to tell somebody about your practice you have to convey what you will provide, how you will provide it, and finally, where you will provide it. Within these three sections you will find the seven career focus principles. Each focus principle is further divided into four sections as follows:

• Concept: Reveals the basic nature of the focus principle.
• Options: Introduces the range of possible career focus options.
• Understanding Your Options: Provides further insights about the real-world nature of each focus option.
• Resolution Statement: Section for you to write down the focus option you intend to pursue. This will help to solidify your commitment to your personal needs, your career objectives, and the needs of your clients.

At the end of this workbook, you will find an appendix containing additional resources designed to help you put these principles into action. If you want to get the most from this workbook, please be aware that each section builds on the information in the preceding sections. If you skip a section, the following sections may not make sense to you. Above all, discuss with others the focus decisions you have made about your training, career, practice, and professional development. This will further solidify your understanding and facilitate your ability to employ these fundamental principles, which in order to be effective, must become second nature.

One final bit of advice before you begin. Over time, your own objectives may change to some degree. If this occurs, you may find your career focus has become somewhat blurred. Therefore, use this workbook as a tool (just as a prism is a tool for dividing light) for splitting up your own jumble of thoughts and aspirations into its component parts. This will allow you to see if your career focus is still the same or if a new, more focussed career path has emerged.

That said, you may now rush forth and start focussing your career.

End of The Massage Therapy Career Focus Workbook Introduction

Table of Contents

• Introduction (see above section)
• Acknowledgements
• About the authors
• Notes to the teacher and student
• Preface
• Part One - Service Provided
• Introduction
• FOCUS I - Wellness Area
• FOCUS II - Therapeutic Outcome
• FOCUS III - Documentation
• Service Provided Summary
• Part Two - Service Method
• Introduction
• FOCUS IV - Approach to Wellness
• FOCUS V - Care Mode
• FOCUS VI - Touch Depth
• Service Method Summary
• Part Three - Service Context
• Introduction
• FOCUS VII - Treatment Setting
• Service Context Summary
• Conclusion
• Practical: Talking about your career focus
• Practical: Marketing your career focus
• Practical: Health Care, Wellness Clinics, Massage Schools
• Appendices
• Focus Principle Options Overview
• Specific Communication Statements
• Terminology Used in This Manual
• Wellness Area Supplemental Information

http://massagecareerfocus.com/

Massage chair

I spent all of last weekend at the mall looking at different massage chairs, I need a strong deep tissue massage and most of the chairs were simply too weak!

A chair massage can't really do me any good, can it?

Choosing a Massage therapy chair

There are many different types of massage chair available today and they all seem to come with an array of options. So how do you decide which one to buy?

We have been looking for a suitable massage chair for some time now. My mother not only has cancer of the spine but it has spread to her hip and to top it all she has cervical spondilitis in her neck and shoulder. As a family we thought we would buy her a massage therapy chair (they are not cheap!), in the hope that it would relieve some of the pain. When we came to look for one that would suit her, however, we found that there were all sorts of different options available.

A brief history of massage chairs

Massage chairs were first introduced in the late 1980’s. They were developed to recreate the motions and techniques used by an actual masseuse. The purpose was to relieve stress, tension and help improve back pain. The expense of producing the chairs, which had to be passed on to the customer, meant that they were usually beyond the means of most people. The cost of producing massage chairs has reduced and more and more people are benefiting from the effects.

How massage chairs work

Massage chairs try to recreate two types of massage therapy techniques – Shiatsu and Swedish. These are quite different. Shiatsu tends to use pressing, sweeping, patting and rotating movements. It focuses on releasing tension in specific locations of the body to restore blood circulation, muscle structure and benefit internal organs too. Swedish massage uses long gliding strokes and kneading motions and has the most benefit on restoring the circulation and helping to allow muscles to relax too.

Massage chair options

There are a number of options available when looking to purchase a massage chair. At the luxury end of the market, the chairs have at least 2 rollers each in the back, legs and arms (some have 4). The chairs adjust to the size of the person sitting in the chair and automatically detect acupressure points that will be specifically worked on. These very expensive massage chairs memorise the shape of the person sitting in the chair and develop programs of massage for specific areas of the body. It will memorise these programs so that they can be reproduced whenever that person sits in the chair again. The downside of these very expensive, leather covered chairs, is that they are HUGE and not for the normal sized lounge.

Other things to look out for in a massage chair:

Air bags in the leg area: These are not beneficial unless there are motors to roll and knead the legs. All they do is squeeze the legs, just like when someone has their blood pressure taken.

Arm massagers, claws or air cuffs: Not only do these make the chair look bulky, there is no proof that they do anything other than squeeze the forearm!

Be careful because a massage chair isn’t necessarily going to be a benefit to you. Make sure that you read Massage Chairs – the Pros and Cons before making any decisions.

Want to know what we chose? We bought a chair that just had wooden arms and could recline electronically. The programmer was easy to read and use. In the upright position it also helped my mother to get out of the chair. That way she can relax completely, feet up, in the chair to maximise the benefits of the massage. The massage chair is not too bulky and fitted in with the décor of her home.

More free information about massage chairs and massage therapy Free Articles: Massage Chairs at www.massage-chair.thegrandfatherclock.com

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Are you have evered to Thai massage ?

Thai Massage
by: Sharon Hopkins

What is Thai Massage

Thai massage is a traditional form of massage therapy that has been used in Thailand for centuries. In Thailand, it is called “Nuad Phaen Boran” which means ‘ancient massage’. It is based on the Indian medical system of Ayurveda and incorporates many ancient Indian Yogic techniques.

How does Thai Massage work

Thai massage combines elements of Shiatsu, Yoga, and acupressure. It aims to clear blockages in the energy meridians of the body by applying a healing touch to the affected pressure points. Once these blockages are removed, energy flows freely throughout the body and this leads to relief from ailments and overall improved physical and mental health. The technique of soft touching and stretching also frees the tension in the limbs and muscles and brings about pain relief and improves flexibility.

A typical massage session lasts for about two hours. The massage is administered on mat or firm mattress kept on the floor. The patient changes into his or her pajamas and lies down on this mat. The practitioner will then follow a pre-determined sequence of massage steps that involve the use of hands, elbows and feet. The massage follows the flow of the energy meridians on the patient’s body. A number of techniques such as soft pressure, pulling fingers and toes, walking on the patient’s back and gentle stretching are used to free the blockages in these meridians. Oil is normally not applied during the therapy session. At the end of the massage session, both the receiver and the therapist feel relaxed and energized.

Benefits of Thai Massage

Thai massage is a holistic massage therapy that focuses on the body as a whole. By recognizing the inter-dependence of all the systems of the body, it aims to cure ailments by bringing all these various elements into harmony with each other. By removing blockages in the energy meridians, it promotes an increase in the energy levels of the patient. This soothing massage therapy also helps to calm the mind and remove stress from the body and mind of the patient. The soft physical pressure and stretching techniques bring about pain relief, relieve muscular tension, and increase the flexibility of the muscles and limbs. It also helps in harmonizing imbalances in the nervous system. Thai massage also improves blood and lymph circulation. The holistic approach used ensures that the patient enters a state of deep relaxation and refreshes the spirit.

About The Author

Sharon Hopkins features articles in http://www.massagehealththerapy.com, your online guide to rejuvenate the mind, body and eliminate stress scientifically by using artistic hand strokes. She also writes for other sites on Yoga, Hair-n-Skin-Care, Massage Therapy among others.

All difference massage styles are used therapeutically to promote circulation in the body, loosen tired and sore muscles, and to prevent or eliminate pain.

What is Massage Therapy?

Asian Massage Therapy
by: Caroline Colby

There are several forms of ancient Asian massage still being practiced in the world today. Asian massage techniques are ancient healing rituals developed over the centuries in India and the Far East. Thai massage, shiatsu and asian massage are becoming more and more popular in the west as more people become interested in pilates, yoga and other more holistic forms of exercise and relaxation.

Thai massage actually started in India. It is a form of massage using guided stretching and Meridian pressure point therapy in combination with an ancient breathing method called “Pranayama.” This technique uses breathing techniques to relax and cleanse the body while strengthening the nervous system. Sessions usually end with a ritualized final relaxation that most customers find intensely restful.

Chinese acupressure or “tui na” was developed over 5000 years ago. By applying pressure to the body at certain key points, the acupressure therapist helps the body to activate its own self-healing abilities. Acupressure has been used for centuries to treat back pain, headaches and migraines, stress and anxiety. It is deeply relaxing and can have the added benefit of assisting the patient with weight management.

Japanese Shiatsu is another type of massage developed in the Far East. It concentrates on energy rebalance and physical well-being using the thumbs, palms and fingers to apply pressure to certain areas of the body. Benefits of this type of massage include rebalancing of the bone system, enhanced circulatory function, maintaining balance of the nervous system and greater skin and muscle flexibility.

Indonesian Javanese massage is a system of massage that uses all parts of the hand, including the knuckles, to knead and massage the muscles. Usually a massage oil is used to facilitate the therapy. This massage works on the muscles and nerves to relieve tension, back pain and aid in the healing of fractures. Of all of the Asian massages, this is the most robust, and the massage is often painful, although greatly beneficial in the long run.

Whatever your preferences, there are many ancient Asian massage treatments to choose from. Explore your massage options by adding one of these interesting and beneficial massages to your health regimen.

About The Author

Caroline Colby is a publisher of information on Massage Therapy. Her site includes information on massage techniques, massage chairs, massage oils, etc. For free articles, tips and news updates, please visit her site at http://www.massage-therapy-central.com.