3 Reasons Why You Should be Gifting Massage this Holiday

The holidays are filled with the joy and excitement of gathering with friends and family, eating delicious food, and spending time together.  While all of that can be fun, it can often be stressful and tiresome when it’s all over.

Giving your loved ones the gift of massage could be the best way to help them bounce back from the holiday frenzy.  Massage calms the nervous system and restores balance to the body.

Regular massage clients will be thrilled with your purchase and will have something to look forward to after the season has passed.  And for your family members who are new to massage, a gift certificate can make their first session more exciting and accessible.

Here are three reasons shopping your local massage clinic should be at the top of your list this season.

Stress Relief

What better gift is there than peace of mind and relaxation?  Massage is a great way to help your loved ones nurture themselves.  Helping reduce stress will give your family and friends the energy and vitality they need to ring in the new year.  The best types of stress relieving massage are:

• Swedish Massage: The most well-known type of massage using lotions or oils, along with gliding strokes, kneading and compression.
• Thai Massage:  Also known as Lazy Man’s Yoga, Thai massage is performed clothed, and on the floor on a Thai mat.  It incorporates passive stretching to lengthen, strengthen, and restore muscles, and reduce tension.
• Heat Therapy Massage:  This type of massage is performed incorporating the use of hot packs, hot stones, or warm compresses to soften stubborn muscle tissue and induce relaxation.

Pain Reliever

Chronic pain can lead to a lower quality of life and more health complications down the road.  Massage can decrease, and often times eliminate chronic muscle aches and pains.  Here are some of the best types of pain relieving massage:

• Deep Tissue Massage: Often confused with “firm pressure,” deep tissue massage targets muscles and fibers located deep inside the body.  A trained massage therapist can target individual aches and pains and access deep muscles to alleviate tension and pain.
• Sports Massage:  Sports massage can be performed with more energy and speed to increase vitality.  Sports massage combines deep tissue techniques along with stretching and friction to decrease tension and pain.

Increase Happiness

Holidays can take a toll on mental health.  Travel, shopping, cooking and decorating can add up over time. Massage makes a great gift because it’s a natural mood booster.  It helps reduce more feel-good hormones like oxytocin, dopamine and serotonin.

• All forms of massage have healing effects on mental health.  Talk with your massage therapist to determine which one is best for you.

Give the gift of massage this season and give your family and friends the gift of a long, and happy life.

PHOTO CREDIT: ANNIE SPRAT @ UNSPLASH

By: Holly Cook

Read More from Our Blog