What Massage Do I Actually Need?
Picking a type of massage from a list of choices sounds like a luxury, but the choice is an important one.
It’s not just about whether you enjoy light or deep pressure, but also your health objectives and body conditions. If you are confused as to which massage is right for you, you’re not alone. It’s difficult to know when there are so many different massages out there. If you are in Singapore, you can also check out our recommendations for the best massages in Singapore.
Today, we are going to cover 5 popular massages so you know which one is best for your health priorities.
1. Swedish Massage
Best for: Relaxation and Stress Relief
The Swedish Massage is the “classic” massage. Widely known and practiced around the world, it is designed to relax your body by rubbing your muscles in long gliding strokes to increase blood circulation.
While it is typically very relaxing, it also helps reduce muscle soreness as it warms up the tissue and releases its toxins. It’s a suitable massage for first-timers who need some muscle relaxation.
2. Sports Massage
Best for: Injury Prevention and Treatment, Performance Enhancing
The Sports Massage is a multi-functional massage with lots of benefits. It can help with preventing and recovering from injuries, pre or post sports conditioning and enhancing flexibility.
Even though it’s called a Sports Massage, it isn’t only for athletes. It’s suitable for anyone who is physically active (whether you are just starting a new workout program or have a weekend exercise routine) or is experiencing muscle pain that requires more attention.
3. Deep Tissue Massage
Best for: Tight or Painful Muscles, Postural Problems
The Deep Tissue Massage uses slower, firmer pressure to help release the muscle tension from tight, painful muscles. It is designed to target the deepest layers of your muscles and connective tissues.
While there are some similarities with a Swedish Massage, a Deep Tissue massage exerts more pressure to focus on chronic muscle problems and pain. Unlike the Swedish Massage, there can be some level of discomfort (“good pain”) while your therapist applies those slow, deep kneading techniques!
Suitable for most people and those who are experiencing pain from postural problems.
4. Tuina Massage
Best for: Good Health and Illnesses
Tuina Massage is a type of massage that originated from Ancient China and is one of the main branches of its traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) system.
It is based on TCM’s theory of Qi, your body’s vital flow of energy. Tuina is designed to remove any Qi blockages or imbalances which can lead to pain or illnesses in your body. The massage applies pressure on specific acupoints in your body, similar to acupuncture but with fingers instead of needles.
It is a suitable massage to maintain overall health while reducing levels of stress and tension in your body.
5. Trigger Point Massage
Best for: Targeted, Localized Pain
Trigger Point Massage is designed to target those pesky tight knots you feel in your body. The tight knots are a result of toxins accumulating in those common trigger points (like between your shoulder blades) and Trigger Point Massage helps to release those knots through targeted pressure.
The massage is usually focused on specific areas around your trigger points, helping to get your muscle tissue back to a more normal state.
It is a suitable massage for those who feel tightness or chronic pain around targeted parts of the body, especially your neck and back.
