A good massage session is like a natural face mask and cleanser; it leaves your skin glowing and fair. However, this is only possible if you play your part during the massage session. If you just lie on the table and let the masseur do his or her thing, then you may not get all the benefits of your session. Here are a few things you should do to help:
Make a Conscious Effort to Breathe
Once you are on the massage table, you should make it a point to breathe deeply during the whole session. There are different massage techniques, but all of them involve applying varying amounts of pressure on your body. This may make you stop breathing momentarily. Also, you may find yourself holding your breath when the masseur handles a sensitive part of your body. Making a conscious effort to breathe deeply is the best way to prevent that from happening.
Voluntarily Relax
Apart from breathing, you also need to relax your body. Apart from holding your breath, you may also tense up when the masseur touches some parts of your skin. Unfortunately, tensing up your body means that the massage pressure will not reach your deep tissues. You need to relax not only your body, but also your mind.
Voluntarily stop hardening or contracting your muscles. As for relaxation of the mind, you might have to start thinking pleasant thoughts and creating mental images of you in a relaxed state. Some people also find that listening to soothing music or focusing on the feel-good-touch of the masseur's hands helps.
Give Immediate Feedback
Professional masseurs are trained in their work, but people respond differently to different massage techniques. Therefore, what feels pleasant and relaxing to another person may feel uncomfortable to you. The only way the masseur can know this is if you give him or her necessary feedback.
For example, you can tell the masseur:
- If the room is too hot or cold
- If he or she is using too much pressure
- To tell you more about the oils he or she is using
A good masseur will use the feedback to customize his or her techniques to suit your body, mood and personality.
Don't Get Off the Table Too Fast
Lastly, you should get off the table too fast as the end of your massage therapy. Take the time to let the oils integrate into your skin. It is also possible that an intense session may leave you light-headed or dizzy, and getting off the table immediately after the last masseurs touch may not be good.
Do all these and the massage will accelerate your blood flow and nourish your skin with oxygen and nutrients. This is the way it is supposed to be so that your skin can stay younger and beautiful. For more information, or if you have other questions, try contacting a company such as Gulf Coast Massage & Skin Care to learn more.
Share