Twice a month on a Wednesday, Diane comes to my house and after I undress, I place myself head down on her massage table. AAAAHHHH Massage. My lovely, feel good, good for you body rub. If I were a rich man I would have Diane come to my house every day in late afternoon, early evening for a massage. Since, I am not a rich man, twice a month is what I will settle on.
My first massage was aboard a ship when a friend and I toured Europe and took a ship from France to New York City. The year was 1972, and I had my first massage. Needless to say, I was hooked. But just because I was hooked does not mean they were common to be found.
The next time I had a massage was years later when the local YMCA hired a masseuse a couple days a week. I signed up and had a real Swedish massage by a strong German lady who spoke German. I was in heaven, but she did not last long in the area and once again, it was a long wait for the next massage.
In the early '80s, there was a beauty salon that opened in my small town and they offered many beauty treatments along with massage. I signed up. Went there while they were in business, but once again, that business did not thrive in the small town. By this time, though, massage therapists could be found working out of their homes. I found a couple and stuck with them through the years.
My favorite was a woman named Jan, and when she massaged that body, I knew it. The people at work would ask me how I got the bruises, and I told them my massage therapist. They said, and you pay good money to get beat up. No, she did not beat me up, she gave me deep tissue massage, very deep and I asked for it. The thing was after she worked on me and about 2 or 3 days later, I never felt better in my life. Ever. I don't know what she did, but she had the touch.
There are four basic massage types"
1. -- Swedish, which is a gentle kneading of the body. (Most people prefer this massage)
2. -- Deep tissue, which firmly kneads the kinks out of the muscles. (This is my favorite)
3. -- Sports, which is for the athlete and I would imagine similar to the deep tissue.
4. -- Trigger Point, which focuses on tight muscles
Diane uses a combination of Swedish, deep tissue and trigger point.
When she first arrives at my house, she asks me how I've been. Usually, I say my shoulder is bothering me (that is a constant), maybe my lower back (usually), and maybe there has been cramping in my legs. Then, she spreads a lotion or oil over the part she is working (I am under a sheet and she pulls out the arm, uncovers the back, pulls out the leg as she works that part of the body). We talk about what we have been doing, and I comment to go deeper or to lessen up. This happens for 50-60 minutes.
Once finished, I take a large drink of water and dress, and she takes apart her bed. I feel like a million bucks and do not do anything but rest and read for the rest of the day.
Sometimes when I travel, I will try the different forms of massage, but they are sooo expensive. I have had bamboo, which I was not impressed with, and regular deep tissue or Swedish. The best massage I had while traveling was with a male therapist who gave me a hot stone massage in Hawaii (he was recommended to me by the concierge) and he worked on this body for over an hour, and to this day, I still remember how good that massage was.
I know that massage helps my arthritis and the lower back discomfort from sitting too long at the computer.
At Christmas, I fell and landed on my knee but did not hurt it. I told Diane about the fall. She would not massage that leg until I had it checked. I went to the doctor, told her about the fall, and she said that was okay. But the problem came in when I told her that after the fall, I drove home, which turned out to be about a 10 hour drive. They did an ultra sound on my leg because all the sitting could have caused a blood clot (what Diane told me why she would not massage that leg). I was fine, and the leg was massaged next time. In essence, it is wise to let the massage therapist know what has been going on with the body because maybe there may be a risk that should be considered (like the blood clot).
There are just so many benefits from massage. It may be considered an alternative medicine, but I view it as preventive and additional to my caring for this body. When I was working, I went to reduce the stress in my life or muscle tension (which can be caused by stress). When I formed arthritis, I had another reason to have a massage.
Go to massagetherapy.com or amtamassage.org for more information on the benefits of massaage. Or maybe think about becoming a massage therapist.
I have another week to wait for my massage. Ohh, it sounds so good right now.
Until tomorrow...have a great day
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