Many people see having a massage is only a treat or luxury and only have them once or twice a year or if given them as a present.  However, times are changing, and more people are realizing the benefits of having a regular massage to help ease any tension in their body as well as helping with relaxing the mind, reduce stress and anxiety levels and improve overall health.

If you own a car, you look after it by giving it a regular MOT and Service to make sure it is running well and fixing any parts which are wearing away or faulty.  Why not think of your body as you do your car and that you need to take care of it (you only get one in your life) to be able to maintain its working order. 

 Here are just some of the benefits you could experience from by having regular massages. 

1. Can help to relieve effects from stress on the body: Stress can cause numerous health issues if the body is subjected to too much stress.   Decreases Cortisol and Insulin levels, helps to release stress-reducing hormones which can calm the nervous system and in turn the heart rate and breathing decrease, relaxation of the muscles.  It can also increase endorphins which stop the pain signal and thus pain levels are reduced. The Massage can not only help to reduce stress during the actual massage but can also be felt days or even weeks after the session.
2. Can help to relieve aches and pains in muscles and joints: Massage can be used as an alternative to over-the-counter pain medication (not prescribed medication), as the massage works on the tight muscles to help reduce pain levels or stiffness felt in the body. If your therapist can offer a hot therapy such as Hot Stones this can be also beneficial as muscles love heat and it can help them to relax with the massage.
3. Can help to improve circulation: this can help improve the overall nutrition of tissues with the increase of oxygen to the muscles and organs, as well as helping to reduce blood pressure by reducing stress levels.
4. Helps to increase immunity as the massage can help to distribute and stimulate the production of immune Cells (white blood cells), which help to filter toxins and fight against foreign bodies such as viruses and bacteria as the lymphatic system also helps by providing cleaner bloody which helps with the defence against infections. Also helps with the lymphatic system to reduce/move the waste products from the muscles and help prevent buildup of lactic acid which causes pain and fatigue in the muscles.
5. Prevent muscle strain: the massage helps with the production of relaxing hormones which calms and reduces the pain levels. Stimulates joint fluid production and improves elasticity and flexibility of tissues connecting to joints.  If you can reduce pain levels via massage you won’t need as many over the counter pain mediation (do not reduce pain medication prescribed by your medical team without speaking to them first).
6. Your posture could improve massage can help to relax the muscles, opening them up and allowing the body to become structurally more align to a natural posture, helps clients to identify areas of their life where they need to make changed to help improve their posture such as sitting at a computer for long periods, lifting heavy products or gaining more flexibility in the muscles to help increase activity in everyday life.
7. Sleep patterns could be improved: adults should get between 7 – 9 hours of sleep per night, however tight or stiff muscles can cause pain and prevent sleep. Massage can not only relax the muscles but also that of the mind and help to switch off if the mind is racing too much.
8. Depression or Anxiety can find massage beneficial from relaxing the mind and body down, releasing the endorphins (bodies own chemicals to reduce stress and pain). If you also look at Aromatherapy there are a number of essential oils which can be blended to help boost mood levels, de-stress the mind (as well as helping with other conditions as well)
9. Boost’s flexibility: by keeping your muscles flexible will help not long to improve your posture but could also help with your balance and hopefully reduce any accident-prone issues. If you are taking part in sports or gym workouts massage could help with improving your muscle function as well as flexibility and try to help any workout injuries.
10. Suffering from chronic pain conditions, could be eased slightly with regular massage sessions and possibility help to reduce flare up episodes, however it’s not recommended to have a massage session during any flare up sessions.

So, a question I get asked a lot is – How often should I have a massage? 

The answer to this question will be different for each people depending on the type of lifestyle or medical conditions they have.

The following is a guide to how frequently you should have your massages: 

• If you are an athlete, it would be recommended to have a massage between to weekly – fortnightly
• If you are a weekend warrior (work 9-5 Monday – Friday, then go all out at the weekend or days off) it would be recommended to have a massage between once a fortnight to once every 3 weeks
• If you are feeling very stressed out or anxious, its recommended to have a massage every 3 – 4 weeks
• If you have any specific injuries or suffer with chronic pain/medical conditions, the time scale between massages will really depend on the individuals themselves, obviously the more frequent you can have them the more benefits will help.
• For people who feel they don’t have anything wrong with them its recommended to have a massage every 4 weeks to help maintain the body in good health.

Massage Membership Scheme

Essential Thyme is launching a Massage Membership Scheme whereby signing up for a minimum of 6 months you will have regular monthly massages and additional benefits for a reduced rate than if you were paying for an ad hoc appointment.  You can choose from the following Membership Plans:

 Bronze Level – £25 (save £8)

1 x 30 minutes massage per month plus 5% discount on any other massages, gift vouchers, products, or Essential Thyme Training courses

Silver Level – £30 (save £9)

1 x 45-minute massage per month plus 10% discount on any other massages, gift vouchers, products, or Essential Thyme Training courses

Gold Level – £35 (save £10)

1 x 60-minute massage per month plus 15% discount on any other massages, gift vouchers, products, or Essential Thyme Training courses

Platinum Level – £75 (save £15)

2 x 60-minute massages per month plus 20% discount on any other massages, gift vouchers, products, or Essential Thyme Training courses

If you would like more information or sign up for the membership please contact Sandra at Essential Thyme by phone, email, or messenger