Massage has been around for thousands of years to promote healing and relaxation, and today it’s widely recognized as an effective treatment for a variety of health conditions. It’s like a reset button for your mind and a warm hug for your muscles. While monthly or quarterly massages can seem expensive to budget for, it’s a worthwhile — and feel-good— investment in your health. Let’s look at the top 10 health benefits of massage and have two licensed therapists weigh in!
REASON 1: Promotes overall well-being
All of the benefits of massage we’ll discuss — and more — come together to make you feel and think better. This sense of serenity you feel deep in your body and mind after an hour or 90 minutes on the table is well-researched medically.
Holly Clark Linebaugh is a Licensed Massage Therapist with 20 years of experience and the owner of Melthouse Massage in East Nashville, Tennessee. According to Holly, one misconception about massage therapy is that it’s pampering. “Massage is health care,” she says. “In other countries, massage is covered by health insurance. It is a reset for the nervous system and promotes a sense of well-being.”
On Sullivan’s Island, South Carolina, fascia-focused Licensed Massage Therapist Adley Dwyer loves when her clients leave feeling taller, lighter, clearer, and more confident. “When muscular adhesions are cleared in the body through massage, clients walk away carrying their bodies differently than they did when they walked in,” she says, adding, “This alone has incredible psychological effects like a sense of ease, confidence, and peace, to name a few! Each result is hyper-specific to what the client is going through in their lives, minds, and bodies, and each massage should honor that.”
Whether it’s work, family, or life, stress takes a toll on our bodies and minds. Massage can help erase some of that stress, leaving us feeling more relaxed, rejuvenated, and capable of taking on whatever comes our way. Image: Elina Fairytale via Pexels
REASON 2: Reduces stress and anxiety
Getting a massage is like a mini-vacation from life’s stressors. But it’s actually scientifically proven to reduce mental and physical stress. Massage can help quiet unnecessary cortisol (the stress hormone we covered recently) in your body and get us out of that icky fight-or-flight feeling. It also stimulates the body’s natural relaxation response by increasing the production of serotonin and dopamine — two hormones responsible for happiness and well-being.
“Research has found that stress is a major contributor to disease and mental health problems. It can play a part in problems such as headaches, high blood pressure, heart problems, diabetes, skin conditions, asthma, arthritis, depression, and anxiety,” Holly says. “Massage helps treat and build resilience in the body against stress.”
REASON 3: Relieves muscle tension and pain
When we’re stressed, our muscles physically tense up, leading to headaches, neck and back pain, and even digestive issues. By applying pressure to the muscles, massage helps ease tightness and loosen knots that can cause discomfort and pain. This can be especially beneficial for people who experience chronic pain, perhaps from fibromyalgia or rheumatoid arthritis. Whether it’s from working out, sitting at a desk all day, or carrying around a toddler, massage can help soothe those aches muscles, too.
“Massage absolutely does not need to hurt to be effective!” Adley tells us. “So many people think they need someone to ‘steamroll’ their bodies or hurt them back into shape. But pain does not equal gain. In many ways, we are way too hard on our bodies in this life. Giving them gentle, loving care will create trust and ease and allow tight muscles the comfort to relax.”
REASON 4: Improves circulation
Massage can improve circulation by stimulating blood flow and lymphatic fluid throughout the body. This can help reduce swelling, promote healing, and improve the overall function of the body’s tissues and organs (including your skin!) by delivering oxygen and nutrients more effectively. The pressure applied through massage helps move blood through congested areas and brings new blood into those once-blocked areas.
REASON 5: Enhances immune function
Regular massage is a natural way to enhance the function of the immune system by increasing the production of white blood cells. These cells are paramount in helping the body fight off infections and other illnesses.
REASON 6: Promotes better sleep
It can help you sleep like a baby (the good kind of baby, not the screaming kind). If you struggle with insomnia or have difficulty falling asleep, massage can help relax your body and mind, making it easier to drift off into sleep. By helping to regulate cortisol, massage helps the body’s circadian rhythm tell us it’s time for deep rest. Our senses are better prepared to stave off stimuli from the real world when it’s time for sleep.
REASON 7: Improves range of motion and flexibility
Massage can help improve your range of motion and flexibility by loosening up tight muscles and joints. This can significantly benefit individuals with limited mobility due to injury or chronic conditions such as arthritis.
“I wish more people realized how important it is to work with your fascia. Fascia is your connective tissue. It wraps around every muscle, muscle fiber, organ, inside and outside of organs, and so much more,” Adley says. “It is incredibly intelligent and holds memory of what the body has experienced physically but also onto emotions.”
We found a beautiful quote about massage on Holly’s Instagram: Touching hands are not like pharmaceuticals or scalpels. They are like flashlights in a darkened room. The medicine they administer is self-awareness. And for many of our painful conditions, this is the aid that is most urgently needed. — Deane Juhan. Image: Melthouse Massage via Instagram
REASON 8: Bolsters body awareness and mind-body connection
“I love when a client leaves a session feeling grounded, restored, and more in touch with their felt sense of body,” Holly says. Massage and your therapist’s feedback offer valuable insight into where you hold tightness. This knowledge and how you feel during the massage can help you pinpoint the places to self-massage and stretch between your professional sessions.
“I help clients feel a connection and awareness between their mind and bodies,” Adley says. “I work to unify the body, parts, systems, and muscles. In today’s world, we forget to acknowledge how intelligent the body is. Massage helps to connect the client to their inner awareness. They’re better able to receive the messages their bodies send them.”
REASON 9: Reduces headaches and migraines
Massage can be an effective treatment for headaches and migraines. By reducing muscle tension and promoting relaxation, massage can help to alleviate the pain and discomfort associated with regular headaches, tension headaches, and migraines. During a deep tissue massage, therapists target pressure points with deep and gliding movements on the head to relieve muscle spasms and tension.
REASON 10: Helps athletes perform and recover
For athletes and regular exercisers, muscles incur micro-injuries during tough workouts. These tiny tears create soreness, and better circulation helps essential healing mechanisms reach hotspots. Massage’s effects on fascia release, range of movement, flexibility, and body awareness are all crucial for anyone who works out — whether you casually lift weights once a week or run three marathons a year!
TIP: How to pick the right licensed therapist
When searching for bodywork, it’s essential to pinpoint what you need. “Are you feeling stressed and overwhelmed? Are you experiencing physical pain? Are you getting ready for a sports event? Do you just want to relax? Learning about the different types of massage and bodywork is helpful in deciding which practitioner is right for you,” Holly says.
“A referral is a great way to find a therapist, too,” she says. “Ask around. People love to gush about their massage therapist. Read reviews and testimonials. If going to a spa or chain, ask how many massages a therapist is expected to do in a day. Often, the affordable price of a massage can come at the cost of the massage therapist’s well-being. As you can imagine, the seventh massage of the day will not feel like the first.”
Ask the questions, pick a therapist, and book yourself a massage. Your aches, pains, and stresses will melt away, and your mind and body will thank you. Thank you, Holly and Adley, for chatting with us, and can you get us in today?!
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