Destressing

There are few things I love more than a good massage.  Yes, it's a bit self-indulgent.  But it's good for you and it feels good.  And it's (usually) relaxing.  (There was the massage that I got once where the masseuse had me start off laying on my back.  This is so different than any other massage I've ever gotten that I literally could not relax because I kept wondering when she was going to get to my back.  Note to masseuses - start face down.  It's too weird the other way.)

Good massages aren't necessarily cheap, so I don't get them as often as I'd like.  And I'm not really into those sit in the middle of the mall and get a neck massage places.  But, I've been feeling tired and stressed and very tight lately, so I booked myself a massage this past Saturday.  I actually originally booked a 60 minute massage, but when I was talking to a coworker during the week, 60 minutes just sounded so short.  So I changed it to a 90 minute massage.  It was totally worth the extra money. While massages have all sorts of different health benefits, I usually just get them when I feel really tight and want to relax a bit.  Which is probably way beyond the point when I should get them (I'm the same with haircuts - I wait until my hair is really raggedy and then schedule one).

I've had many different types of massages in my day - Swedish, sports, hot stone, combo - and they've all been great (I mean, really it's very hard to have a bad massage, especially by a licensed massage therapist).  But they usually don't really do all that much to break up the knots in my back, even when I tell them to use a lot of pressure (I can take the pain - sometimes, I used a golf ball and press it as hard as I can into a knot.  It hurts like hell, but feels really good afterward.  Kind of like a foam rolling hurt).

I decided to try something new this time - trigger point massage.   A trigger point is basically another word for a knot - it's a tight area of muscle that can also cause pain in other areas of the body.  So, if you have a trigger point in your shoulder, you might feel pain in your neck or head.  A trigger point in your calf could cause pain in your ankle or foot.  Trigger point massage focuses on applying pressure to those points in order to break them up and relieve pain.  

I had done my research and obviously knew what a trigger point massage was.  But I started to panic just a little bit on my way to the spa.  I was picturing the masseuse going from one trigger point to another, just pressing down as hard as she could for minutes on end.  While I'm sure that would have felt good in the long-run, it probably would have been far from relaxing.

I shouldn't have worried - it was a great experience, and my massage therapist, Karen, was very good at her job.  There were definitely a few times where she hit a knot that felt a bit uncomfortable, but the longest she stayed on any one spot was maybe 30 seconds, max, which is totally bearable.  She interspersed the trigger points with some more soothing massage techniques, and before I knew it, the 90 minutes was up.

No, really.  I thought 90 minutes was going to be so long, but it felt so short. Karen certainly did a great job breaking up some of the knots in my back, but those suckers have been there forever.  I don't think they're going anywhere soon.  Especially since I sit hunched in front of a computer for most of my waking hours. But it was just what I needed after this long, cold winter.  As a bonus, it was a wonderfully warm (compared to what it has been) day in NJ, so I was able to leave the spa and go about the rest of my day without worrying about bundling up and huddling over to brace myself for the cold. 

After the massage, Karen told me to make sure that I drank lots of water for the rest of the day, to help flush out my system and get rid of some of the toxins that are released as a result of the massage.  Which is probably a load of BS (or at least not scientifically proven), but whatever, I drink a ton of water every day anyway, so it's not biggie.  Plus, drinking water is just good in general, so who cares what reason they use to encourage you to drink up.  

She also told me that I would probably be sore later that day, or the next, just due to the amount of pressure that she put on my muscles and the length of time that she did it for.  This was definitely true - especially in my lower back and legs.  Although I can't tell for certain if this is attributable to the massage or to the fact that I ran for the first time in about 6 months earlier that day.  Probably a little bit of both. 

I think that massages are something that I need to work into my routine on a more regular basis.  Given that I sit at a computer all day, have a job that stresses me out more than I should probably let it, workout regularly and try to lift relatively heavy weights, I definitely put a lot of stress on my body, especially my upper back and neck, so it would be nice to undo some of that stress regularly.  Plus, it just feels great and is so much more of a sustained relaxation that most other things that I do to relax. 

The spa that I went to has a membership program - for $60 a month, you get one massage or facial per month.  Which is an amazing price.  So, I signed up.  And saved myself $40 on the massage that I had already gotten.  No brainer!  We'll see how religiously I end up going over the next few months, but I think that this is going to be $60 well spent every month.  And if not, I can just cancel.  Such an amazing deal, I don't know how I've said no to it before!