Tonight I had a date with Tonya, my favorite massage therapist at Equinox.  Speaking of which, never call your massage therapist a masseuse as that has sexual innuendos in the industry.

Luckily, most Equinox spas feature a great weekday discount on their massage services: 80 minutes for the price of 50 minutes. I indulged on a hot stone massage today versus my traditional deep tissue. The description sold me immediately and I thought that the stones would make the pain of the deep tissue more relaxing and spa like.

About this Spa Service : A breakthrough technique aimed at balancing the body’s emotional, mental, physical and spiritual energies through the application of gently heated stones as part of a deeply relaxing and penetrating massage which unlocks the body’s natural healing energies.

Meet the stars of today’s treatment: a few smooth, hot stones.  These innocent black stones meant business. They definitely took my massage to a new level as they allowed Tonya to apply more pressure than she can with her hands alone. The warmth of the stones also warm the muscles quickly which makes them more malleable.

But, more importantly, back to the lessons I learned on this cozy table during my 80 minute session.  If you think about it, a regular massage therapist is very close to you as they touch parts of your body that few others touch or see for that matter. Therefore, her insight and comments throughout our session taught me a great deal about what I need to change over the next few weeks and months to continue training injury free.

1. A massage therapist will know how hard you are working out since they can clearly feel the difference between muscle and flab. Knowing that someone will feel your body once a month is great incentive to work harder in the gym. Luckily, Tonya noticed my hard work today. Nothing puts me in the mood like a compliment.
2. A massage is like yoga, in order to truly be present and enjoy the moment, you need to stop making to do lists in your head. Twenty minutes into the massage she saw my fingers moving and asked what I was doing. "Oh, I’m calculating my required splits if I want to PR in next weekend’s half." She quickly reminded me that if I exhaust my brain and body before then, I will not reach my goal. Take time to relax.
3. Stretching for two minutes doesn’t stretch, lengthen, or relax your muscles after an hour of spin class or other physical abuse. She asked me if I stretched daily after feeling my knots and tightness. As soon as I said yes she explained that a stretching session should last at least ten minutes if I’m stretching multiple body parts. She suggested holding each stretch for 30 seconds and then holding deep stretches like hip flexors for a minute if they are especially tight. 
4. Massage therapy will in time increase my flexibility. Flexibility is requisite for an athlete or casual runner’s success during race season. Since massage therapy stretches the muscle fibers, flexibility is promoted and maintained.
5. Ice therapy can be a wonderful at home massage technique to balance foam rolling and stretching. Using ice as part of the RICE (rest, ice, compress, and elevate) is a cheap way to keep your muscles in shape in between tough workouts which leave them tired and inflamed. Also known as cryotherapy, ice decreases the amount of swelling, muscle spasms, and pain. Don’t feel like you have to spend money on a fancy ice pack. A Ziplock bag and crushed ice is the perfect late night date when you’re muscles are screaming and you’re watching this week’s episode of the Jersey Shore.

 

Question: Are you a massage advocate? How often do you enjoy a massage?