Swedish Massage Techniques: The Five Basic Strokes
Swedish relaxation massage is the very first modality that all massage therapists in this country learn, including here in Austin. It’s also a great place to begin if you are new or don’t have a lot of experience with massage. I always tell new clients to start with Swedish massage. It’ll feel amazing and will probably blow your mind.
Swedish massage is geared toward relaxation and getting the nervous system to drop into a state of peace, calm and ease. It uses five different basic movements. The first one is called effleurage, long flowing strokes all the way up the arms or the legs or the back and all the way back down. The second movement is called pétrissage, which is kneading of the muscle. Then there’s friction, where you’re going over the skin to create heat in the muscle. Then tapotement, rhythmic pounding on the muscle. And lastly, vibration, where you’re not moving over the skin, but you’re vibrating the muscle underneath, or you can even just pick the whole limb up and shake it.
These movements combine to tell the nervous system that it’s time to relax, to let go of tension that you’re subconsciously holding on to. It’s very effective. It happens very quickly. You’ll go into a deeply relaxed state and then you will have insights almost certainly, almost every timeabout your body, your mind, your life.
I find that a massage, even though it’s only perhaps one hour of your time per month, might be the hour that most moves your life forward, because you get to step outside of your normal pattern. You get into a more receptive state where the deeper inner wisdom from your subconscious mind can actually bubble up and show itself to you. It can be an incredible moment for seeing what you need to see that is very helpful for you in your life. It’s actually a very productive thing to do to relax very deeply.
It also feels amazing. A lot of people wonder about pressure with Swedish relaxation massage. While Swedish isn’t considered to be a very deep modality, you can certainly get good firm pressure. If you like firm pressure, I would always ask my therapist to give me firm pressure. At Ceremony Spa in Austin, all our therapists are able to deliver whatever kind of pressure you prefer, and you can still get firm pressure with a Swedish massage if you want that. The label, Swedish, just indicates to the therapist that the main purpose of this session is relaxation.
I hope you learned something about Swedish massage today, and will come see us at Ceremony Spa the next time you want to relax and get some insight. When you do, we’d love to hear what you learned about yourself!a
Couples Massage Class
Wouldn’t it be nice if you could both give each other spa-like massages in the comfort of your own home? You can!
Friendly, knowledgeable LMTs will show you the fundamentals for giving and receiving good massages at home and will address your specific needs and questions. This class is super fun and informative. Our therapist will demonstrate and instruct basic massage techniques and give you each a chance to practice on one another. The class length is 80 minutes. Get ready to learn!
80 Minutes
Drop-In: $216
Member Rate: $180
