After answering today’s forums I realized I had never written about the benefits of therapeutic massage. My favorite skin care websites sell lots of great spa quality massage oils so it dawned on me to write a little bit about massage as well as share with you some of the great massage oils and products that I have purchased over the years. As with any type of beauty or spa/skincare product I have my favorites. Both in terms of their quality and their scent.

I truly feel massage should be incorporated into everyone’s life. Once I started getting monthly massages I immediately recognized the quality of my life greatly improved. I felt less pain, had improvement in my skin texture and tone and mentally I felt like a million bucks.

I thought I’d copy and paste a list of benefits I found on a fabulous website called MassageTherapy.com. It is chock full of information that I was unaware of.

The Benefits of Massage
What exactly are the benefits of receiving massage or bodywork treatments? Useful for all of the conditions listed below and more, massage can:
• Alleviate low-back pain and improve range of motion.
• Assist with shorter, easier labor for expectant mothers and shorten maternity hospital stays.
• Ease medication dependence.
• Enhance immunity by stimulating lymph flow—the body’s natural defense system.
• Exercise and stretch weak, tight, or atrophied muscles.
• Help athletes of any level prepare for, and recover from, strenuous workouts.
• Improve the condition of the body’s largest organ—the skin.
• Increase joint flexibility.
• Lessen depression and anxiety.
• Promote tissue regeneration, reducing scar tissue and stretch marks.
• Pump oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital organs, improving circulation.
• Reduce postsurgery adhesions and swelling.
• Reduce spasms and cramping.
• Relax and soften injured, tired, and overused muscles.
• Release endorphins—amino acids that work as the body’s natural painkiller.
• Relieve migraine pain.

What I realized early on in my massage infancy was that I couldn’t continue to pay for them on a professional basis as much as I would have liked so I devised a plan B. I bought oils and informed my significant other that he and I were adding massage to our lives once a week and paying for them once a month. We both worried that we may not be good at giving the other a good massage but it turned out that there is no bad massage. Touch alone with pressure and a little bit of love and caring truly does the trick. Obviously, there are risks with massage and risks need to be addressed but neither one of us have any indications that would make it dangerous to massage one another. Nor do we use an over-abundant amount of pressure; however, whatever we do truly works. I feel good, we get along better and when either one of us wants more of a deep or therapeutic massage we pay a professional massage therapist.

My favorite oils are as follows:

For my dry parched skin I love Aromatherapy Associates Enrich Massage and Body Oil. It uses carrier oils of macadamia, olive and coconut which help condition the skin and leaves it exotically scented with geranium, ylang ylang and vanilla. This is my decadent massage!

When I want an extremely relaxing massage I go with Pevonia Micro Emulsion Massage Oil Anti-Stress, It’s delightfully aromatic with nourishing safflower, geranium and orange oils. Love it!

And lastly when I want to firm up my hips and thighs I head straight for my Nuxe Tonific Minceur Body Contouring Massage Oil. This oil is one of my favorite little finds! It’s a non-greasy oil that combines essential oils and plant oils that help to fight off cellulite and bloating associated with fluid retention. I love it!!