How Often Should You Get A Massage?

Massages are one of life’s most relaxing small pleasures. But they do more than just feel good. They also offer a number of health and wellness benefits — especially if you incorporate them into your regular self-care routine.

Here’s a closer look at the restorative powers of a massage, the different types of massages and insight into how often you should get one.

The Benefits of Massages

Part of the field of integrative medicine, massages offer a bounty of benefits. Some of these include:

• Increasing relaxation and reducing stress
• Alleviating muscle pain, soreness, and tension
• Boosting energy, alertness, and circulation
• Reducing heart rate and improving blood pressure
• Strengthening immune function

But that’s not all! New evidence emerges every day pointing to additional benefits of massages for conditions ranging from headaches and back pain to digestive disorders and stress-related insomnia.

And then there’s the fact that massage is pleasurable and “produces feelings of caring, comfort and connection,” according to the Mayo Clinic. In fact, massage has the potential to reduce your cortisol levels of the “stress level hormone” by 30 percent while increasing feel-good serotonin levels by 28 percent.

One thing to keep in mind is that all massages aren’t created equal. There are many different types of massages, each of which utilizes its own techniques. These include Swedish, deep tissue, sports, hot stone, aromatherapy, reflexology, Shiatsu, trigger point and more.

How Often Should You Get Massages?

Every time you get a massage, you walk away feeling relaxed and loose and with improved health and wellness. For this reason, frequent massages are especially beneficial. Unfortunately, the hustle and bustle of everyday life can often get in the way of routine appointments and finding a little spare time for self-care. To enjoy and maximize the benefits of massages, it’s important to try to incorporate this care regiment into your busy schedule. 

According to Massage Magazine, “Massage brings you out of the fight-or-flight mode and into the rest-and-digest mode for an hour or 90 minutes, twice a month, once a month or however often you get a massage.” This begs the question, how often should you actually get a massage? 

Many experts recommend routine massages for stress and anxiety relief once or twice a month. The best way to make sure this invaluable self-care initiative doesn’t get bumped for other “priorities” is to schedule your appointments in advance. 

While other things may seem more pressing, is there anything more important than protecting your physical, mental and emotional well-being?

Massages at The Spa at Norwich Inn are a great way to treat yourself to better physical and mental health. In addition to a full spa and wellness center featuring a mindfully cultivated menu of massages and other restorative and rejuvenating treatments, our bucolic location, world-class hotel rooms, fine dining and an above-and-beyond commitment to customer service also make us the perfect destination for a restful and relaxing weekend getaway.

Contact The Spa at Norwich Inn today to book your massage, overnight stay or spa weekend today.