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Be sure to ask for your FREE sample of Biofreeze at your next massage!
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| Welcome to our June Newsletter!
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The Value of Massage Therapy
While massage is commonly known as a great technique for relaxation, it's many benefits far exceed quiet time at your local spa. Massage is valued for so much more. It is known to alleviate joint and back pain, manage fibromyalgia and migraines, speed recovery from injury, increase blood circulation and manage stress, to name a few.
And whether you're an athlete, manual laborer or work in an office, regular massages help prevent injuries common in many professions, such as repetitive stress injuries, muscle strains and carpal tunnel syndrome.
Ideally, we should be receiving a massage every three weeks; if that is not possible, then we should strive for a massage every month. Here are the two main reasons given for not receiving regular massages:
I do not want to spend the money. Many of us have had to adjust the way we manage our finances, and prioritize our budget. We're spending less money on frivolous things such as Starbucks coffee, fast food or another shirt in that color that looks great on you. However, taking care of your body should be on the priority list. Our body is our tool and it is our responsibility to ensure that it is functioning well.
I do not have the time. However, we all have time for what is a priority to us. Yes, we are all busy, especially those of us who are caretakers of young children, aging parents, or other family members. What rings more true is to say "I do not believe receiving a massage is a priority in my busy life right now." Anyone can find one hour (one and a half, including travel time) each month for something that is a priority. Your challenge, therefore, is to re-categorize massage as a priority in your life. :)
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Massage Therapy Offers Rest and Respite
Tracy Walton, an oncology massage therapist, reflects on a recent experience with a client. A while ago, on a single day, I worked with several clients who were in cancer treatment, or recently completed treatment. As I updated their health histories, each client told me stories of loss, strength, terror, uncertainty, and exhaustion. There was a relentless quality to what they described. As I moved my hands across them, and as I was still and held each one quietly, two words kept coming into my head: rest and warrior.
These words continued to echo as I worked. On that day, I came to understand, more deeply than ever, the role of massage in helping people truly let down. Skilled touch says: Let down the fight, drop the battle dress, and give up the endless drive. Let down appearances. Stop, now, and catch your breath. Rest.
In Swedish massage, the simple removal of clothing, designed for smoother strokes and more meaningful engagement of the muscles and skin, is a gesture of letting go, in and of itself. I know when I have received massage, removing my own clothing means that for an hour I give up clothing figuratively as well as literally. This gesture has great significance: I also stop trying to hold everything together, to appear intact, or to act as though I'm on my way somewhere else. For a brief, nourishing time, I do not plan, or scheme, or fight; I simply rest. I let someone else care for me; I let myself fall, be caught, and be carried. Through this act of trust, I am recharged. Rest, warrior.
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| Frequent Client Discount Program
We will give you $5 off your next massage if you return within
30 days of your last massage. (Can not be combined with any other
discounts or promotions.)
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Happy Father's Day to all the dads from the Essentials Massage Therapy Crew!
~Susan, David, Monica, Lisa & Judy
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