Much-kneaded relief .................................. Jennifer Merrick

Much-kneaded relief

The benefits of massage

BY JENNIFER MERRICK

“Doctors give pills. I give relief,” says Daisy Paule, registered massage therapist at Christienne Fallsview Spa, Niagara Falls, ON, as she expertly kneads out knots I didn’t know I had. Not only did I experience a palpable release of tension by the end of the treatment, but I also slept more deeply for the next three nights.

Were the restful nights because of the massage? It’s a likely possibility, according to scientists. From pain relief and stress alleviation to depression and anxiety reduction, dozens of studies have proven that massage carries significant physical and psychological benefits.

A study in the International Journal of Neuroscience reported an average thirty-one percent decrease in cortisol (a stress hormone) and corresponding increases in serotonin and dopamine (happiness hormones) post-massage. These hormone changes have positive implications on various medical conditions, including chronic pain, immune response, and mental health. This is not surprising when we recognize the skin as the body’s largest organ with millions of touch receptors. Touch is the only sense we can’t live without; it plays a critical role in regulating the brain and body.

Given these healing properties, it’s no wonder massage has been so widely utilized across time and cultures.

Nordic spas

This hydrotherapy circuit doesn’t necessarily involve massage (though it’s a popular add-on) but is reported to have similar health benefits.

“Hydrotherapy brings about deep relaxation,” says Amélie Gagnon of Siberia Station Spa, a Nordic spa located just outside Quebec City. “It reduces stress, eliminates toxins, relaxes muscles, improves sleep quality, and strengthens the immune system.”

Though Nordic spas originated in Scandinavian countries, Quebeckers have made them their own by utilizing unspoiled wilderness and abundant lakes and rivers as the setting for a stress-busting experience.

Unfortunately, the ritual also involves a plunge into cold water— and by cold, we mean the kind of cold that takes your breath away and requires all your self-control not to scream—for a couple of minutes. The polar bear dip component is only part of a circuit that takes spa-goers through much warmer and relaxing stations, including steam rooms, hot tubs, saunas, and rest areas.

If you’re like me, you may be tempted to skip the cold plunge. Not recommended, says Le Hugues Lavoie of Le Nordique Spa, located in Stoneham, thirty minutes north of Quebec City. “The thermic shock created by alternating hot and cold frees endorphins in your body,” he explains. This means the cold not only facilitates the elimination of toxins but improves your mood.

Oh well, I suppose a short, jarring dip is worth it when you consider the reward of soaking in a hot tub or lounging in a hammock amidst the idyllic northern wilderness. – Jennifer Merrick

Treatment rooms at the Christienne Fallsview Spa offer gorgeous views.

Photo by Jennifer Merrick

Egyptian tomb paintings depict people being massaged in 2500 BCE. The Hindu Ayurveda system, in which massage is believed to restore balance so the body can heal naturally, dates back even further. Massage was also integral to medicine in Chinese, Japanese, Greek, and Roman cultures. Though its popularity has remained constant in Eastern cultures, massage was all but forgotten the West until the early 1800s, when a Swedish doctor Per Henrik Ling, developed a method he called the Swedish Movement Cure. This method evolved into what is known today as the classic Swedish massage.

Today, that massage is a staple in wellness clinics, prescribed by doctors for pain relief and viewed as a legitimate form of medicine. Even so, massage is sometimes viewed as a guilty indulgence. At a luxurious spa like the Christienne Fallsview where the treatment room looks over the Falls, that sentiment is understandable. But Daisy assures me there’s nothing to feel guilty about.

“Bodies are like cars,” she says. “They need maintenance, or they break down.” FY

Jennifer Merrick is an award-winning freelance writer, photographer, and avid traveler based in Toronto.

A spa treatment room at the Ritz Carlton in Toronto

Photo courtesy of the Ritz Carlton Toronto

Types of massage

There are no less than eighty different massage styles, but here are few to consider.

Swedish. Also called the classic massage, this technique uses kneading, long strokes, and circular movements to release tension, promote relaxation, and increase blood flow.

Deep tissue. This technique is like Swedish massage, but more intense; it goes deeper into the muscles, tendons, and connective tissue. More pressure is used, which can be uncomfortable, but it’s considered especially conducive to healing injuries, particularly sports-related ones.

Thai. Sometimes referred to as “passive yoga,” the body is pulled and stretched in this technique done fully clothed with no oils.

Shiatsu. This traditional Japanese-style massage works with the body’s ki (energy flow) along with acupressure applied to specific points in the body. Like deep tissue manipulation, it is recommended for injury pain relief.

Lomi Lomi. This Polynesian style is popular in Hawaii but can also be found on Toronto’s Ritz-Carlton’s spa menu of massages from around the world. “The movements mimic the ocean,” explains trained practitioner Raphael Leyva Cabreja. “The gentle waves, the breeze and the sensation of walking barefoot.” Relaxation and lymphatic drainage are two of the purported benefits (personally, even the description slows my heart rate). – Jennifer Merrick