Swedish massage therapy is the most common sort of massage given in Europe and America, so if you have ever had a massage, it was almost certainly a Swedish massage.

Swedish massage therapy is the most gentle of the full-body massages, which makes it perfect as a general massage therapy. It is normally performed with oil, which gives it its other name of oil massage.

It is such a gentle massage that you could have one several times a week, but it will revitalize and stimulate you. The massage therapist rubs oil into the skin with a firm, but quite light pressure in the direction of the blood flowing back to the heart. This takes some of the work load off the heart too.

The Swedish massage was deliberately developed in the 18th Century and so is sometimes known as the ‘classic massage’. It was intended to relax the body by stimulating the flow of blood, but what they did not know then, was that this process helps remove lactic acid, uric acid and other natural waste materials from everyday living that build up in the joints each day.

Because of the way in which the massage is performed, the body gets all the benefits of an increased circulation without the body having to work more for it. This is like compound interest for the body – something for nothing and it simulates mild exercise like walking.

Like with walking, Swedish massage stretches the ligaments, tendons and muscles to keep them pliable and flexible. This makes this form of massage ideal for people who are bed-ridden or in a wheelchair.

The therapist may use the flats of the hands, the heals of the hands, the finger tips or the knuckles to get the correct effect. There is frequently a little bending and stretching of the joints too. Oil is rubbed into small fields of the body at a time as they are being massaged. This oil may ruin clothing, so a lot of individuals undergo their massage in the nude.

If you or the masseur are not at ease with this, you may wear a baggy t-shirt and shorts, your bathing costume or a towel. However, you can choose to have a masseur (male) or masseuse (female) therapist if you want.

A session is normally booked in half-hour blocks. Most individuals will have a one hour session (two blocks), but 90 minutes and two hours are popular as well. The massage is normally carried out in a private booth or room for total privacy. When you are in that room, you may call the shots with regard to the severity of the massage. If it is too rough or not rough enough, only say.

Similarly, if you do not like the music or would prefer not have any music at all, just say so. In the same vein, therapists are only normal individuals, some are chatty, some tell jokes and some are quiet. If you want to talk, merely talk and if the therapist is talking too much, simply request a bit of peace and quiet.

Owen Jones, the author of this piece, writes on many topics, but is at present involved with the massage therapy school online. If you have an interest in massage, please go over to our website now at Classes For Massage Therapy