How many times have you heard about the famous Swedish massage but do not understand what exactly it means?
First of all, Swedish massage is one of the most popular forms of massage in the world.
There are disagreements about the ‘father’ of this technique. Some people say that this technique was developed in 1800 by the Swedish doctor Per Henrik Ling, while others claim that it was a Dutch professional, Johann Georg Mezger who invented it.
What we know for sure is that Swedish massage is a benefit to our health.
It is the most demanding massage and aims to relax the body by reducing muscle toxins and tension and helping to increase blood circulation and oxygen.
Here are five key pointers in moving your massage forward:
- Effleurage
The therapist uses long sliding and gentle movements with open palms and light to medium pressure. In this way, the tense muscles relax and the body temperature rises in order to properly prepare for the next stage.
This stage relaxes the body and mind and acts as a stimulant for the nervous system.
- Petrissage
To activate and prepare the muscles, we come to the stage of fermentation, a technique where the therapist gradually enters deeper into the muscles and kneads them. The joints and thumbs are mainly used for this preparation.
- Tapotement
This is probably the most well-known movement in Swedish massage, where it is characterized by rapid gentle strokes on the body from the gentle fists, the sides of the palm or the fingertips of the therapist.
- Friction
At this point, the therapist rubs his hands very quickly together to generate heat and then places them on the muscles to warm them up.
- Vibration
This movement aims to relax the muscles and the therapist uses his fingertips and palm to apply pressure along with vibrations to the points where the muscles are hard.
Many massage techniques, such as physiotherapy or lymphatic massage, have relied on these Swedish massage movements.
Try the Swedish massage and enjoy its benefits in your mind and body, at the SEVENOCEANS treatment center!