Understanding the Benefits of Swedish Massage

There are different types of massage therapies available. For this article, we will just focus on the benefits of Swedish Massage.

Massage therapy helps relieve the stress and tension of everyday living that can lead to disease and illness. It has proven beneficial for many chronic conditions including low back pain, arthritis, fatigue, high blood pressure, diabetes, infertility and depression, to name a few.

Swedish massage is most commonly used for stress related ailments such as a stiff neck, back ache, and to relieve physical pain from emotional problems. It revolves around long smooth strokes, kneading, circular movements on the layers of muscles with the use of oil or massage lotion. It enables the muscles to relax as the massage therapist applies pressure on the deep muscles and bones. It is designed to increase the amount of oxygen that is flowing through your blood, which may improve healing and decrease swelling from an injury. It helps to release the toxins that are lurking in your muscles which causes some of your discomfort. The massage will be done in such a way as to work with the direction in which the blood is flowing back to your heart. This technique results in generalized relaxation.


Swedish massage is characterized by five deep strokes across our chests. A therapist begins by placing their hands just under your first ribs and applying gentle pressure with the fingertips. They sweep the skin from your ribs in a downwards movement to your waist. This technique is done five times on the chest, before turning to the neck and doing five smaller strokes from the nape to the top of the spinal column. The process is then repeated on the back. If any knots are found in the muscles while Swedish massage is being performed, a massage therapist will apply hard pressure with their fingertips to release the knots. This sometimes painful practice is referred to as deep tissue massage and is often used in conjunction with Swedish massage. This helps blood to flow properly through the tissues and muscles, thus reducing stress and promoting relaxation.



To get the most benefit from the massage, try to relax for the rest of the day. Having a massage on your lunch hour and then going back to a stressful afternoon on the job is not a great idea. It's also recommended that you drink plenty of water before and after the massage to help flush out the toxins that massage loosens up.

As beneficial as massage can be, it's not for everyone. If you have any fractures, infections, active cancer, orthopaedic conditions, or skin problems, you need to recover first before having a massage. Consult your therapist.

And just how often should you have a Swedish Massage and experience its benefits? As often as you can afford it!