Here are a few tips that hopefully will help you for next time!

• Seems obvious, but don’t eat before a massage session
• You don’t have to be naked! The idea is to be comfortable and stress-free, so if the idea of being naked is too much, just wear clothes. Simple.
• Communicate. Even though massage therapists are professionals, they cannot guess all the time what you want, what you like. If a position or movement hurts, say it. If you have concerns before starting, say it.
• It’s OK to talk. You can be either silent or have a conversation, it is your choice. The therapist is there to assist you and help you after all.
• Try to use deep breathing
• Focus on the moment, on the touch and try not to think about anything else
• If you are dizzy or light headed after the massage, do not get off the table too fast.
• After massage please drink extra water.
• Quiet time after your massage session. It helps your body absorb the results.

• Thai massage are especially recommended to treat sciatica, back pain and headaches.
• The 6 key points of traditional massage are: Yoga, Exercise, Meditation, Reflexology, Acupressure and Healing Art
• Thai massage is known as a “yoga massage” because of the many similarities in the positions used in Yoga and Thai massage. Obviously since you have a masseuse helping you it is a bit easier!
• Thai massage is a combination of stretching and pressing. Therapists not only use their hands but their elbows, feet, forearms and knees.  The patient is fully clothed and usually lies down on a thin mattress directly on the floor. Therapists will pull your limbs, toes, fingers, ears, will sometimes walk on you and crack a few knuckles on the way. It is very different from an oil or Swedish massage, but it can be as relaxing
• It is strongly recommend not to have a big deal before a Thai massage, and for obvious reasons. Having someone step on you repeatedly, especially on your back, cannot be very comfortable with a full stomach
• Pregnant women have to be very cautious before having a Thai massage and should always ask for a specialized therapist.
• The Thai word for “it hurts!” is “Jep!” but you very seldom have to use it don’t worry

But why is it called Swedish? And does it really come from Sweden? Or is a misnomer, like “french” fries (when they should actually be named Belgium fries)?

Pretty much all history books attribute the creation of the swedish massage technique to a…Swede named Peter Henry Ling. Mister Ling was the founder of the Royal Central Gymnastic Institute in Stocklonm in 1813 and is said to have used massage techniques borrowed from many parts of the world to create this new technique that spread all over the Western hemisphere in the mid 1800s.

Funny thing is, there is no such thing as swedish massage and never was. Contrary to popular beliefs, Ling never used those techniques in his school and never talked about them! It is one of those historical mistakes that still persevere today

Actually, swedish massage techniques should instead be called French Massage, or French- Dutch massage if we want to be historically correct. A Dutch man named Johan Georg Mezger was the first to name specific massage techniques and used French terms. These terms are the basis of today’s swedish massage, or classical massage

So what are those four original French terms?

• Effleurage (stroking)
• Petrissage (kneading)
• Tapotement (striking)
• Frictions (rubbing)

These days anybody can associate these terms with the swedish massage techniques, created more than 150 years ago….by a French-speaking Dutch guy.

But how far this profession and industry have become really? We’ve compiled a few facts about the industry and profession.

• Today it is estimated there are more than 100,000 certified massage therapists in North America.
• The vast majority of massage therapists are women (80%)
• To become a certified massage therapist, the student has to go through between 500 and 1,000 hours or class and practice.
• Massage therapy is considered one of the best part-time job out there, earning an average of $20 an hour.
• An average certified massage therapist will give 40 massages every month
• On average, a quarter of all adult Americans will get at least one massage this year
• On average, for every man who gets a massage, two women will use this service
• Spas are the most popular places to receive massage therapy
• The Spa industry is a 11 Billion a year market, and it is estimated there are over 15,000 spa centers in North America alone
• The most popular reasons to get a massage are, in order:  pain relief, injury treatment and then wellness. People go for massage predominately for therapeutic reasons and treatments.