Are you interested in becoming a massage therapist and want to know more about Swedish massage? Did you know Swedish massage forms the basis of many other types of massage, such as deep tissue and chair massage? By learning Swedish massage, you can offer multiple massage techniques and create a unique treatment plan for your clients. So, what exactly is Swedish massage?
What is Swedish Massage?
Swedish massage is a full-body massage that targets the neck and shoulders down to the back, hands, legs and feet. Although Swedish massage has many benefits, the technique involves a few basic strokes.
What are the Basic Swedish Massage Strokes?
Five Swedish massage strokes include effleurage, petrissage, tapotement, friction, and vibration. Each stroke has a unique purpose. Depending on your client’s needs, you will create a unique treatment plan to get the right results.
Effleurage – a series of long, circular massage strokes at different intensity levels of pressure meant to loosen knots and release muscle tension. You use your hands and forearms to perform effleurage strokes. These strokes move toward the direction of the heart to help stimulate blood flow.
Petrissage – the kneading or squeezing of the soft tissue, used to stretch and loosen muscle tension. This stroke has a deeper effect on soft tissue to help improve blood circulation, stimulate joint fluid, and remove muscle toxins.
Tapotement –used after effleurage and petrissage to stimulate soft tissue circulation. During this stroke, you use a tapping motion on the body to stimulate blood flow and introduce endorphins into the body. This stroke can energize the client and invigorate them for the rest of the day.
Friction – massage in a circular motion with cross-fiber movements to penetrate deep tissues and rub the body’s muscles. This stroke uses the ball of the thumb or a pointed object. Friction helps warm the muscles, allowing them to improve blood flow during tapotement strokes.
Vibration – shaking the muscles to loosen and relax the body. Vibration strokes also help improve nerve function and relax the body’s muscles.
What are the Benefits of Swedish Massage?
Swedish massage has many different benefits. These benefits include relaxation, stress reduction, increased blood circulation, removal of metabolic waste and scar tissue, immunity support, better posture, increased flexibility, and headache relief.
Relaxation – Swedish massage increases relaxation by reducing tension in the muscles, sending calming nerve messages to the brain, and producing feel-good hormones like dopamine. Reducing stress and tension in the body helps relax the mind and body.
Increase Blood Circulation – many of the strokes used in Swedish massage are intended to increase blood circulation. For example, effleurage is used to move blood toward the heart to help stimulate blood flow, exchange carbon dioxide for oxygen rich blood, and remove waste from the blood stream.
Removal of Metabolic Waste and Scar Tissue – when a client gets injured, the body naturally creates scar tissue to help heal. Once healed, soft tissue holds scar tissue, lactic acid, and other metabolic waste. Swedish massage strokes can help break down scar tissue and push lactic acid and other metabolic waste out of the muscles and soft tissue to be removed from the body.
Immunity Support – the body relies on the immune system to protect it from outside forces like viruses and bacteria. Swedish massage helps improve mood, reduce stress, and increase blood circulation, which can help boost immunity within the body.
Better Posture – many of us work at a desk or stand during the day, which can cause an imbalance in the muscle structure. Swedish massage can help improve posture by reducing the imbalances within muscles. A person with poor posture may rely on one set of muscles over another, and Swedish massage helps restore muscle balance and improve posture.
Increased Flexibility – As we work our muscles, they naturally restrict. Swedish massage helps increase flexibility in the joints, tendons, and muscles by elongating the muscles and improving the range of motion.
Headache Relief – Many people suffer from headaches, whether induced by stress, tension, or injury. Swedish massage can help reduce stress and tension and restore balance to the brain, offering clients relief from headaches and other body aches they may be experiencing.
Are Massage Therapists in Demand?
Massage therapists are in demand. Employment of massage therapists is projected to grow 18 percent annually from 2022 to 2032, according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. More people are looking to supplemental treatments for pain and injury in addition to traditional medicine. Doctors are even prescribing massage therapy as a part of medical treatment. Massage therapy is mainstream, and more people are becoming aware of the benefits of massage.
Final Thoughts
Now that you know what a Swedish massage includes, are you ready to learn more about becoming a massage therapist? Do you have the time to attend a massage therapy program full-time? If so, start your new journey today. Help others while you build a rewarding career; it’s a win-win.
Are you interested in learning more about starting a career in massage therapy? Upon graduation, Massage Therapy Program students will receive diplomas and be qualified to seek entry-level positions as clinical, medical, or deep tissue massage therapists in wellness clinics and centers, spa environments including resorts and franchises, and self-employment.
The massage therapy training diploma program consists of a well-planned sequence of courses, each preparing the college student for the more intensive information to follow. The school curriculum includes training to provide college students with scientific knowledge, manual skills, and business mastery to become a professional massage therapist.
Contact us to learn more about how you can become a massage therapist today.