Acupressure - Massage is the physical rubbing or kneading of the body for the purpose of relieving pain, healing the body and just plain making you feel good. Acupuncture is the insertion of needles into specific points of the body to relieve pain and heal problems in the body. Acupressure is the medium between the two forms of healing. It uses the touch of massage on the points of the body identified through the ancient Chinese art of acupuncture to heal the body.

Amma Therapy - Translated from the Chinese from which it derives, amma means “push-pull”, representing the manipulation of the body during various types of massage. Amma therapy combines push-pull techniques from several variations of massage with the purpose of improving the body’s energy flow along the meridians identified by such Chinese arts as acupressure. Most recently, amma therapy has been rejuvenated as a means of incorporating both Western and Eastern massage techniques into the design of a holistic healthy lifestyle for its patients.

Aromatherapy - As a general form of healing, aromatherapy is the use of scented healing to soothe or rejuvenate the body. Knowledge of the right types of scented treatment can be combined with massage for a complete holistic healing experience. Your senses will be heightened, healing powers will be enhanced, and besides, you’ll smell good at the end of your treatment!

Ayurvedic Massage - This type of massage is sometimes compared to being the Indian equivalent of China’s acupressure. Ayurvedic massage makes use of a healing touch on certain pressure points, or marmas, throughout the body with the two-fold purpose of eradication of pain and detoxification of the body. Ayurvedic massage often incorporates the benefits of aromatherapy to further enhance the complete body experience of the massage.

Balinese Massage - This type of massage uses techniques from several of its counterparts to create a soothing treatment which improves the health of the body. Blending hands-on massage, acupressure, deep tissue touch, energy work and aromatherapy, Balinese massage can improve health and generally enhance the way that your body feels. Increasingly popular in spa settings, Balinese massage can be altered to be either sensual or therapeutic.

Belavi - The first thing that anyone is going to see when they look at you is your face (okay, so that’s debatable, but the first thing that anyone worthwhile of your time is going to see is your face) so you want to make sure that it’s in tip top form. But you already know that, which is why you’ve got the creams and the lotions and the skin cleansers to keep you looking young and vibrant, right? Ah, but do you have Belavi in your life? This facial massage not only feels good but also improves the appearance of your face’s skin. Wrinkles will minimize, skin will tighten and you’ll get that glow that makes someone just want to reach out and caress your cheek with the back of his hand.

Biomagnetic Touch Healing - If you believe, as many people do, that your body knows what it needs, then biomagnetic touch healing may be the right type of healing for you. Practitioners of the art use the first two fingers of either hand to touch lightly on various spots throughout the receiver’s body. There is no pressure, no body manipulation, and no energy manipulation; there is simply a light touch on the skin. The belief is that the body will know how to heal itself and will merely use the practitioner as a conduit for self-healing. Sound like something that’s going to cost a fortune and not do anything for you? Think again, practitioners of the art do not require intensive training and you can even learn from them how to easily do it with a loved one so that you can receive the benefits any time that your body says you need to.

Body Electric - It might sound like something which comes straight out of a workout video, but the techniques of Body Electric actually hark back to ancient Buddhist and Tantric philosophies. With attention to the chakra system of those philosophies, Body Electric massage therapists are trained to combine strokes of massage pressure with stretches derived from Thai Massage to align and improve the chakras. This heals the different parts of the body associated with each chakra. In some ways, this is considered the highest type of sensual massage, where Tantric techniques are used to create a pleasurable feeling throughout the body with the purpose of enhancing awareness and attention to the sexual self. Ooh, it’s electric!

Breath Therapy - What have you been doing since the very moment that you were born and will not stop doing until the day that you die? Breathing, of course. When everything else changes in life, this constant remains the same. And because the breath has been with us since the beginning, it can be used as a tool to access increased understanding of the body. Breath therapy focuses this understanding, using a series of breathing exercises to connect the mind and the body so that they function together as a whole, happy unit.

British Sports Massage - Coming Soon!

Canadian Deep Tissue Muscle Massage - Leave it to the Canadians to take the feel-good touch of massage and apply a deeper scientific approach to it so that it can be used for specific body part healing. Actually, although developed by a Canadian, this type of massage (which focuses only on the specific body part where pain is felt) was actually developed in Washington D.C. where it has become a common means of alleviating pain. It is particularly useful for reduction of pain caused by stress and is preferred by people who want pain relief without requiring extensive amounts of time in the massage chair, as Canadian Deep Tissue Muscle Massage is generally a quick treatment.

Chair Massage - You really don’t even need our definition for this one because it is as self-explanatory as it seems. Techniques and styles can be combined in this type of massage which takes place fully-clothed on a massage chair. Yes, this is the type of quick massage you might see happening at your local street fair but it is also a legitimate and oft-used type of healing massage which can be both relaxing and medicinally purposeful.

Colon Hydrotherapy - Colon hydrotherapy is a medical treatment which is regularly cropping up on the list of offered treatments at spas throughout the country. The process makes use of filtered water - sometimes enhanced with body-healthful minerals - to cleanse the colon and improve the overall health of the body. By releasing the body of toxic chemicals built up over time, colon hydrotherapy can reduce existing ailments and prevent the onset of new ones.

CranioSacral Therapy - You know when you go to get your hair done and the stylist gently touches just that right part of your head or neck to make you feel like you’re in heaven? Well, CranioSacral therapy offers the pleasant feeling of that touch with the healing benefits of a type of care which is almost chiropractic in style. This type of massage gives you a subtle adjustment of the head and neck to help correct spinal problems and relieve associated pain.

Deep Tissue - At a place where you are offered only the basics of massage, you will generally see the Swedish massage, which is the “feel good” massage, and the Deep Tissue massage, which is the “healing” massage. The technical difference between the two is that deep tissue massage goes further into the muscles and even moves the surrounding connective tissue with the purpose of increasing oxygen flow and releasing toxins from the body. The physical difference is that the massage itself feels a bit more rough or intense and may leave you slightly sore, but your body will heal quickly and feel rejuvenated. In most cases, deep tissue massage is applied to specific areas to relieve pain while techniques from Swedish or other softer massage styles are incorporated to offer you an overall pleasant experience with healing benefits.

Esalen - The physical experience of an Esalen massage is often quite akin to the soft touch of a Swedish massage or the even softer presence of energy practices such as Reiki. However, the complete experience is quite different, as Esalen focuses primarily not on physical healing but on emotional healing. This type of massage is intended to develop an emotional therapeutic connection between the giver and receiver to allow for deep exploration of emotional, psychological and spiritual issues which may be blocking the recipient from personal growth. At its core, the belief behind Esalen is the belief in the overall power of the human touch and the ability of people to connect to themselves and others through the healing power of that touch.

Five Element Shiatsu - This is a variation on standard shiatsu in which assessment of the body is completed for the purpose of harmonizing the body’s energy. Using a combination of asking, listening, observing and touching the body, five element shiatsu determines the pattern of problems specific to the complaints of the receiver of the treatment. The practitioner then responds to these patterns using rhythmic massage, usually on the back and/or the stomach of the recipient.

Four Handed Massage - We pair up with a partner sexually in part because their hands can do more than our hands alone to make our bodies feel good. And of course, sometimes we add additional partners to the equation because of the theory that if one set of hands feels that much better then what can two sets of hands do. This is the very basic beauty of the feeling of the four handed massage, in which two practitioners work on your body to double the pleasure of the massage. By combining efforts, the two therapists can increase the healing effects of the massage. As with lovers, each massage therapist will have a unique touch, so you can experience the effects of two different people during one massage to see what you like best.

Hellerwork - This type of massage, named after the man who invented it in the 1970’s, is based upon the philosophy that all human beings are innately healthy and need only to be tuned in to that innate health in order to live comfortably. Combining various techniques for self-awareness with education in movement, stretching and massage, Hellerwork practitioners help their clients to reveal their healthy inner selves.

Hot Stone Massage - Take your basic massage and turn up the heat and what you’ve got is the healing power of the Hot Stone Massage. This massage combines the benefits and pleasure of common massage practices (such as Swedish and deep tissue massages) with the healing power of heat generated by careful placement of hot stones. The heat and the increased pressure of the stones combine to increase the healing effects of the massage. And the sensation is one which is hot hot hot.

Hydrotherapy - Hydrotherapy is exactly what it sounds like it is: therapy performed in water. Water is known to have numerous healing effects and is frequently used for the physical therapy of patients who can move more easily in water than in air. More specifically, however, hydrotherapy refers to the systematic use of both hot and cold water to supplement various types of massage therapy techniques.

Jin Shin Do - Take the practices of various martial arts, the positions of healing yoga, the philosophical beliefs of Taoism and the pressure points of ancient arts such as acupuncture and combine them together to create Jin Shin Do. This blending of techniques from various Eastern practices aligns the energy flow of the body using interactive massage and exercise.

Lomi Lomi - Say Aloha to this Hawaiian form of massage whose name translates to “Loving Hands”. Picture someone doing the hula - not in that cheesy way but in that completely seductive way - and then apply the motion of this image to your massage. Making use of gestures which undulate like the waves around the big island, lomi lomi has the healing goal of unblocking trapped energy in the body and improving energy flow for renewed health. This is sometimes considered an intense type of massage because of the devotion of many lomi lomi practitioners to the spiritual side of their art.

Magnet Therapy - Magnet therapy relies on the belief that it is possible to expose the body to magnetic fields in order to increase the health of the body. Tools used in magnet therapy may be as small as bracelets or as extensive as magnetic straps and blankets used during treatment. This treatment can be used to relieve immediate pain, to treat chronic conditions or to more subtly adjust the energy flow of the entire body for overall improved health.

Manual Lymphatic Drainage - Ooh, baby, let me pump those muscles to release your lymph flow. Okay, so it doesn’t sound so sexy, but this type of healing massage can make your body feel so good that you’ll forget how it sounded when you first heard about it. Manual Lymphatic Drainage uses subtle, rhythm-based gestures to drain blocked lymph flow so that the body can heal from such conditions as chronic headaches and arthritis. And besides feeling good, MLD can make you look good, with added benefits being reduction of scarring and stretch marks on the body.

Myofascial Release - If you’ve ever taken an anatomy class, you’ve seen the interrelationship between your muscular and skeletal systems. An intricate part of this system is the fascia, which is the biological name for all of the connective tissue surrounding the fiber of your muscles. In times of stress, the fascia balls up, tensing your muscles and causing strain to your skeletal system. What this means for you is pain. And what myofascial release means for you is relief. This type of massage combines stretching and manipulation of the fascia to release the tension so that the muscles relax and the bones can breathe again.

Myofascial Trigger Point Therapy - See Trigger Point Myotherapy.

Non Professional Massage / Bodyrub - In order to legally practice as a massage therapist, one must be licensed through various regulations depending upon the state or city of practice. However, we all know that even unlicensed practitioners can do wonders to make the body feel good. Non-professional massage is that feel-good massage which is given by someone who is not licensed to perform massages legally. Note that unlicensed bodyworkers might still claim to offer other techniques, but keep in mind that they are not licensed or certified to give you that massage. If finding a quality CMT or LMT is a priority to you, make sure you keep that in mind while doing your search.

Ortho-Bionomy - Sometimes you call your massage therapist because you want a feel-good massage. And then sometimes, you find that you are dealing with chronic pain and you call your massage therapist because you need ongoing help managing that pain. Ortho-bionomy may be an option for when you fall in to this latter category. It works two-fold to relieve the immediate pain which brought you in to the office but also to correct the stress patterns and body alignment problems which are causing the ongoing pain. The actual process is a gentle one in which your immediate comfort will be taken into consideration as the therapist combines massage touch, body positioning and exercises to help identify and correct the problems. That way you can return to feeling good most of the time and calling up your massage therapist just because you want a nice touch!

Pfrimmer Deep Muscle Therapy - If you’re looking into Pfrimmer Deep Muscle Therapy it is either because you have a very serious condition or because you are truly interested in learning about all different types of massage. That’s because Pfrimmer is a rarely-used form of massage which is practiced only by people coming out of two U.S. schools which are authorized to teach the practice. Pfrimmer is used for highly serious conditions such as paralysis, where intense therapeutic massage is applied to regenerate damaged muscles.

Polarity Therapy - The belief behind polarity therapy is that there is an electromagnetic field around our bodies which can be manipulated to reduce stress and the pain associated with stress. However the practice of healing by polarity therapy is a more detailed and holistic practice which combines this electromagnetic field manipulation with attention to diet, exercise and mental well-being to improve the overall quality of life for patients. Various pressures of touch are applied to the body to improve energy flow but sessions also include stretching, meditation and psychological counseling.

Raindrop Technique - Massage as we know it is generally considered to be a medicinal practice heavily influenced by Eastern philosophies. However, some of the origins of massage date back to the early days of the Native American populations in North and South America. The raindrop technique is a form of massage which incorporates Native American beliefs, including North American aromatherapy techniques, into massage. By applying scented oils to parts of the body including the hands, feet, and spine, Raindrop Technique incorporates both electromagnetic therapy and scent therapy into its approach.

Reflexology - Most commonly associated with foot massage, reflexology is actually a form of massage which uses pressure points in the feet, hands and even behind the ears to improve the health of the whole body. It is believed that each spot on the feet and hands correlates to a different part throughout the rest of the body, so that applying pressure to a specific part will invariably heal the related body part. Although reflexology is often used for treating long-term conditions, it can also be enjoyed as a form of relaxing massage.

Reiki - Reiki is a form of energy massage which may or may not include direct contact with the body. It is based upon the belief that everything in the universe is comprised of energy, and the practitioner acts as a conduit for connecting the receiver’s energy with this greater energy of the universe. Although Reiki sometimes does not involve direct touch on the skin or clothing of the receiver, the receiver may physically feel the movement of the energy surrounding him or her during the healing exercise. The receiver may also feel intense emotional reactions to the treatment.

Rolfing - If you have a basic understanding of the purpose of chiropractic care, you can apply this same understanding to the muscular structure of the body in order to understand Rolfing. In essence, practitioners of Rolfing believe that the body must be in full alignment in order to be a healthy, fully-active body. Whereas chiropractic care aligns the spine to achieve this affect, Rolfing aligns the muscular system. Because the healer is physically moving the muscles of the body using focused Deep Tissue massage, the actual experience of Rolfing is sometimes said to be felt as painful. However, re-alignment of the muscles paves the way for lifelong health of the body.

Russian Massage - No, this isn’t that all-over body rub you get from the guy named Boris you bonded with when you saw him reading Dostoevsky at the local café. In fact, it is unlikely that a body rub would even be considered a massage in Russia, where this type of massage originated, because the country treats its massage therapists with a degree of respect generally reserved for med school graduates in other parts of the world. Russian Massage combines four different types of massage touch to provide soothing, healing relief from muscle pain. A combination of stretching, gliding strokes and quicker friction strokes manipulate the muscles in order to achieve these healing effects.

Sensual - Yes, this is the kind of massage you get when you happen to score a hot date with a love for manipulating your body with his hands. However, it does actually have a place in the office of massage therapists. Using some of the same techniques as those that lovers use, such as placing candles around the room and moving the giver’s whole body against the receiver during the massage, sensual massage uses nice touch to give you a feel good feeling. It can be just the right thing for when you need a sexy touch but don’t want to have to go through dinner and a movie to get it.

Shiatsu - Literally translating to “finger pressure”, this Japanese form of massage uses a combination of finger movements and pressure of the palm to heal the body. The practitioner tunes in to the receiver’s body through this touch and identifies the problems within the body, using applied pressure to heal those problems. Shaitsu incorporates some of the pressure points from other massage arts, such as acupressure, to relieve pain and improve energy flow throughout the body.

Sports Massage - Sure, you might want to act as though that body came to you naturally, but we all know that you put in the time in the gym to carve that physique. And because of that, you might be able to benefit from sports massage. Generally the domain of athletes, sports massages uses massage touch to prepare the body for athletic events as well as to heal the physical ailments caused by excessive strain on the body. Physical activity invariably causes stress on the body and sports massage can help to relieve that stress so that you don’t do damage to yourself over time, meaning that you can put in those hours in the gym without having to bandage up your muscles so that everyone knows your secret.

Swedish Massage - If you don’t know anything about massage and you go to a spa or a therapist asking for just the basic massage, what you’re likely to receive is a Swedish massage treatment. This most common of “feel good” massages using five different basic motions to relax the body and reduce any existing muscle pain. By combining soft, gliding touch and kneading of the muscles with more rapid tapping, vibrating and friction, the muscles of the body loosen and you get that overall “feels great” sensation.

Thai - Thai massage is not generally what you think of when you think of a massage, because it involves much more interaction between the client and the practitioner than the standard massage. In fact, it is almost a form of exercise, using positions from yoga practice to heal the body. The practitioner will assist the client into the yoga positions and then use stretching and massage techniques to enhance the benefits of the postures.

Thai Herbal Massage - In contrast with plain old Thai massage, Thai herbal massage is a more relaxing experience for the receiver of the treatment. Combining the benefits of a massage with the benefits of a body wrap treatment, Thai Herbal Massage is a physically relaxing and cleansing experience. Hot oil is applied to the body and then rubbed into the skin using hot compresses incorporated with massage techniques. The treatment opens up the pores of the skin and allows the herbal healing to happen beneath the surface, improving the skin itself as well as relaxing the muscles.

Therapeutic Touch (Energy Work) - Therapeutic Touch, sometimes known simply as TT, is a form of massage in which the energy around the body (rather than the body itself) is manipulated by the hands of the practitioner. Rather than focusing on improving the health of muscles, TT energy work is geared towards improving the flow of energy through the body to increase the overall quality of life. Healers practicing this type of treatment tune in to the energy of the body and then manipulate that energy to reduce problems resulting from blocked energy.

Trigger Point Myotherapy - Trigger points can be felt throughout the body when a massage therapist is manipulating the muscles and finds a spot where the muscle spasms. Trigger Point Myotherapy intently seeks out these spots and releases them through applying different levels of pressure to the spot to release the spasm. A qualified trigger point myotherapy practitioner will communicate in depth with the client to make sure that any pain felt during the release is beneficial pain; however this type of massage is for the purpose of healing the body and is not merely a “feel good” massage technique so there may be some discomfort involved in the actual process.

Zero Balancing - Every so often, you are supposed to take your care in to get the tires rotated and balanced. Similarly, every so often you should take your body in for zero balancing. This treatment uses a soft pressure on the foundation joints of your body to improve the energy flow between your mind and your body. The overall effect is that you end up in better harmony with your own body and are prepared to run more efficiently until the next time you feel yourself needing a physical tune-up.