Serenity Services Aromatherapy Massage Swedish Massage and Indian Head Massage

During your Serenity Services massage I will be using several massage movements such as Effleurage, Petrissage, Friction and Tapotement.

Effleurage (gliding) is the main movement to warm up the muscles and to prepare the soft tissue for deeper treatment. Effleurage is a free-flowing continuous movement and is done with the flat palm of one or both hands with steady pressure. Effleurage is the first and last movements in a massage routine.

Petrissage (kneading) - specific muscles are worked where tissue is easily grasped, and can be performed superficially or deep. Deep petrissage is helpful in promoting circulation and to loosen muscle tightness. Petrissage is the second movement in a massage routine.

Friction and pressure is mostly used around joints and helps to increase circulation. The masseur's fingers do not slide over the skin and in sports massage it is often referred to as cross-fiber stroking. Friction is the third movement in a massage routine.

Tapotement (percussion) - these alternate drumming movements are normally performed on broad areas of the body, such as the back and other large muscles. Tapotement / Percussion includes pummeling, hacking, cupping and feathering. Tapotement / Percussion is the fourth movement in a massage routine.

Massage can put you into a deep sense of relaxation, reduce stress and anxiety, relieve muscle tension and stiffness, improve circulation of both blood and lymph, detox the body, give you greater joint flexibility and range of motion, help reduce blood pressure, relieve headaches, help improve posture, nourish your skin, help strengthen your immune system, increase awareness of mind-body connection, help increase athletic performance and reduce the chance of sports related muscle, tendon and ligament injuries. Massage can be used to promote good health and a sense of well-being as well as treatment for injured muscles and stress relief. So don't wait until you are in pain or stressed up to the hilt, use massage as a preventative and an aid to good health.

Touch is often referred to as the "mother of all senses", it is the first sense to develop in the embryo and the last of our senses to die. Touch is our first language, it enables us to learn about our surroundings and to experience others and ourselves. Touch is based on nerve receptors in the skin that send electrical messages through the central nervous system to the brain. Being touched sends pleasing messages to the brain and lets the body know it can relax, rebalance and heal.

Massage is one of the oldest treatments of applying hand to body pressure over the postural muscles to release knots, tightness, tension and stress. Massage has long been recognised for its beneficial properties. Nowadays there are many different types of massage used to treat a variety of muscular and soft tissue disorders, or to reduce stress and tension.