Kivivi Blog

This can be a confusing question to answer. When presented with the two options, it seems to indicate that Swedish Massage simply lacks pressure. This is not true. A Swedish Massage can be performed with a great deal of pressure or as light as the client may wish. Deep tissue on the other hand is typically a deeper stroke.

Swedish Massage is a systematic and scientific manipulation of the soft tissue of the body. This manipulation is performed to promote good health. There are five primary strokes involved in Swedish Massage. They are the effleurage, petrissage, friction, tapotement and vibration. Effleurage strokes are long flowing strokes that allow the therapist to spread the lubricant and feel the muscle tone. Petrissage is a kneading stroke that lifts and squeezes the tissue and it helps flush out metabolic waste in that area. Friction is a strokes that involves fast short movements to create heat. This is good to bring blood flow to that area and is great for loosening ligaments. Tapotement is a series of light blows to the body designed to relax a muscle. This is the stroke most people are familiar with and sometimes looks like alternating karate chops. Vibration is a stroke that is used to create movement in the entire body and when done properly, is very relaxing.

Deep Tissue is a series of slow, specific and deliberate strokes and is best suited for postural deviances and abnormal muscle tone. The Massage Therapist will choose between several strokes depending on the size of the muscle that they are working on. They will “hook in” and start a slow moving down the muscle as it lets them. A good Massage Therapist will never force pressure into the muscle. They will continue to apply pressure until the muscle pushes back against them. The muscle will then slowly begin to release and allow the therapist to move along it. The pressure used should not be painful, but should walk a fine line between pleasurable release of tension and a pain-blocking response from the body (tensing up). The standard misconception in Deep Tissue work is “No Pain, No Gain”. This is simply not true. Pain causes the muscle to tense up and actually makes the massage less effective.

Unless you have an injury to a specific muscle or have postural concerns, I recommend you book for a Swedish Massage. You should communicate with your therapist about how much pressure you like. It is much more difficult to ascertain how much pressure a client needs in Swedish Massage than in Deep Tissue. Some clients have expressed that they don’t ask for more pressure because they feel like they are asking the Therapist to work harder. This is not the case. A Massage Therapist will use proper body mechanics to use leverage instead of strength to apply pressure. Our Therapist want you to have the best experience possible. To achieve this goal requires education and communication. Never be afraid to ask a Massage Therapist to back off of pressure or to apply more.

Massage has been giving individuals medical and health benefits for years. At this time there have been over 30 different types of massage that have been identified, having been used for the last 3000 years.

Deep tissue massage is one of those therapies that focuses on realigning deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue. Researchers have found that deep tissue massage is especially helpful for those who suffer from chronically tense and contracted areas of the body such as neck, low back and sore shoulders.

Deep tissue massage uses some of the same motions and techniques as Swedish massage but the pressure will generally be more intense. Deep tissue massage is a more focused typos therapy as the therapist works to release chronic muscle tension or knots, also known as adhesions.

Deep tissue massage should be done by a therapist who has been a specially trained in the technique. Although it does not hurt it is likely to be more uncomfortable than a classic Swedish massage.

Using these deeper techniques for massage can help to break up and a lemonade scar tissue and is usually focused on more specific areas of the body than an over all body massage. Although there may be some soreness during or after the massage the participant should feel better than ever within a day or two.

Like other types of massage therapy individuals who experience deep tissue massage on a consistent basis will find the most benefits. Individuals who consistently used deep tissue massage also find that their bodies stay in better alignment in better shape which decreases their risk of injury.

One of the other did lining differences between deep tissue massage and a regular massage technique is the use of tools. During a standard massage needs therapists usually only involve their own hands and lower arms. However, during deep tissue massage therapist will use elbows, fingers, penetrating tools such as ceramics, glass or wooden props in order to reach the deep muscles.