Benefits Beyond the Table

Massage does more than make you feel good. Its health benefits are long-lasting

By Laurie Davies
Photos by Jeff Newton

Nothing makes oohs and ahhs tumble off the tongue like a massage. But massage therapy does more than make you feel good in the moment. In fact, experts agree that the mental and emotional benefits of regular massage therapy last long after you're off the table.

Mind-Body Awareness

Have you ever intuitively looked at your spouse and known something was wrong? Or had your hair stand on end when someone was following you? "There are aspects of the mind-body connection that are hard to verbalize, but when you experience it, you know it," says Judy Stahl, LMT, president-elect of the American Massage Therapy Association. "As research unfolds, it becomes clear that there is a mind-body connection and that appropriate touch heals people mentally and emotionally," Stahl says. "Everyone is finally getting it." Stahl says massage therapy can help clients simultaneously experience the physical health benefits of massage while enjoying its proven anxiety-lowering, pleasure-increasing properties. "There's something about massage that taps into our intuition. It helps us know things from the inside out rather than the outside in," Stahl says.

Stress Reduction

Our ancient ancestors got "stressed out" when faced by a saber-toothed tiger or a savage who would kill over a basket of berries. They either fought or ran away, immediately burning off the adrenaline and cortisol mobilized by the body.

Today's battles may be more benign, but there's nothing civilized about the body's unhealthy buildup of hormones when we're stuck in traffic or meeting a work deadline. "When we don't burn adrenaline and cortisol off, they harm body tissue. The ancient response that saved our lives is now the thing that's killing us," says Anne Williams, LMT, education program director for Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals. In fact, she says, pent-up levels of the "stress hormone" cortisol can lead to sleeplessness, headaches and digestive problems.

Enter, massage therapy. Massage has been shown to decrease cortisol in the body. This allows the body to enter a rest-and-recovery mode, an effect that lingers long after the massage is over. In fact, Williams says, massage triggers a host of brain chemistry responses that result in lasting feelings of stress relief and improved mood.

Lasting Relaxation

Experts agree that regular massage has cumulative effects. "The results of massage build on each other," Williams says. This can lead to an ability to relax tense muscles more easily over time.

"It has been shown that athletes who have fatigued muscles recover better with massage as opposed to not having massage," Williams says. Anecdotally, she suggests that people feel better and more relaxed in the days after massage based on the same principle. "You don't just feel better right now. You feel better for a period of time after the massage. Connective tissues are being realigned. You can move more freely and feel less pain and less tension."

Better Self-Concept

We've all met people who felt comfortable in their own skin, no matter what their size or shape. But what if you're not one of them? What if you view your body's bulges and blemishes as stumbling blocks to self-acceptance?

After 21 years professionally in massage therapy, Stahl is convinced that the No. 1 core benefit of massage therapy is its accompanying sense of safety and self-acceptance. "With appropriate touch comes a sense of personal esteem that people don't necessarily get anyplace else in their lives," Stahl says. "If massage therapy is delivered appropriately, you're going to have a heightened sense of safety in your own skin."

As a result, you may open up and talk to others more. You may walk into the workplace with confidence. Or you may be better positioned to battle eating disorders, depression or other mental health challenges. Studies at the Touch Research Institute at the University of Miami School of Medicine examining the positive effects of massage on depression and eating disorders seem to bolster this assertion.

"Massage somehow makes you literally feel happier and more accepted," Stahl says. "I would stake my life on it."