As you move from conscious to unconscious, you lose track of time. Until the dreaded moment comes when the therapist actual speaks and says “It’s time to turn over.” All discombobulated, you slide down the warm massage bed and get ready for round two.

Then back to the unconscious state until the therapist starts doing the ending ritual like spraying some essential oils in the air. You walk out wondering where the hour went and feel “different.”

Now after all these years that “different” has been researched by the National Center for Complimentary and Alternative Medicine, a division of the National Institutes of Health. They found that a single session of massage caused biological changes.

According to their research, volunteers experienced significant decreases in levels of the stress hormone cortisol in blood and saliva, and in arginine vasopressin, a hormone that can lead to increases in cortisol. They also had increases in the number of lymphocytes, white blood cells that are part of the immune system.

And there is more. They are also experienced greater increases in oxytocin, a hormone associated with contentment. Aha, now I know why I always feel “different.” Got to love that oxytocin!

For more information, the study was published online in The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. The article also appeared in the Tuesday issue of The New York Times. I don’t know about you, but a massage sure sounds good right about now.

Happy Friday!

Massage therapy is no longer the once-a-year indulgence or special treat one gets at a spa. Sure plenty of spas are still doing massages, but the growth is coming from the health care field. For the first time, massage therapy is considered to be a health care benefit and therapists themselves health care professionals.

Hospitals, therapy centers, chiropractors and other venues are using massage therapy as a healing process. The article goes on to state that massage therapy reduces stress and provides many other benefits.

This is good news for salons and spas. While it’s nice that more and more hospitals are opening wellness centers, I would rather step into a nice spa. But for hospitals, it makes perfect sense. Plenty of people are going to hospitals for many reasons so why not turn the hospital experience into something positive.

One thing the article didn’t mention is that TNG offers advanced massage courses through Biotone. We have noticed that many courses are sold-out and it points to the trend of more people getting into the industry. It’s good work, rewarding and you get to listen to spa music all day long.

Personally, I like a massage with the same frequency of a pedicure: monthly. But I can certainly get used to having them weekly.

Happy Monday!