Adapted from Spafinder.com

Self-care is a must as many of us with stocked shelves of serums, face masks and hair wraps know. While at-home spa is great, sometimes you’re simply in the mood to be pampered.

Our advice? Take your wellness journey to the next level with a monthly massage!

Adopt a regular experience for greater physical and mental health benefits. Whether you’re a fan of Swedish or hot stone massages, a rubdown every four weeks will become the wellness treat you didn’t even know you needed.

If you still need to be convinced, just read up on these monthly massage benefits:

1. Alleviates back and joint pain

While back and joint pain can happen to anybody, it becomes prevalent with factors like a sedentary lifestyle, aging, and genetics. Employees with desk jobs often struggle with lower back discomfort as part of their everyday reality. Ugh.

The good news? Regularly treating the back, buttocks, thighs, and other areas can help to reduce this pain.

Your massage therapist works her magic by targeting the tightest muscles to relieve tension, stretch out, and eliminate knots. Those who receive regular massages have reported increased mobility and flexibility with less muscle discomfort.

The improved circulation can also help to reduce inflammation and improve healing powers. Monthly massages (or more often) are an ideal way to beat back and joint pain. You can speak with your local spa to determine which massage treatment works best for you.

2. Fights stress and improves mood

Massage has become synonymous with self-care and stress relief, and science proves exactly why.

A study conducted by researchers at the University of Miami proves that patients who receive regular treatments reduced their levels of the stress hormone cortisol by 53%. This hormone not only helps you relax, but also reduces your risk of high blood pressure, cholesterol, and blood sugar.

Monthly massages will also provide a boost of the best hormones, including serotonin and dopamine. These hormones balance moods and help to reduce anxiety and depression.

This explains why massage has long been used as a top-rated mental health treatment.

3. Saves time and money

Whether you believe it or not, monthly massages can actually cost you less than doing these treatments sporadically.

You can often save quite a bit on a monthly massage membership at your local spa. And choosing the same day and time every month will prevent you from needing to cancel meetings or book babysitters. 

Another perk of a monthly spa membership? You can experiment with new massages every four weeks to determine which one is your favourite. Keep receiving a Swedish massage if you’re enamoured by its tension-relieving and relaxation properties.

Also, mix and match with a deep tissue or reflexology massage whenever you’re in the mood.

4. Helps you sleep better

woman in bed ready to sleep

Massages alleviate stress, one of the main causes of restlessness, but there are other factors that help you snooze more soundly.

According to Sleep.com, a monthly massage treatment helps to decrease the stress hormone cortisol, while ramping up mood stabilizers like serotonin and dopamine. 

Experience balanced hormones, combined with reduced muscle tension and improved mood which results in a much better sleep schedule. Those with insomnia or other sleep disorders will experience these benefits in an even more advanced way.

6. Enables more effective workouts

Stretch before and in between workouts so that your muscles will be relaxed and your joints flexible.

Massage therapists understand all the tension points of the body in a way that few do, creating full-body relaxation with every rub. From the calves to the back to the hips, eliminate knots, reduce tension, and increase mobility with every massage. 

The results? Your next hot yoga session will have you stretching your limbs to a new level. You deserve to feel good before, during, and after your workout, and a massage gives your body the calming boost it needs for exercise.

Book your next massage with your local spa today and start feeling the benefits.