The Effectiveness of Swedish Massage

The Swedish massage is considered to be one of the most effective among all currently known types of wellness massages at our Dubai spa salon. The Swedish masseur Henrik Ling founded this massage technique at the turn of the 13th to 19th centuries. Among other things, he was actively involved in the formation of such a concept as physiotherapy.

This outstanding master taught his method to the students of the Stockholm Central Royal Institute of Gymnastics. And the attention of his students he always drew on the main, in his opinion, the purpose of any massage – restoration of normal blood circulation in the human body.

It is nice to think that the basic techniques of classical Swedish massage are:

• tapping;
• kneading;
• rubbing;
• vibrating movements;
• rhythmic tapping.

Basic Steps and Technique of Classical Swedish Massage

First of all, it is necessary to understand that the conduct of such massage practices should be as calm and balanced as possible. In particular this applies to its first stages. The slower the first stages are carried out, the better and higher quality the deep soft tissues are worked on. In this case, one important condition is that the hands of the master should always be warm.

In the course of such procedures various oils may be used, but sometimes the sessions are conducted without oils. If they are used, it is necessary to warm the oil mixture beforehand. To do this, the oil bottle is placed in a special vessel with hot water. The oil should never be poured directly on the patient’s body – you need to lubricate your hands with it.

The Main Stages of the Swedish Massage

To begin with, the massage specialist makes slow, sliding movements with his/her fingers along the patient’s body surface, gently probing the soft tissues. After getting ‘acquainted’ with the patient’s body, the main movements of the first stage are tapping. These movements are done at a slow pace, using the palms of the hands, fingers and fists. Lotions, creams, talcum powder or oils can be used for this stage. Muscles in the course of such exposure get a good warming up, and the pain caused by muscle overstrain usually goes away already at this stage.

The main condition in this case is the observance of a clear direction when carrying out the massage movements, so that the blood flows more actively to the heart muscle, rather than away from it. In essence, this means that it is necessary to start the Swedish classical massage from the lower part of the body and its extremities, that is, legs and arms. Rough and abrupt movements are simply unacceptable in this case.

Methods of kneading. These techniques are performed by grasping certain areas of the skin with subsequent pulling and squeezing. Thus, it is necessary to work on all parts of the body. This method is considered very effective, provided that is done very slowly and firmly.

Rubbing. At this stage, simultaneously pulling away the skin on different parts of the body, followed by pressing and pulling it back. Such techniques are especially effective when acting on the ankles, the knee area, the back of the neck, as well as the ligaments and tendons.

Vibratory movements. At this stage, all movements are performed quickly and rhythmically using the fingers. Sometimes our specialists at Russian Spa in Dubai may use a special vibromassager.

The last stage is soft rhythmic tapping using fists. Such tapping does not cause the patient any pain. However, they are not used in the lower back. Such exercises are not recommended in the area of the ribs and kidneys.