Massage feels great, but why is that? And what should you look for when you hire someone to give you a rub down? To answer these questions, the Wellness Advisor spoke to Sarah Banner, a licensed massage therapist in New York.

Sarah Banner: Massage is helpful to the body for several reasons. It promotes stimulation, which increases the rate of circulation throughout the body and rids toxins from the body. It also helps rid the muscles of stress, pain and adhesion and promotes relaxation. Additionally, massage can help the body recover from certain type of surgeries and help heal scar and can reduce inflammation. Also, people need touch and often don’t receive enough contact. Massage is an excellent way of giving and receiving touch.

Banner: Massage helps relieve muscle tension in several ways. Massage allows the body to relax by using specific strokes or types of massage such as Swedish massage and deep tissue as well as many other modalities. These techniques release lactic acid from the body. Lactic acids is a waste product of muscles from working which tightens muscles and can cause spasms.

Banner: Massage can be painful, especially if you are having deep tissue or Shiatsu done in tender areas or if you are very tight. Sometimes it is painful, but often one can feel it doing something good at the same time like feeling a release, getting out a knot, relieving a stiff neck or treating an injury appropriately. If it does not feel positive in any way, or simply feels too painful or uncomfortable the client should tell the massage therapist as soon as possible. In either situation the body may feel sore for a few days. Heat and/or ice is great for healing sore muscles. This is a normal response to even helpful but painful massage. Don’t panic. You’re body will feel better very soon with its renewed circulation.

Banner: The most important thing one can do to prevent neck and shoulder tension is to observe proper posture. Many people don’t walk or sit correctly. Many people who use computers lean forward too much, which is the worst thing one can do. Some people slump in their chairs and throw their shoulders forward and what that does is shorten the pectoral muscles in the front, and over stretch the traps at the top of the shoulder, which also creates a lot of tension which can radiate upward to the neck as well as the shoulder blades. Exercise and stretching are very good as well. And of course massage is very helpful. Once a week is ideal but costly for many. Once a month is still very helpful.

Banner: To relax the body there are a few things to do. Deep breathing, inhale and exhale. Do this slowly and repeat several times, especially while laying down. Stretching such as yoga is also very helpful for many people. This will help the body and mind relax. If this is combined with great posture and maintained for an ongoing period of time the body’s muscle structure will be more aligned. Exercise at the gym doing specific things with a trainer or knowing how to strengthen certain weak muscles will help balance things out too.

Banner: When going to a massage therapist for the first time there are certain things you should look for:

-Does he/she have all of the credentials needed for his/her certification or license?

-What types of massage does the therapist know and what is his/her specialty?

-Does the therapist make me feel comfortable when we first meet?

-Does the therapist ask me about the medical history and ask why I am here and what to focus on?

-Does the therapist make an effort to make me feel comfortable such as proper draping of the sheets and ask occasionally how you feel as well as adjusting his/her pressure to your needs.

Overall the therapist should strike you as professional and conscientious If you are comfortable with your therapist, lie down, relax and enjoy!