Couples Massage (How To Have The Best Experience)
No matter what role you play in life: mother, father, sister, brother, husband, wife, boss, employee, you’re going to go through some stress. Doesn’t a massage sound amazing right about now?
As amazing as some alone time getting totally relaxed while a trained professional work out all your tension and muscle pain might sound, there are tremendous benefits to bringing along a partner to share in the experience.
Friends, mothers and daughters, sisters and more can enjoy couples massage therapy
What is Couples Massage Therapy?
First and foremost, we must separate the difference between a message and actual massage therapy. A massage refers to a general, overall effort of your major muscle groups to relax tension and resolve stress. Massage therapy is more specific. It can be used to rehab an injury or address a chronic ache or pain in the body. Both treatments can go beyond taking care of specific muscle problems, it can have positive effects on lessening conditions such as:
- Anxiety
- Insomnia
- Headaches
- TMJ pain
- Digestive problems
In couples massage therapy, two people get a massage at the same time from a pair of massage therapists. Though they take place in the same room, their actual therapy can be very different depending on each person’s individual needs.
What are the Benefits of Couples Massage Therapy?
Just like our bodies need some TLC from time to time, so too do our mental and psychological selves. Sharing a massage session with another person can be a tremendous tool towards connecting with that person and forming stronger bonds in the process.
Strength in Numbers
If you’ve never had a massage before, the process can be a bit intimidating. You are in a new place and asked to remove most-to-all of your clothes, dawn a robe, and lay on a table waiting for a stranger to come and perform the massage.
Plenty of people are so intimidated by this process that they refuse to get a massage because of the embarrassment or uncomfortableness that comes with those situations. Having someone come with you who you know and trust can alleviate those feelings of stress and transform an atmosphere of fear into one of humor and support.
When’s the last time you say down for a heart-to-heart talk with a family member or loved one? Still thinking about it? We can have great times together at lunch, over coffee or on playdates for the kids, but we’re still not truly able to focus on each other and nurturing our relationships – with our smartphones constantly in hand and beeping fascinating updates about who’s at what restaurant and what the weather is doing outside.
In the environment of couples massage therapy, all those distractions are tossed out the window. Kids are off at school or home with a sitter, the noise level is reduced to tranquil music in the background, smartphones are silenced and stowed away, and your massage therapists are trained to be as unobtrusive as possible.
That leaves time for you and your massage partner to really bond as you let out your inner-most thoughts, worries, and fears and truly communicate with each other. Even the positioning of the body on the massage table, usually lying on your stomach with your face resting where you can’t see anyone else can add an extra layer of comfort to the conversation.
You don’t have to see the other person’s face when you talk to them, which can allow you to broach tough subjects without fearing the look on their face when they first hear you speak.
Just a Touch
If you are a romantic couple, getting a massage together can amplify your physical connection even if neither one of you is doing the massaging. Begin touched raises out levels of the chemical oxytocin, which has garnered the nickname “the cuddle hormone”.
Being touched in a favorable way makes you want to reciprocate the feeling and keep the ball rolling, leading to more specific physical intimacy between partners. And the good vibes of that physical contact go far beyond feeling good. Research says that higher levels of oxytocin also improve the immune system and reduce cardiovascular stress.
Two other chemicals – dopamine and serotonin – are also released during bonding experiences like this. Serotonin increases when you feel significant or important. They are natural antidepressants.
Dopamine leads to us getting motivated to achieve goals and hits with another dose when we achieve them. Letting your body relax can unlock your mind to focus on goals or share them with a partner and get that ball rolling.
What does a spa provide for a couple’s message?
Depending on what spa you choose and what sort of package you pick the actual couples massage therapy might be just the tip of the iceberg for your experience. Spas offer time in a jacuzzi that could be used regardless of your relationship – time to talk and relax if you are friends or family members; time to get closer if you are bringing a romantic partner.
Other amenities can include a selection of food choices to nibble on afterward while enjoying manicures, pedicures or time by a fireplace dressed in comfortable robes. Foods are usually along the lines of cheeses, fruits, or chocolate. Oftentimes champagne – your choice of alcoholic or nonalcoholic is often included as well.
How do I find a good provider for a couples massage at home or when I’m on the road?
For plenty of people, driving to a spa or massage therapy center just isn’t practical for a couples massage. For others, the idea of a massage while traveling for work or on vacation is appealing, but knowing where to look and how to book can be intimidating.
For just such occasions, there’s Zeel.com which offers in-home massage services for individuals and couples with licensed and vetted massage therapists. Zeels is open 365 days a year from 8 a.m. – 10:30 p.m. Its services are available with as little as one hour’s notice to come to homes, hotels or offices.
At present, Zeel’s services are in 70 cities and their surrounding communities. You can join Zeel and become a member, earning discounts on every service you purchase. Zeel offers couples massages in increments of 60, 75 and 90 minutes. The therapists will massage tables, music, and equipment to give you the best environment possible to relax in.
Can we do our own couples massage therapy at home?
Absolutely! You might not get the simultaneous feeling of relaxing, but there’s something to be said between romantic partners for being the one giving the other person the feeling of relaxation and allowing them to de-stress.
While you might lack the massage table, you can still take care of your partner at home or on the road with a few lessons from some of the best authors in the massage game.
A great first choice is Helen Hodgson’s “Couple’s Massage Handbook: Deepen Your Relationship with the Healing Power of Touch.” It starts up with the most basic of basics to get you comfortable with giving your partner a massage. It includes the best tools to use from oils to music as well as the best spots in your house to set up for a massage.
9 Of The Best Warming Massage Oils For Muscle Recovery Or A Sensual Touch
With a few careful choices of an environment, you can turn your home into a more spa-like environment. You can also design the atmosphere so that it’s not just your partner’s sense of touch that is being stimulated, but also their other senses like smell, taste, hearing, and sight.
Another top seller is Peggy Morrison Horan’s “Connecting Through Touch: The Couples’ Massage Book”.
This text features step-by-step instructions of how to begin the massage, how to make deep contact both physically and emotionally with your partner during the massage process, eventually being able to enter a stage of nonverbal language through body contact.
Whomever your massage partner might be, couples massage therapy can be a spiritual, enlightening event that can bond you together in ways you never knew possible.
