When looking to get a massage, knowing the different techniques will help you decide which one is best for you! At our massage therapy school we teach all 6 techniques featured in this post as well as many others. In this article, we want to share with you 6 different massage techniques and compare how they are different.

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  Young woman having a hot stone massage therapy

  Hot Stone Massage – This technique has been around for centuries and is widely used among massage clinics. Heated flat rocks are placed on parts of the body, mainly the back. The heat dispensed from the hot stones helps to relax the muscles, making it easier for the therapist to perform the massage and gives the client a more relaxing experience.

• Cupping – Cupping is an ancient form of alternative medicine in which the therapist puts special cups on the skin to create suction. Cupping is known to help with inflammation, pain, detoxing the body and enhance a deep tissue massage.

• Deep Tissue Massage – Deep tissue massage is similar to a Swedish massage but the differences are in the pressure the therapist uses to get into the deep layers of the muscle tissue.

• Pregnancy and Prenatal Massage – The name gives away this type of massage! Pregnancy massage helps with the discomforts that pregnancy brings such as low back pain, leg cramps, headaches and edema or swelling.

• Swedish Massage – This massage technique tends to be the most popular among spas today and hails its name from the Western concepts of anatomy and physiology. When you think of a massage, most likely you are thinking of a Swedish massage or a ‘Classic Massage’ as they call it in Sweden!

• Sports Massage – If you missed our previous post about sports massage and how it can help athletes check it out!

Massage isn’t an extreme luxury, but a beneficial way to take care of your mind, body and spirit. We believe that incorporating a massage regularly into your lifestyle will increase your overall mind and body health. To learn more about our massage therapy school and the different techniques, click to see our curriculum here at USTA!