With our profession so stress-related, our people need help relieving that tension so they can concentrate more effectively. Individual clients tread down to Connie Greba's basement in Clinton Township where soft lights, New Age music and a heated massage table await them. Greba often uses a combination of myofascial release, coaxing muscles in spasm to relax and trigger point, applying pressure to muscles for a short time to improve oxygen and blood flow to cramped tissues, adjusting pressure for client preferences. Here, Mira Zhuli, a supervisor at Salon Nadwa in Novi, enjoys a lunch after her massage. Sometimes, I need relief from aches and pains, other times it is like a whole body meditation that transports me to different spaces in my head.
Healing comes in many forms, some painful, some hot, and some gentle as a summer breeze.
Some spas heat stones until they are super-hot, and put oil on them before applying them. The heat works its way into tense spots, some too painful to touch or knead. Other therapists use a variety of massages from a gentle Reiki that is said to direct an energy force over the body to Rolfing, a deep-tissue massage that uses knuckles, elbows and intense hand pressure. One of the first lessons students at Irene's Myomassology Institute in Southfield learn is how to drape a client before starting a therapeutic massage. They keep a towel over the genitals and cover everything that isn't being worked on.