In today's increasingly health conscious society, therapeutic massage and its holistic approach, is a rapidly growing profession. Professional massage therapists have established a nation organization, the American Massage Therapy Association, which boasts over 30,000 members. In 1992, the San Francisco Chronicle ranked professional massage therapy third in it's list of top ten business growth categories. According to the California Board of Massage Therapists, massage is the systematic manual or mechanical manipulation of the soft tissues of the body by such movements as rubbing, kneading, pressing, rolling, slapping and tapping. Its purpose is to reduce stress while promoting the relief of pain, circulation of blood, relaxation of muscles and improving one's overall sense of well being.
Massages feel good.
By helping us to relax, they relieve stress and perhaps help us to focus. Whether it's the soft music or the individual attention, an afternoon at the massage therapists can't be beat. Well, after a good massage, money loses its meaning. Most of us go through our entire lives feeling physically bad. Maybe not bad, but not good.