Along with acupuncture, hypnosis, magnet therapy and biofeedback, massage was listed as a therapy backed by research showing its effectiveness in calming the nervous system and promoting circulation.
Researchers speculate that a reduction in cortisol allows the immune system to spring back.
Parents are offering their children the day spa experience as a reward for doing well in school or to relieve the stress of an overextended academic life, the article stated. Bay Area parents have been snapping up massage certificates for eighth-grade graduation gifts. They've bought their children facials before big school dances. And some have even elected to host their child's birthday in a day spa, springing for manicures for all the young guests. Author Julie Register gave a personal account of her effort to ease her running family's aches and pains from the annual 10K race in Atlanta, Georgia.