Calm harp music fills the dimly lit room as the scent of lavender wafts through the air. The massage therapist thanks you for coming in and steps out of the room. You sit up, blissed out and deeply relaxed. Even that stubborn spot between your shoulder blades seems to have loosened up. Yet, as you drive home through rush-hour traffic you can feel the tension building once more. By the time you get home, it’s almost like you didn’t get a massage.

The honest truth is that massage is not the magic cure-all you would like it to be. It absolutely has benefits, but when you aren’t using it in conjunction with other wellness techniques, it can only do so much. Unless you’re independently wealthy, the chances are you have to budget your time and money wisely to afford massages. If you aren’t able to come in for massages as often as you’d like, there are things you can do in between your massage appointments to maximize the benefit. Many of these options are easy, low-cost, and keep the muscle tension at bay.

Get your drink on.

Right after your massage appointment, be sure to focus on getting extra hydration. Staying hydrated is one of the simplest yet effective wellness tips. Our body relies on water that is absorbed into tissues all through the body to stay limber and lubricated. When we get a massage, inflammation and other substances are loosened from these tissues and released into our bloodstream as waste. Without proper hydration, the body cannot efficiently eliminate this waste, which can lead to muscles that are more sore and stiff than before. Dehydration also can lead to fatigue, soreness, and digestive issues. Increasing your water and electrolytes for at least 24-48 hours will maximize the mobilization of lymph and other cellular waste products.

Stretch & Strengthen

Massage manually stretches muscle tissue, which allows better blood flow and improved range of motion, but a massage appointment is only one to two hours long. Adding a simple stretching routine into your morning and/or night wellness routine can give you similar benefits by improving your range of motion and posture. This will look different for everyone. For some it’s an hour of yoga. For others it’s a 10-minute gentle stretch while on a lunch break. Ten minutes may not sound like it would make a difference, however, making time for that gentle yoga sequence can improve neck and shoulder tension quickly and supports better posture throughout the day.

Stretching is key, but equally so is strengthening. Strength training may conjure images of gym bros with huge biceps, but in this context it is really about maintaining healthy muscle tone to support the joints and proper alignment throughout the body. To sit up straight, walk evenly, and function well, your body needs to have a strong core, glutes, and legs. The truth is, many of us are sedentary and sit in the same position at work for hours on end. Strengthening can be complex or simple—if you need some ideas to get started, YouTube can be a great resource for everything from gentle post-surgical core exercises to HIIT strengthening routines. I personally have to lift weights and do high intensity cardio in order to feel good. I have friends who take a 20 minute walk, and do some simple lunges, squats and crunches and that suits them perfectly.

Stop, Drop, & Roll

A go-to recommendation at the Pearl Day Spa for many years between massage or chiropractic appointments is foam rolling. It has helped me tremendously-- it’s frankly one of my oldest friends when it comes to my home wellness toolkit—it’s seen me through thick and thin. If you are not familiar, foam rolling uses a cylindrical piece of foam and body weight to create traction and pressure on stiff muscles and trigger points. It should be advised--you can hurt yourself with a foam roller if you don’t do it properly, so be sure to follow all recommendations. Here’s a link I like that really demonstrates safe and effective foam roller usage. Foam rollers come in different sizes and densities, and are easy to purchase, ranging from $10 and $40. Be sure not to overdo it-- once or twice a week is plenty.

How to Foam Roll (Massage) Entire Body with Good Form & Technique.

Play Hot & Cold

If you’re experiencing soreness or pain in between appointments, it can be beneficial to apply heat or cold to the affected area as part of your wellness routine. Heat, whether dry or wet, is helpful at softening muscles and increasing blood flow. Heat relaxes the vascular tissues while cold temperatures constrict tissue to slow blood flow, reducing inflammation. There are several ways to use temperature to soothe sore muscles. I personally prefer an electric heating pad and hot showers or baths. You can also use topical warming or cooling creams applied to the sore muscle. Sombra is one we use at the Pearl a lot during massage: they have a warm and a cool option, and it comes in different packaging options depending on your preference..

Mind/Body Connection Care

Emotional and mental stress can manifest in your body in a HUGE way. Stress can impact how well you sleep, how much self-care you are doing, your self-talk, and it takes a toll on your body-mind connection. It also creates tension which is held in different areas around the body, causing pain and stiffness.

I just had my kiddo go to in-person school for the first time. Did I cry? Nope. Did I have big feelings? Yes. And my big feelings turned into a tight upper back, sore neck and head, as well as some serious fatigue. In times of big changes and additional stress, it is imperative to rely on all the self care methods at your disposal to reduce the physical stress and tension. As I felt all the emotions and stress associated with my kid going to school for the first time, I relied on all the above tips. I sympathized with another parent in the same boat. I brought it up with my therapist. I cancelled a few things to take some down time, and I took a few long hot baths. I also made sure to acknowledge that I was not feeling okay. I took time to pause and feel my emotions, to give myself time to feel my body responding, and to feel my body improve as I made space for my feelings to be released.

If you are going through a period of increased stress and anxiety, take a moment to reflect on what helps you feel at ease. Remember that emotions are temporary, and create space within your life to allow them to be felt and released. Reducing unnecessary stress in your life can also help-- are there responsibilities you can hold off on or extracurricular activities that can be given up? Taking stock of what is important and what is extra can help you to reduce stress and its associated physical side effects.

There are of course many other things we can do in between massage appointments: acupuncture, sauna, hot tub, reflexology, to name a few. Massage is only one puzzle piece of the bigger picture that is your personal wellness routine. When combined with other methods of self-care, you can maximize the time between appointments and take control of your stress and physical tension. Whatever you do, remember that you are worthy of pausing and allowing yourself more than just 60 minutes to nurture yourself. You deserve to live a life of ease.

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