I don’t know about anywhere else in the world but here in the UK massage is seen as a luxury. A pampering to be saved for birthdays and other special occasions.
And it makes me sad.
No, it doesn’t make me sad because you should all be getting massages all the time to make us therapists rich (although y’know that might be nice too!). It makes me sad because massage is so much more than a luxury. So much more.
When I hear about runners and other athletes in training who don’t get regular massages (and guys, I’m only talking monthly here), it makes me sad because it makes me think about all the injured runners that I’m trying so hard to help get back on their running feet – sporting injuries that could perhaps have been prevented with regular massages. Because prevention is so much easier than cure. The Olympic athletes of Ancient Greece would be spinning in their graves (if they had graves rather than funeral pyres) to hear anyone was training without regular massage! 
Why have we come to think of massage as a luxury? Why will we spend so much on clothes, on shoes, on wine and meals out but we won’t spend £30-£40 a month on our own health? You wouldn’t think about driving your car without making sure the oil, water and petrol were all OK, so why do not maintain our bodies in the same way?
Why has it taken so long for the medical profession to begin to understand what a lot of us have known for so long? Finally NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) studies are being undertaken to show that massage can help reduce lower back pain and that the pain stays away for up to a year after a course of treatment has taken place but why is this not more widely publicised?
Massage isn’t a quick fix. It won’t take your pain away as quickly as a Nurofen, but it will help that pain stay away without damaging your stomach lining. You may think massage is a luxury and doesn’t really do anything but tell that to the Pilates teacher who couldn’t run because her calves were so tight, to the gentleman who, after being plagued by neck pain, hasn’t suffered in six months, or to the lady who’s regular massages have helped her recover from a serious virus.
My friend, local business coach and writer Corrina Gordon-Barnes, recently used massage to help her recover from the RSI that was preventing her from doing her work properly. ”When I developed RSI, I knew I had to take better care of my body,” she said. ”It became a no-brainer to schedule myself in for weekly massages, like it was a prescription that I needed to follow if I wanted to feel better, not some optional extra”. If you want to read more about Corrina’s experience, click here.
Even if you’re not sick, or not injured, or not running miles and miles a week, regular massage can still offer you so much. Release for those stiff shoulders from sitting at your desk all day, stimulation for your lymph and circulation systems, the importance + profound power of touch.
“The athlete as much as the man or woman who sits at a desk all day
needs remedial [work] to counterbalance
the effects of his daily physical habits”
– Joseph Pilates
So, beloved readers, do yourself and your body a favour. Don’t think about massage as a luxury, think about it as something you have to do.
I have a funny feeling you won’t regret it.
How has massage and similar treatments helped you in the past?
When I had my massage after the big bike ride, the massage therapist said that she has regular hand massages ‘because I use my hands a lot!’; I thought this was awesome and promised her I’d find a massage therapist once we’d moved house. This is on the to-do list – promise!
Totally agree! Thanks for this gentle reminder to do something nice for myself and schedule regular massages! Wish you lived closer so I could come to you!
I have benefited from massage therapy many times to heal my lower back and tight neck and shoulders.
Rachel, this is really quite brilliant. I have read that dancers should see regular massage as part of their self-care routine, and I, too, think, “Oh…well…that is a luxury!” HELLO!? We don’t say that about chiropractors, for example, and many people see massage as a much less violent approach than adjustments…with the same results. I am totally going to change my thinking on this. Now to find a really excellent therapist…
I recently went back to my masseuse as my neck had seized up so violently that I couldn’t walk properly.
I can’t decide if it was stress, from flying or from a building up of all of these things and running too.
So I have decided that I although I don’t really have the spare money I will pay out the money each month for a session with her.
She does a mixture of sports massage, tuina and one needle acupuncture to sort out really bad knots. It is in no way a relaxing, luxiourus session, but I feel so much better for it and it benefits last such a long time. She totally got rid of long term lower back problem.
A good therapist is hard to come by and worth their weight in gold. I actually carry her business cards in my wallet now!
Hi Rachel,
I love massages. And you’re right – people think nothing of buying several coffees (which adds up) a day, yet consider treatments a luxury.
I wanted to thank you for the Yoga Nidra MP3; I used to do it in a group, and now I do it almost every day thanks to your download. Your voice is very soothing!
I didn’t really get what you’re talking about until a torn calf muscle forced me to have weekly massages for two months. Now I’m back to fortnightly (boohoo) and I can’t imagine being without massage as a requirement for my body any more. It’s definitely not just a luxury!!