NEW SUMMER MASSAGE HOURS STARTING JUNE 2ND - AUG.8TH 2008
MONDAY - FRINDAY : 8:30 AM - 7:00 PM
SAT & SUNDAY : 8:30 AM - 8:30 PM
STILL LET ME KNOW IN ADVANCE TIME / DATE U LIKE UR MASSAGE !
Hello , My Name Is Marina Garza (L.M.T) License #MTO38447.I've Been Practicing Licensed Massage Therapist For 5 Years.I'am From McAllen,Texas (956 ) Area. I Graduated From School Of Natural Therapy On Sept 2nd 2002.I'm an Independent Therapist . I Work Out Of My Home /Office Relaxing Setting . My Skills Include Swedish Massage, Deep Tissue, . Reflexology ( Hands & Feet ) , Hot Stone Massage , Chair Massage . Ear Candling Heat Therapy , Moxubusion ( Heat Therapy W/ moxa sticks ).Sports Massage As Of 5/6/07 ,& Many More To Come To continue my Education As Long As I'am A Massage Therapist .
* NO SEXUAL FAVORS * No Extras * Which Means Iam a Legit Massage Therapist....
*~ My Rate ~*
A. * Chair Massage *
15 Min $15.00
25 Min $25.00
30 Min $30.00
40 Min $40.00
50 Min $50.00
30 Min Swedish Massage $35.00
B.Swedish Massage (1 hr ) $40.00
C.Deep Tissue Swedish Massage (1 hr ) $45.00
D.Swedish Massage (1hr & 30 Min ) $50.00
E. Swedish Massage With reflexology ( 1hr ) $65.00
F.Swedish Massage With reflexology 1 hr & 30 min $75.00
G.Swedish Massage With reflexology (2 hours $80.00)
H.Hot Stone Massage ( 1 hr ) $85.00
I.Hot Stone Massage ( 2 Hr ) $95.00
Massage therapy is a broad term encompassing several different techniques.
The main objective of massage therapy is to relax a person and relieve muscle tension and knots.
Swedish, deep tissue, trigger point, and myofascial release are common forms of massage therapy.
Massage therapy has the potential to influence the body in many ways. When a person begins to relax and release muscular tension, there is easier access to a meditative state, lowered levels of stress, decreased pain, and an increased feeling of well being.
Common Male Physiological Response to Massage
It is very common for men to get an erection during a non-sexual, therapeutic, full body massage. While an erection can be indicative of being physiologically aroused, it does not necessarily indicate the presence of emotional or sexual desire. Touch administered to any part of the body can activate the parasympathetic nervous system, which can result in a partial or complete erection. Professional assessment can help a therapist decipher a physiological response to touch from inappropriate sexual intentions.
While physical arousal can occur with both male and female clients, a woman’s arousal is typically less visible. Fear of an erection, or a massage practitioner’s response to it, prohibits some men from seeking a much needed therapeutic massage. For those devoid of inappropriate intentions, education about normal body function can ease this fear and invite a new level of comfort with somatic-based therapies.
If there is any discomfort on the part of either the client or the practitioner when an erection occurs, it must be addressed.
• Discomfort on the part of the client or the therapist will divert the focus of the therapy, resulting in decreased effectiveness.
• If a man shows no signs of embarrassment or discomfort due to his erection, and the therapist is comfortable, then addressing it is not necessary.
• If the therapist notices any client discomfort, such as body tension or facial flushing, then it would best serve the client to talk about it.
• Because the antidote to a parasympathetic response is activation of the sympathetic nervous system, changing the technique being used can quell a spontaneous erection.
•The sympathetic nervous system can be activated by increasing massage pace and pressure. Note: This increase should be moderate, as it is not intended to alarm or cause pain to the client.
Based on fundamental communication skills, Ben E. Benjamin, Ph.D. and Cherie Sohnen-Moe describe “The Intervention Model” in The Ethics of Touch. When a client’s intent is unclear, The Intervention Model contains eight steps to guide a practitioner’s assessment and subsequent action in response to ethical dilemmas. Dependant upon the details of the situation being addressed, it may be necessary to consecutively progress from step one to step eight, stop after step one or two, follow the steps in a different order or skip inapplicable steps. The following outline of The Intervention Model has been slightly modified for approaching a client with an erection when the client’s intent is not understood.
What is a Swedish Massage?
The term "Swedish Massage" refers to a variety of techniques specifically designed to relax muscles by applying pressure to them against deeper muscles and bones, and rubbing in the same direction as the flow of blood returning to the heart.
Swedish massage was developed in the 1700's by a Swedish doctor named Per Henrik Ling.
Purpose of Swedish Massage?
The main purpose of Swedish massage is to increase the oxygen flow in the blood and release toxins from the muscles.
Swedish massage shortens recovery time from muscular strain by flushing the tissues of lactic acid, uric acid, and other metabolic wastes. It increases circulation without increasing heart load. It stretches the ligaments and tendons keeping them supple and pliable. Swedish massage also stimulates the skin and nervous system and soothes the nerves themselves at the same time. It reduces stress, both emotional and physical, and is suggested in a regular program for stress management. It also has many specific medical uses.
Swedish Massage Techniques?
Swedish massage techniques include: long strokes, kneading, friction, tapping, percussion, vibration, effleurage, and shaking motions. The usually sequence of techniques are:
Effleurage: Gliding strokes with the palms, thumbs and/or fingertips
Petrissage: Kneading movements with the hands, thumbs and/or fingers
Friction: Circular pressures with the palms of hands, thumbs and/or fingers
Vibration: Oscillatory movements that shake or vibrate the body
Percussion: Brisk hacking or tapping
Passive and active movements: Bending and stretching
Benefits of Swedish Massage?
Swedish massage feels good, is relaxing and invigorating. It affects the nerves, muscles, glands, and circulation, while promoting health and well being
What is Deep Tissue Massage?
Deep Tissue Massage is a massage technique that focuses on the deeper layers of muscle tissue. It aims to release the chronic patterns of tension in the body through slow strokes and deep finger pressure on the contracted areas, either following or going across the fiber's of the muscles, tendons and fascia.
Deep tissue massage is used to release chronic muscle tension through slower strokes and more direct deep pressure or friction applied across the grain of the muscles not with the grain. Deep tissue massage helps to break up and eliminate scar tissue. Deep tissue massage usually focuses on more specific areas and may cause some soreness during or right after the massage. However, if the massage is done correctly you should feel better than ever within a day or two.
Why get a Deep Tissue Massage?
It feels good and it is beneficial to your health. When muscles are stressed, they block oxygen and nutrients, leading to inflammation that builds up toxins in the muscle tissue. A deep-tissue massage helps loosen muscle tissues, release toxins from muscles and get blood and oxygen circulating properly. Because many toxins are released, it's important to drink plenty of water after a deep-tissue session to help eliminate these toxins from the body.
What is the purpose of Deep Tissue Massage?
The purpose is to "unstick" the fibers of a muscle while releasing deeply-held patterns of tension, removing toxins, while relaxing and soothing the muscle. It is both corrective and therapeutic.
Will A Deep Tissue Massage Hurt?
It shouldn't hurt, but it's likely to be a bit more uncomfortable than a classic Swedish massage. You should always feel free to speak up if the pressure is too much for you.
How Fast Will I Get Results With A Deep Tissue Massage?
It's important to be realistic about what one massage can achieve. Many people ask for more pressure, thinking that if the therapist just pushes hard enough, they can get rid of all their knots in an hour. This just won't happen. In fact, undoing chronic knots and tension built up over a lifetime is best achieved with an integrated program that includes exercise, work on your posture and ways of moving, relaxation techniques and a regular program of massage.
Finally, while deep tissue is certainly valuable, you should be aware that gentle styles of massage like craniosacral therapy can also produce profound release and realignment in the body.
What is Reflexology Massage?
Reflexology is a gentle form of therapeutic treatment applied to the feet and sometimes to the hands. It evolved around 1913 from the work of Dr. William H. Fitzgerald, an ear, nose and throat surgeon in the United States. Reflexology is considered to be a holistic healing technique that aims to treat the individual as a whole, in order to induce a state of balance and harmony in body, mind and spirit.
Reflexology is based on the belief that there are reflex areas on the feet (and hands) corresponding to all the parts of the body including major organs. It is believed that applying pressure to specific areas on the feet, hands and ears can affect internal organs and body systems, and therefore promote good health.
The therapist stimulates and works these organs and systems through the reflexes areas on the hands and feet, applying pressure to the feet with thumb and fingers. Pressure is applied to clear out congestion and restore normal functioning and health.
Reflexology was brought to America in the early 1900's by Chinese immigrants.
Treatment Time?
A treatment usually lasts between 40 minutes and 1 hour.
Benefits of Reflexology?
Reflexology has many benefits. It feels good. It is pleasant and soothing, and it relaxes the body. Each person responds to a reflexology in a unique way and on occasions may experience a variety of short term reactions, for example, extreme relaxation, tiredness, lethargy or tearfulness. Reflexology is not a ‘cure-all’. However, it does help releive pain associated with migraine, sinus problems, breathing disorders, digestive problems, circulatory problems, back problems, tension and stress.
As stated above, in reflexology, it is believed that the feet, hands and ears are segmented into different zones or reflexes, and these zones correspond to a particular part of the body. It is also believed that the feet and hands are very sensitive, as they have pressure sensors that are related to the flight-or-fight mechanism of the body. The energy flow through the body can be blocked in these zones, causing stress and impairs the proper function of certain organs in the body. When the organs of the body fail to do their work properly, illnesses develop.
Here is how the body is zoned according to reflexology:
Left foot or left hand – the left side of the body
Right foot or right hand – the right side of the body
Insides of foot/hand – the spine
Outer sides of foot/hand – arms and shoulders
Toes and fingers – head and neck, as well as the organs within
Long bones of the feet/hands (the arch) – waistline
Area above the arch and underneath the toes (the ball of the foot) – organs between the waist and the neck (lungs, heart, breast, liver, stomach, etc.)
Area below the arch (the heel) – organs below the waistline
Applying pressure to specific zones on the feet and hands is believed to release the blocked energy in the body and encourage the corresponding organs to begin healing and functioning as they should. This is because manipulating the zones on the feet and hands aids in promoting circulation and releases endorphins, which are the feel-good hormones of the body. It relieves stress and alleviates pain on a more general level.
How does a typical session with a certified practitioner of reflexology go?
The practitioner will first assess the general condition of your health. He or she will note the adaptations that your feet and hands have taken as a response to pain and stress. Such adaptations come in the form of lumps, calluses, bunions or knobs on the joints of the toes and hands.
Once the assessment has been made, the practitioner will then manipulate the zones of the feet and hands using a number of techniques. The manipulation can be painful, but if it becomes too much, you should communicate so with the practitioner. Too much pressure on the zones can cause harm rather than good. A reflexology session is always done with clothes on and oils or creams are rarely, if ever, used.
An indicator that the session is working is when relief is felt within 30 minutes after the session. You should take it easy after each session is done to feel the full effects of reflexology in your system. However, you should take care not to replace conventional treatment with reflexology. If you are feeling sick, go see a doctor.
Stone Therapy
You have probably seen this on TV or in a magazine, or perhaps experienced it for yourself – stones being placed on different parts of the body, often on the spine, on the palms and between fingers and toes, as part of a therapeutic massage. Such a massage technique is called hot stone massage, but more popularly, La Stone therapy.
La Stone therapy is a technique in massage that was invented and patented by Mary Hannigan in 1993. This massage technique involves the placement of smooth basalt stones, stones that are heated by water up to 120 to 150 degrees Fahrenheit, on focal points of the body. As stated above, these focal points include the spine, the palms of the hands and between the fingers and the toes. Basalt stone is used because it retains heat a lot better than most stones, although some massage therapists also make use of zinc, black granite or malachite.
The feet are the most abused and yet the most neglected parts of our bodies. Our feet support our weight when we are standing, which can be too much if one is overweight or has been standing still for a long time. Whenever we walk or run, the first to feel the shock of the contact between the ground and our bodies are our feet. We keep our feet confined in shoes and socks or stockings for most of the day. The ladies are prone to stressing out their feet more because of the ridiculous necessity of wearing high heels. No wonder our feet hurt so much at the end of the day!
This is why a good foot massage at the end of the day can be an exhilarating experience. Practitioners of reflexology and alternative medicine claim that the nerve endings on the foot correspond to a specific organ of the body, and so massaging certain areas of the foot is like massaging that particular organ to which it is linked. Whatever claims these practitioners of reflexology may have, the simple fact is that foot massage is so terrific that many who get them on a regular basis are ready to state that it is almost as good as getting a full body massage.
The idea behind La Stone therapy is that the heat emanated by these warm stones penetrates deeper into muscle tissue for a more profoundly relaxing effect. The heat loosens up muscles tightened and tensed by stress, thus taking away the pain and the cramping.
Moreover, the heat from these stones encourages the blood to circulate more properly within the body to provide more nutrients to individual cells. At the same time, the heat of the stone also stimulates the lymphatic system into transporting waste materials coming from individual cells more efficiently.
Another thing that the heat does is to release the energies of the body that are blocked by fatigue and stress, allowing these energies to flow more freely through the body. The nervous system is put into a calmer state, and thus relieves the mind of anxiety.
All in all, the heat of the stones used in La Stone Therapy rejuvenates the body and reawakens its ability to heal itself. It arrests the effects of stress in the body, as we know that stress is often a catalyst in the development of certain diseases.
Hand in hand with the heated basalt stones, pieces of frozen marble are also applied to the skin at certain points in the performance of La Stone Therapy. The frozen marble is supposed to control the dilation of the blood vessels. The application of heated basalt stones and pieces of frozen marble onto the skin is usually accompanied by a dose of Swedish massage.
La Stone massage can be done at home even if you are not a massage therapist. You cannot do this kind of massage to yourself, but you can certainly give and receive it with a partner. There are massage kits containing stones of different sizes for placing on the spin and on the hands and for insertion between the toes and the fingers that can be readily bought from health and wellness stores. One of the keys to performing this massage is communication between the giver and the receiver as to whether the stone is too hot or if it’s not warm enough, or if the pressure applied by the giver of the massage is too hard or too weak.
La Stone massage is a massage therapy that you should certainly try out.
Massage FAQ * Common Questions
1. What should I expect during my first massage therapy
visit?
Your massage therapist will require you to fill out a health history form. Afterwards the therapist will begin by asking you general questions to establish what areas you would like worked on, if there are any conditions needing to be addressed and to determine if massage is appropriate for you. Your massage therapist may perform certain assessments and testing to evaluate your condition, and to see if you have any presenting complaints.
2. Where will my massage session take place?
Your massage or bodywork session will take place in a warm, comfortable, quiet room. Soft music may be played to help you relax. You will lie on a table especially designed for your comfort.
3. What do I wear during the massage?
Depending on the primary technique your therapist uses, you may or may not need to undress. For a full body massage, most people undress completely. However, you may choose to wear underwear. Your massage therapist will give you privacy to undress, and you will be covered with a sheet and blanket at all times except the area being worked on.
4. What do I do during a massage therapy treatment?
Make yourself comfortable. If your therapist wants you to adjust your position, she or he will either move you or will ask you to move what is needed. Otherwise, change your position anytime to make yourself more comfortable. Many people close their eyes and relax completely during a session; others prefer to talk. It's up to you. It is your massage, and whatever feels natural to you is the best way to relax. Do not hesitate to ask questions at any time.
5. How will a massage feel?
It usually depends on the techniques used. Many massage therapists use a form of Swedish massage, which is often a baseline for practitioners. In a general Swedish massage, your session may start with broad, flowing strokes (effleurage) that will help calm your nervous system and relax exterior muscle tension. As your body becomes relaxed, pressure will gradually be increased to relax specific areas and relieve areas of muscular tension. Often, a light oil or lotion is used to allow your muscles to be massaged without causing excessive friction to the skin. Do not hesitate to ask questions or mention if you feel any discomfort so that the massage therapist can use another approach or technique.
6. Will the massage oils used make me break-out?
Most massage therapists use hypoallergenic massage oils or lotions. However, if you have sensitivity to certain types of oils or lotion please bring it to the massage therapist's attention as most practitioners have an assortment of oils and lotions on hand.
7. Is a massage always appropriate?
No, there are several medical conditions that would make massage inappropriate. That's why it is necessary that you fill out the health history forms and before you begin your session. The massage therapist will ask general health questions to rule out if you have any contraindications to massage. It is very important that you inform the practitioner of any health problems or medications you are taking. If you are under a doctor's care, it is strongly advised that you receive a written recommendation for massage prior to any session. Your massage therapist may require a recommendation or approval from your doctor.
8. How long will a massage treatment last?
The average full-body massage treatment lasts approximately one hour. A half-hour appointment only allows time for a partial massage session, such as neck and shoulders, back or legs and feet. Many people prefer a 60- to 90-minute session for optimal relaxation. Always allow relaxation time prior to and after the session.
9. How will I feel after the massage therapy treatment?
Most people feel very relaxed. Some experience freedom from long-term aches and pains developed from tension or repetitive activity. After an initial period of feeling slowed down, people often experience increased energy, heightened awareness, and greater productivity which can last for days. Since toxins are released from your soft tissues during a massage, it is recommended you drink plenty of water following your massage. Massage therapists sometimes recommend a hot Epsom salt bath that encourages the release of toxins that may have been stirred up from the massage treatment.
What is Sports Massage?
Sports Massage is a special form of massage and is typically used before, during, and after athletic events. The purpose of the massage is to prepare the athlete for peak performance, to drain away fatigue, to relieve swelling, to reduce muscle tension, to promote flexibility and to prevent injuries.
Purpose of Sports Massage?
The main purpose of sports massage therapy is to help alleviate the stress and tension which builds up in the body’s soft tissues during physical activity. Where minor injuries and lesions occur, due to overexertion and/or overuse, massage can break them down quickly and effectively. The massage will help prepare the athlete for peak performance, to drain away fatigue, to relieve swelling, to reduce muscle tension, to promote flexibility and to prevent injuries. Sports massage can help prevent those niggling injuries that so often get in the way of performance and achievement, whether a person is an athlete or a once a week jogger.
Types of Techniques?
Depending on the needs of the athlete, a variety of techniques are used. The technique often involves a blend of traditional Swedish Massage and Shiatsu specifically designed to treat professional athletes.
Each type of sport has different demands on the players. Each sport uses muscle groups in a different way. Sports massage is designed to address those specific concerns and may differ according to the sport the athlete plays. Sports massage can be aimed to help heal strained muscles and allow healthy ones to reach peak performance and maintain it while minimizing the risk of injury.
Benefits of Sports Massage?
Sports massage has many benefits. In addition to FEELING GOOD, sports massage reduces the heart rate and blood pressure, increases blood circulation and lymph flow, reduces muscle tension, improves flexibility, and relieves pain. Each sport and athletic event uses muscle groups in a different way.
Sports Massage can also include pre-event, post-event and maintenance techniques that promote greater athletic endurance and performance, lessen chances of injury and reduce recovery time.
Who I'd like to meet:
Marina , Massage Therapist 's Friend Space (Top 40)
.."
