I'm game. I think this is very important to establish in every area of the massage profession, regardless of the type of treatments you offer.

I agree Marissa. Massage can incorporate relaxation, medical, energy or any work. It allows therapists to become a specialist in any direction or combination they wish. It is a great profession and all areas should be recognized and celebrated! I know therapists that have started in one direction and ended up 360 degrees in the other direction. So all modalities should be honored.

I also believe that relaxation massage alone is extremely valuable. I come from a background in the legal field where I was a legal secretary and paralegal for over 15 years. When I started in the field I was also raising 4 small children pretty much alone. I became acquainted with extreme chronic stress. As a result, I gained all kinds of weight, had anxiety attacks at times, and ended up having illnesses and conditions that resulted from stress. Medical studies now prove that more than 70% of the sicknesses that people show up for in the doctor's office is stress-related, so helping people to simply effectively manage stress in their lives is HUGE. My strong suit is my ability to take a client who starts out clenching their fists on the table and when I am done they are putty in my hand and totally relaxed and rejuvenated, so I will find ways to increase in those skills because to me - I could be preventing someone from having a stroke, heart attack or some other debilitating illness if they do not control stress in their lives. I offer other modalities and will always grow so I can do effective pain relief and sports massage, but my forte' will always be relaxation massage because I know the power of it. For me, the most effective thing I can do to keep my stress level under control is to work out regularly and get massage. Those two things are powerful and I can provide the one for my clients and encourage them to do the other. And yes, I will always use relaxation massage as the foundation to every other therapy that I learn over the years. But I will never discount the effects of good old fashioned relaxation massage all by itself as well.

Hey you are taking my line about 70% of diseases caused because of stress. It so weakens the immune system. Gotta love relaxation massage.

Only 70%? I thought that the total was closer to 90% at this time.

What is the best oil to use in relaxation massage? I'm new in this field and not so knowledgeable in using different kinds of oil. I live here in the Philippines and don't know where to purchase online.Thanks for the infos.

Soothing Touch with Lavender is my favorite for relaxing massage. To me it has a wonderful glide. Many places carry it and ship for free. The best deals can be found at www.massagewarehouse.com or www.bodyworksmall.com

I use Nutri-Naturals light massage oil from Biotone. It's a blend of sunflower, coconut and other oils along with extracts from avocado, carrot and grapeseed. It has a nice. light scent, it's not greasy and it's good for the skin.

If you don't have access to commercial massage products you might try coconut oil. It's sometimes is used in Asian cooking, so you can find it at a food store. I use coconut oil for clients who don't want any preservatives in what goes on their bodies. It works well and isn't greasy, but you need to remember that coconut oil is solid at room temperature, so you need a way to warm it.

It's great to see activity in this group again.

great tips for oil, thanks!

thanks, we have a lot of coconut oil at home. It's very easy to make one anyway. It is a very common here in the Philippines and quite cheap, this is usually home made.

I have purchased Lavender oil but my family don't like much the smell, my wife and my kids prefer Jhonson baby powder. I used to massage them before bedtime during weekends.