Listening to Your Body: The Benefits of Massage Therapy

Listening to Your Body: The Benefits of Massage Therapy

Listening to Your body the Importance of Massage Therapy

You work hard. You don’t get enough sleep. You’re always on the go. It’s no wonder you’re feeling a little (or a lot) stressed out. But did you know that massage therapy can help reduce stress and promote overall health? Massage therapy is more than just a way to relax; it’s a critical component of your health care regimen. Here’s why you should consider adding massage therapy to your health care routine.

Reduce Stress

The benefits of massage therapy for reducing stress

Massage therapy is one of the oldest and most natural forms of healing. It has been used for centuries to improve overall health, reduce stress, and promote a sense of well-being.

Today, massage therapy is more popular than ever. People are realizing the many benefits that come with regular massage sessions. If you’re feeling stressed out, overworked, or just generally unhealthy, consider adding massage therapy to your health care routine. You won’t regret it!

Massage therapy relaxes the body and mind.

There are many benefits to massage therapy when it comes to reducing stress. One of the most important is that it relaxes the body and mind, which in turn can help to reduce tension and anxiety. Massage therapy can also help to improve sleep quality, which is essential for overall health and well-being. Additionally, massage therapy can help to boost the immune system and increase energy levels. All of these benefits can work together to help reduce stress levels and improve overall health. If you’re feeling stressed out, consider adding a few massage sessions to your weekly routine. You won’t regret it!

It helps release tension in the muscles.

One of the primary benefits of massage therapy is that it helps to release tension in the muscles. When you’re stressed out, your muscles tend to tense up, which can lead to pain and discomfort. Massage therapy can help to loosen those muscles and promote relaxation. This can be extremely beneficial for overall health and well-being.

Massage therapy also helps to improve circulation. When you’re stressed out, your body produces more cortisol, which can have a negative effect on blood flow. Massage therapy can help to improve circulation and reduce the amount of cortisol in the body. This can help to improve overall health and well-being.

Finally, massage therapy is a great way to reduce stress levels. When you’re stressed out, your body goes into “fight or flight” mode, which can have a number of negative consequences for overall health. Massage therapy can help to calm the body and mind, and promote a sense of peace and well-being.

It can improve circulation and energy flow.

One of the primary benefits of massage therapy is that it helps to improve circulation. When you’re stressed out, your body produces more cortisol, which can have a negative effect on blood flow. Massage therapy can help to improve circulation and reduce the amount of cortisol in the body. This can help to improve overall health and well-being.

Additionally, massage therapy can help to boost the immune system and increase energy levels. All of these benefits can work together to help improve circulation and promote overall health. If you’re feeling sluggish or run down, consider adding a few massage sessions to your weekly routine.

Massage therapy provides a sense of calm and peace.

Calm is important because it allows the body and mind to relax and rejuvenate. When you’re stressed out, your body is in a constant state of fight or flight mode, which can be harmful to overall health. Massage therapy can help to calm the body and mind, and promote a sense of peace and well-being. This can be extremely beneficial for overall health and well-being.

It supports self-healing and helps the body to rebalance itself.

The body has an amazing ability to heal itself. It does this through a number of different techniques, and can be aided by massage therapy and aromatherapy which can help reduce stress levels as well improve circulation in the muscles by increasing blood flow or strengthening them with exercise if they’re too relaxed due to lackadaisical stretching habits! Your body wants to be in a balanced state, and when it’s not, massage can help encourage balance by providing deep tissue pressure that releases endorphins (feel-good hormones) which have a pain-relieving effect as well! This one-two punch can speed healing throughout the body long after the massage itself is finished.

Promote Muscle Relaxation

Massage therapy isn’t just good for your mind; it’s also good for your muscles (while obvious on the surface, there’s depth to this idea). When you’re stressed, your muscles tend to tense up, leading to pain and stiffness due to waste-product build-up in the tissues. Massage therapy helps to promote muscle relaxation and improve range of motion, which in turn will improve the elimination of stress hormones like cortisol. As a result, you’ll feel less pain and be able to move more easily, which in turn will continue the cycle of stress reduction.

If you’re looking for a way to reduce stress and promote overall health, consider adding regular massage therapy to your health care routine. Massage therapy has numerous benefits, including reducing stress levels, promoting muscle relaxation, and improving circulation. So what are you waiting for? Schedule an appointment with a licensed massage therapist at That’s the Rub today!

Deep Tissue Massage and Weight Loss: The Perfect Partnership

Deep Tissue Massage and Weight Loss: The Perfect Partnership

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If you’re looking for a way to jumpstart your weight loss journey, you might want to consider adding deep tissue massage to your routine. That’s right – massage isn’t just for relaxation; it can also be a powerful tool in your weight loss arsenal. Studies have shown that deep tissue massage can help the body burn calories, reduce cellulite, and even boon athletic performance. Here’s a closer look at how deep tissue massage can help you lose weight and keep it off for good.

How Deep Tissue Massage Can Help You Lose Weight

Deep tissue massage is a type of massage that targets the deepest layers of muscle tissue. This type of massage is typically slower and more intense than other types of massages, but it can be extremely effective in promoting weight loss. One study found that participants who received deep tissue massages burned more calories in the 24 hours after their treatment than those who didn’t receive massages. What’s more, the participants who received massages also had reduced levels of the stress hormone cortisol, which has been linked to increased appetite and cravings.

Another study looked at the effects of deep tissue massage on cellulite. Cellulite is a type of fat that tends to deposit in areas like the thighs and buttocks. It’s often difficult to get rid of, but the good news is that deep tissue massage can help. The study found that participants who received regular deep tissue massages experienced reduced cellulite deposition in their thighs over the course of eight weeks.

Finally, deep tissue massage can also help improve athletic performance. One study looked at the effects of deep tissue massage on cyclists who were training for a race. The study found that those who received regular massages improved their power output by an average of 3%.

If you’re looking for a way to jumpstart your weight loss journey, consider adding deep tissue massage to your routine. Studies have shown that this type of massage can help burn calories, reduce cellulite, and even improve athletic performance. So if you’re ready to start losing weight and keeping it off for good, book a session with a licensed masseuse today!

How to Choose the Right Massage Therapist for You – Part 2

How to Choose the Right Massage Therapist for You – Part 2

different types bookies there

This might be a surprise to you or maybe not, but all massage therapists are not created equal, not all massages are the same, any more than all bodies are the same. I bring this up because it occurred to me that the major reason people may not like to try another therapist is loyalty to their therapist or fear of the unknown. After all we like the massage we’re getting, so why change therapists? Well, let me explain.

When you first schedule your appointment the front desk staff asks questions to not only get you the best time for your schedule, but also to try to match you to the best massage for your goals and the best personality fit between you and the therapist you will be working with. Usually our staff nails it, but, sometimes, this doesn’t work out so well which isn’t a surprise, we’re trying to make all these decisions within a five minute phone call.

Did you know if you don’t mesh with the massage type, the style of massage used by your therapist you can (and should) ask for different things for your next massage? Or if you and your therapist don’t jibe personally (hey, it happens, no harm, no foul) that we don’t think twice about scheduling anyone with another therapist who may suit you better, we’re cool like that. We know that everyone isn’t meant to get along and so we have other therapists for you to try, until you find the right fit for you.

Massage Type: There’s a vast pool of massage types that we in the business call “modalities”. In the bodywork world we know that there are different massages that work best on different pathologies (issues) in the body, based on your needs and your goals, we book a massage based on what you say you’re looking for. On the day of your appointment we do further intake to ensure that we’re doing the best massage for what you’re looking for by discussing what your goals are and come up with a plan together.

Massage Style: Massage style refers to the way the massage therapist applies their massage techniques. Each therapist does more than one massage modality, but their massage style is what brings it all together in a treatment that is customized for you each time you visit. You may have a deep tissue massage from one therapist and a deep tissue massage from another therapist and they are completely different. It’s like Frank Sinatra and Sid Vicious both recorded “My Way” but they are vastly different (and you’re bound to prefer one to the other)!

Choosing your massage based on type, style, and personality fit may take a few times, but when you get that right combination, you will know it and it’s worth the pursuit. We look forward to helping you find your right fit for the results you’re looking to achieve.

That’s the Rub,

Lisa

How to Choose the Right Massage Therapist for You – Part 1

How to Choose the Right Massage Therapist for You – Part 1

Massage Therapist Interviews at That's the Rub

I don’t know how many of you know what goes into hiring of a That’s the Rub massage therapist. It occurred to me that in case you were sitting on the fence about how to choose your massage therapist above and beyond our biographies that it might give you great confidence to know that I have pre-selected for you. What does this mean? This means that I have taken my years of expertise in hiring and training well over 300 massage therapists for many of the top resort spas in the country, and working with many of the best therapists in the field, to good use.

We don’t hire just anyone at The Rub. Each potential new hire goes through two interviews: first with Jim, other staff members, and even the occasional client who happen to be coming by (we hold these in the Relax Lounge, so if you ever see and interview going on, PLEASE feel free to join in), then with me. At which point they come back again for a technical (or practicum interview) to show me their skills and how they might fit into The Rub culture. No matter who they are or how much experience they have, if they don’t fit what we do to some benefit of themselves and The Rub, I don’t hire them. That means they will also provide the most benefit to YOU, the client. We have many different therapists that cover a spectacular range of specialties and what people need, because people’s needs are different. We customize the massage for you and what your body needs at the time. We don’t do cookie cutter massage, you deserve better than that. You deserve to have a therapist who will look at your body as being unique to only you and work with you towards your healthcare goals.

I once did a massage therapy practicum with an interview candidate which was the most unique version of massage I’ve ever had and nothing like I expected. When she first began I was wondering what she was doing (and I’ve been a therapist for 18 years). I tell you this because you need to know that all massages are NOT alike. For every person on the planet there is a different interpretation of how that massage therapist will treat your body. I always think about how we are going to market this massage, this therapist…but this one was so different, so strange. Adopting Steven Covey’s first seek to understand, I asked her what technique she was doing and she said “Trigger Point and Myofacial Release, done in a way that I’ve interpreted it.” Now I’ve NEVER had this interpretation before, but while I lay there trying to figure out how this would fit with The Rub paradigm I realized my back had released and no longer felt tense in areas that I had felt all day. As she was following the fascial lines I could feel little crackles of release and how they correlated to other areas of my body (it’s all connected) in twitches and sighs of letting go. She ended the massage with a little cranial sacral and I felt relaxed yet energized at the same time. After she left I had an epiphany of how she fit into The Rub, we are always about unique massage techniques that give way to results. More than relaxed, I slept deeper than I had in over week and I woke up ready to seize the day and another opportunity to bring something special to someone else. That’s what massage is, something special — not everyone can do it and it brings something to everyone who experiences it. Of course, I hired her immediately.

Every person’s massage is different based on the needs of the individual’s body, as well as the techniques and the skills of the individual therapist, but our message remains the same: The Rub continues to bring the best bodywork to Bloomington, one body at a time. Welcome to The Rub!

That’s the Rub,

Lisa

LISA SPEAKS! Happy 2018!

LISA SPEAKS! Happy 2018!

Lisa Keplinger, Founder, Visionary, and Executive Genius behind That's the Rub

Happy New Year!!!

Last year was a good year for That’s the Rub and we’re so happy YOU were a part of it. So many things happened that it’s hard to keep track, so I won’t be like that aunt that recounts all her blessings in one end of the year letter to all (though that is something to aspire to, I suppose). Just know that we at That’s the Rub appreciate all of our patrons and we want to help you with your goals for 2018 and beyond. Being a major goal setter myself, I understand how daunting it can be to just get started and that it takes support, patience, love and a kick in the pants sometimes to ensure that we reach our goals. Sometimes that type of support needs to come from outside sources, not just within ourselves in order to achieve our goals. We at That’s the Rub want to be there for you.
Setting challenging goals is hard, but it’s made more challenging than it needs to be when we’re stressed, overwhelmed, or feeling distracted because of our skin, our largest, most protective organ, is so chapped and dry from the cold and wind (both of which we have plenty of this year). Don’t let your skin slow you down on your way to reaching your goals. Take care of your skin, so your skin can take care of you.
I know, you’re thinking “I don’t even know where to begin.” All of the marketing is so overwhelming it can be hard to know where to start. Make a plan to take better care of your skin. Start by contacting a local company specializing in skin care (That’s the Rub recently launched it’s own brand THAT: for example…pick me! pick me!) and ask them about their skin care options and how taking better of your skin will help you in more ways than just your skin. You should be prepared for the responses though, we’re very passionate about our skin care and in our enthusiasm to share we may get carried away.
That’s the Rub launched THAT:face our own Age Defy Facial and skin care line November 2017. We did it for several reasons:

  1. We’ve been talking about developing our own line for years, but we couldn’t find the right herbalist to help us do that. We’re very picky (Jim says “snobby”), they had to be local, amazingly knowledgeable, enthusiastic about our vision of  what we wanted and needed in a skin care, and able to source the highest possible therapeutic grade herbs and essential oils that we could get our hands on — I admit, this is mainly because I don’t want to put crap and chemicals in or on my body, and I can tell when it’s there because my skin immediately reacts to things that have it.
  2. I wanted the Age Defy skincare for me. I’m going on 47 years this month, last summer I noticed that my forehead (my poor frontalis) was getting a very prominent wrinkle in it and my neck too (from weight gains throughout the years most likely), but just because I know why they are there, doesn’t mean I have to stand by and let them remain! I decided I needed to do something about it.  So we found a phenomenal local herbalist and started making our own products. I’ve been using them exclusively since October and my skin has never felt or looked better. My pores have been minimized and so have my breakouts around highly hormonal times, my wrinkles have been diminished, and I feel hydrated (NOT an easy accomplishment with the weather being up and down as much as it has been lately).

I love our THAT:face line so much, we’re developing it for the body as well, because really, we have skin everywhere NOT just on our face (really, it’s true!). Therefore, we have also launched THAT:body massage oils: herbal infused, with therapeutic grade essential oils, small-batch, and hand-crafted — they feel and smell amazing. And there is MORE TO COME! So if you’re looking for taking better care of you in 2018, let us help you with skin care and body care (of course we still have our amazing massages!) and awareness of all that your body can feel and do for you, when it gets a little extra love and attention.
We look forward to assisting you in 2018 in reaching your goals, whether it’s at That’s the Rub Downtown or at Iron Pit Gym (limited service menu) in our brand new Sports Massage Clinic (see below for more info on that!), That’s the Rub is here for you.

Happy New Year!

Yours in Health,
Lisa