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Current research shows that people are getting more massages, and that therapeutic massage is becoming more mainstream, appealing to everyone from young adults to seniors. People are experiencing the therapeutic benefits of massage. They are getting  massages mostly to relax, to relieve aches and pains, and to help reduce stress.

For some folks, massage therapy is an occasional “splurge” or treat, usually at a day spa around a holiday, birthday or on vacation. 

But these days, massage isn't just for feeling good anymore. It has lost the ancient stigma associated with blue light districts. It is a holistic therapy that reduces the heart rate, lowers blood pressure, increases blood circulation and lymph flow, relaxes muscles, improves range of motion, and increases endorphins, the body's natural painkillers.

Thai massage is one of the skills that makes Thailand famous. But there are many qualified Thai massage practitioners across the world –including Mexico- who have been properly trained in this ancient art that derives from Ayurvedic medicine and has been passed down through the generations. Most famously, it is taught by the monks at Wat Pho and is considered a very healthy and rejuvenating treatment.

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Thai massage is a great way to soothe the aches and pains and relieve the stress of a busy day hitting the cobblestone streets of Puerto Vallarta. During a one or two-hour session you will be gently kneaded, stretched, contorted and ‘re-aligned’, leaving you a relaxed and rejuvenated. Traditional Thai Massage is an ancient system of healing with its roots in Yoga, Ayurvedic medicine and Buddhist spiritual practice. This unique and complete system of Yoga therapy combines rhythmic massage, acupressure, gentle twisting, deep stretching and meditation. Thai Massage releases tension, increases vitality and creates wholeness of mind, body and spirit. It can be cheaper or more expensive – as in hotels and luxury spas, and if you choose extras such as using herbs etc.

There are actually several different massage types and techniques:

A Thai Massage involves vigorously treating more than 100 areas of the body, using hand pressure and the masseuse’s own body to apply forces that aim to work pressure points, and re-align energy lines in the body. Ideally, this process takes at least two hours and can be a little uncomfortable at times, but leaves you feeling very relaxed.

An Oil Massage is gentler than Thai massage and involves deep muscle tissue treatment using specially blended therapeutic oils. Of course it leaves you a little oily afterwards, requiring a shower to freshen up, but it can be a very sensual experience.

A Foot Massage works the internal organs of the body through manipulation of pressure points on the soles of your feet in much the same way as reflexology. This is another skill that has been passed down through the ages and can be quite effective in producing a mild detox effect on the body.

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From our own part of the world, we have the Mayan Hammock Massage. This one is meant to elongate the spine, creating greater flexibility and range of motion. Massage in a hammock is a gentle, calming, almost-floating experience. Some describe it as like being held in your mother's arms and lovingly rocked. The flexibility of the hammock encourages the body to open and become more flexible. The movement of the hammock encourages the body to greater and freer ranges of motion. And the soft rhythm of the hammock's sway encourages the body to return to its natural rhythms and balance. The massage can be entirely one of relaxation and stress relief or it can be effectively therapeutic for the entire body ...or both at the same time.

Hammock massage therapy is based upon ancient Mayan curandero (healer) techniques from Yucatan, Guatemala and Belize.

And talking about things Mayan – and Aztec, there’s also Mexico’s famous Temazcal… The word “Temazcal” is derived from the ancient Aztec dialect (Nahuatl) for “house of steam”, similar to native American Indians’ sweat lodges. The temazcal, widely used as therapy among the Aztec and Maya that populated Mesoamerica for centuries, differs in many ways from the Scandinavian, Turkish or Indian sweat baths.

But that’s a whole other story, which we’ll tell you about in a future installment.

In Puerto Vallarta and the south coast of Riviera Nayarit, you will find myriad spas, small and large, in hotels and private ones, offering an endless variety of massages and treatments by expert technicians, along with their other services. Go ahead, pamper yourself … you deserve it!
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Spas Directory

Read More:

• About Spas in Puerto Vallarta…
• About Spas in Puerto Vallarta - Part 2 – Facials
• About Spas in Puerto Vallarta - Part 3 – Aromatherapy
• About Spas in Puerto Vallarta - Part 4 – Foot Massages
• About Spas in Puerto Vallarta - Part 5 – Shiatsu
• About Spas in Puerto Vallarta - Part 6 – Body Wrap

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