There are some days when the body can't take any more and needs relaxation after weeks of exhaustion. Your mind gets jumbled with thoughts, your shoulders feel stiff, and your back starts to ache.
In such cases, no casual remedies actually work to restore your body's strength and energy levels like refreshing hot beverages or good sleep. To ease your racing mind and loosen your body, it is best to get a relaxing massage.
With tailored massage therapy in a soothing spa setting, your body begins to release tension. It makes you feel rejuvenated, helping you come out of the gloomy zone.
However, with many therapeutic and healing massages available at spas, it's challenging to know which one is right for you for the best relaxing session! Over the years, both Aromatherapy and Swedish massage have become popular for their assured benefits.
This blog helps you choose the most suitable massage from the two by providing a comparative study of Aromatherapy massage vs. Swedish. Let's read on!
What is an Aromatherapy Oil Massage?
Aromatherapy oil massage, also known as aroma oil massage, is a specific massage therapy that applies essential oils on the body with gentle massage techniques to provide therapeutic benefits. It generally applies to the key areas, such as the back, shoulders, arms, and legs.
The massage calms the senses, eases pain throughout the body, and enhances mood. The application of essential oils contributes to these therapeutic benefits, making it a popular choice for massage among many.
How does aromatherapy massage work?
During the massage, the therapist mixes the essential oil with a lotion or carrier oil, then gently rubs it into the skin using effective hand massage. The essential oils used for their exquisite 'aromas' are derived from herbs, flowers, or leaf extracts such as orange, bergamot, chamomile, ginger, and lavender.
Being direct plant-based derivatives, the essential oils are highly concentrated, colorless, and pleasant-smelling. These make them the key agents in aromatherapy massages, which require dilution with other milder substances.
Benefits of Aromatherapy
There are rewarding health benefits of aromatherapy massage, whether you get it as a part of your self-care routine or occasionally to escape from hectic days.
The process of Aromatherapy massage, when done by professional therapists, assures the following health benefits:
- Relieves stress and anxiety: Gentle massage on the back and shoulders, combined with a soothing scent, helps calm your nerves and reduce stress or anxiety.
- Elevates mood: Essential oils used in the massage have a mood-enhancing effect, helping you emerge from a low or lethargic state.
- Reduces muscle tension: Oils also have anti-inflammatory properties that relieve muscle pain or tenderness and enhance physical strength.
- Boosts sleep: Aromatherapy sessions promote relaxation throughout your body, helping you get better sleep later.
- Enhances overall wellbeing: As an aromatic massage therapy, it addresses not just the body but also the mind and soul, thereby enhancing your overall wellbeing.
What is a Swedish Massage?
Swedish massage is a full-body massage performed by a therapist who uses continuous strokes and motions. Done with massage oil or therapeutic lotion, it aims to loosen tight muscles and energize the entire body.
With several health benefits, Swedish massage is the most popular and widely offered massage service in the USA. Introduced for its focus on muscle relaxation and enhanced blood flow, it is considered the foundation of Western massage therapies. It resulted in the creation of many other massages, but itself remained the most demanding therapy among American women!
How does Swedish massage work?
Swedish massage, intended to offer full-body relaxation and healing, involves different massage techniques. From gliding strokes by hand from the top to the bottom of the body to circular pressures with the palms, therapists use many methods to relieve muscles and promote better blood circulation.
The therapist uses structured strokes and hand movements on your skin to help relax muscles and enhance blood circulation. It covers the entire body, usually starting from the front and moving to the back. While it is not as intense as a deep tissue massage, it is effective enough to relieve stiffness.
Benefits of Swedish massage
Swedish massage offers promising health benefits, making it a widely preferred massage therapy.
- Eases pain: Swedish massage relieves chronic pain, such as joint pain and sciatica, without requiring you to use drugs.
- Promotes blood circulation: Different techniques used in Swedish massage, including strokes and kneading, release muscle knots and sore muscles. It enhances blood circulation, which helps in speedy recovery from muscle injuries or inflammation.
- Improves mental health: As a full-body relaxation massage, it rejuvenates the body, soothes the mind, and improves mood, which promotes mental wellbeing.
- Boosts sleep: Many people feel a sense of calm throughout their mind and body after the massage, which helps them enjoy a great night's sleep!
Differences between Aromatherapy Oil Massage and Swedish Massage
While both massages have distinct techniques and their own benefits, understanding aromatherapy massage vs. Swedish massage will help you choose which one you need.
Choosing the right body massage based on your mood or health condition helps you achieve maximum benefits. So, first decipher your body's needs and what your mind craves to help you get through the hectic days, and decide which massage you need.
Here's a comparative study of Swedish massage vs. aroma massage to help you decide.
There's a stark difference between Swedish and aromatherapy massages in their purposes. Swedish massage, a full-body process, aims to alleviate muscle pain, stiffness, and physical exhaustion.
On the other hand, an Aromatherapy message focuses on mood elevation through the use of scented, nerve-soothing essential oils. It primarily aims to improve your emotional and mental wellbeing while providing relaxation to your back, shoulders, hands, and feet.
Given this Aroma and Swedish massage difference, it becomes clear that anyone seeking a break or a way to unwind after a busy period should opt for the former.
Swedish massage techniques are fairly firm and use pressure to directly target chronic pain, soreness, or muscle tension throughout the body.
The therapist initiates and concludes the Swedish massage session with effleurage, a technique of applying long, gliding strokes from top to bottom. In between, they make kneading movements on the body with their hands and fingers. To generate friction that releases heat and relieves muscle tension, they apply circular pressure with their palms.
Lastly, the therapist uses a rhythmic tapping technique with the edge of the hands to stimulate nerves and cause relaxation.
Techniques applied in Aromatherapy massage are quite similar to those of Swedish massage, except there is less pressure or friction. Therapists always use smoother, softer strokes to soothe the nervous system and calm the mind, rather than targeting pain or soreness.
However, aromatherapy helps relieve stiffness in the neck, shoulders, arms, or feet. You get rid of physical fatigue and feel revitalized after the massage!
A core difference between Swedish and aroma massage lies in the oil used in their respective techniques. Swedish massage uses carrier oils, non-scented oils extracted from sweet almond, olive, jojoba, sesame, apricot, or grapeseed. Usually, therapists prefer lightweight oils with properties that help them glide smoothly across the skin and keep it hydrated.
In contrast, essential oils are the primary natural agents used in aromatherapy massage, extracted from flowers, leaves, and twigs, such as lavender, eucalyptus, chamomile, and bergamot. With beautiful aromas, these elevate mood by stimulating the senses, reducing weariness, and even clearing sinuses.
So, if you want to opt for aromatherapy or Swedish massage, check on your mental or emotional needs first!
You can identify a key difference between aroma and Swedish massage in their focus areas.
Swedish therapy is a full-body massage that targets relieving muscle pain, chronic body aches, or soreness.
On the other hand, aroma massage focuses just on specific areas, i.e., back, shoulders, arms, and legs. It's because the primary goal of aromatherapy is to ease stress or anxiety while enhancing blood flow and reducing muscle stiffness.
What to Expect During These Massages?
Our inclusive study of aromatherapy massage vs. Swedish massage helped us define what you can experience from these. So, here's what you can experience or feel during the massages.
What can you expect during an Aromatherapy massage?
The process starts with a consultation with the therapist, where they will ask you about your state of mind and health, and why you want the massage. It helps them understand your specific needs and identify any particular areas to avoid during the session.
Tell the therapist your preferences for essential oils, and let them decide what will work best for you!
The therapist mixes a few drops of the essential oil with a lotion or carrier oil, and then applies it to your skin to begin the massage.
Using various hand techniques, the therapist gives you a massage, starting with the shoulders and back and moving to the arms and legs.
The massage continues, and you start to feel a sense of calm and comfort, with your muscles relaxed. By the end of the session, you feel lively, happy, and ready to kick-start your active days once again!
What can you expect during a Swedish massage?
The session starts with a brief consultation with the therapist, who will ask you about body aches, joint pain, soreness in parts, or any difficult areas that need to be addressed.
Since Swedish massage uses techniques that apply pressure, the therapist asks you to indicate your preferred level of pressure. Tell them whether you would like a gentle, soothing massage or a more intense one to relieve muscle knots or stiffness.
The therapists start with a massage using basic carrier oil, applying gentle or firm strokes across your body to relax your muscles.
You will start to feel relieved as the therapist continues the massage. For better results, the therapist proceeds with other techniques such as kneading, circular motion, and tapping. These cause friction, generating heat and relieving muscle tension and soreness completely.
The therapist makes you feel at ease after the session and gives you time to reenergize before you get up from the table.
Specific Techniques Therapists Used in these Massages
Both Swedish and Aromatherapy massages offer unique ways to relax, rejuvenate, and restore balance in your mind or body.
Here are the key techniques used in both based on their purpose and target areas.
Swedish Massage Techniques
- Effleurage: Long, gliding strokes that relax muscles and improve blood flow.
- Petrissage: Kneading and squeezing to release tension and enhance circulation.
- Friction: Deep, circular movements to target knots and break up scar tissue.
- Tapotement: Gentle tapping or percussion to stimulate and energize muscles.
- Vibration: Rapid shaking or trembling to loosen tissue and promote relaxation.
Aromatherapy Massage Techniques
- Effleurage: Smooth, gentle strokes to apply essential oils and soothe the body.
- Gentle kneading: Light, rhythmic kneading to ease mild muscle tension.
- Light rhythmic strokes: Repetitive, flowing movements to calm the mind and body.
Aromatherapy vs. Swedish Massage: Which is Better for You?
Both Swedish massage and aromatherapy oil massage provide a relaxing, healing sensation to the body. The primary differences between Swedish and aromatherapy massages are the oil used and the body areas targeted!
Given that, we understand that deciding which massage best suits you can be tricky! It depends on your mood, needs, or preferences.
Aromatherapy oil massage may be the best option if you want a massage that uses scented essential oils to elevate your mood and provide a calming sensation by relieving muscle tension. Swedish massage may be the ideal option if you want a full-body massage that encourages relaxation and releases stress.
Hope this comprehensive study of Aromatherapy massage vs. Swedish massage will help you make a decision! However, to get the most out of your massage experience, it's crucial to communicate your wants and preferences with your massage therapist.
At On The Side Day Spa, our professional therapists personalize every session to suit your needs, ensuring a truly calming and therapeutic experience with a Swedish or Aromatherapy massage.
Whether you want to unwind or recharge, we'll help you find the proper massage for your wellness goals. Book your session with On The Side Day Spa today and experience the art of relaxation like never before.
