11/29/2020 0 Comments
After doing massage for over 15 years I’ve heard every genre of massage music. Relaxation, new age, harps, flutes, nature sounds, chanting, and white noise. I went through my Enya phase for about 7 years. I still love playing her throughout the spa. I’ve had some wonderful request from clients for certain music during session. Everything from Prince, Willie Nelson, Jimmy Buffet, Wide Spread Panic, and Hank Williams Jr. Somedays we like to have a more mellow vibe with Jack Johnson. We change up the music sometimes depending on the weather, mood, and the clients we know we’ll be seeing. There have been somedays the music is so in tune with our work and there are days 20 minutes of drums come on with some crazy opera. It’s always interesting. I think music plays a big part of your relaxation experience. Listening to music can have a tremendously relaxing effect on our minds and bodies. A slower tempo can quiet your mind and relax your muscles, making you feel soothed while releasing the stress of the day. Music is effective for relaxation and stress management. I recently read an article from the University of Nevada, Reno about releasing stress through the power of music. It states that Native American, Celtic, Indian stringed-instruments, drums, and flutes are very effective at relaxing the mind even when played moderately loud. Sounds of rain, thunder, and nature sounds may also be relaxing particularly when mixed with other music, such as light jazz, classical, and easy listening music. I don’t believe we can group each person into the same category of musical taste. Over the years what has been relaxing for one has not been relaxing for the next. We all have music that we gravitate towards when we feel happy, sad, stressed, angry, or when we feel inspired and motivated. What it comes down to is you must like the music in order for it to be relaxing to you. Personally when I get a massage if I hear anything with birds I instantly get annoyed and reminded of my Aunt Yolanda’s parrot, Pretty Boy. He would wake me in the mornings by yelling at me and throwing bird seed at me when I would go visit her in NYC. He would literally run on his little bird stick and toss bird seed at me. He once flew clear across her apartment to land on my stomach and run up my chest and bite me and fly away. I’ve never cared for birds since. My aunt loved that bird…he has since passed. RIP Pretty Boy even if you did give me a slight fear of birds. Forcing yourself to listen to relaxation music that irritates you can create tension, not reduce it. Not all relaxing music is created equal. If you ever aren’t feeling the music playing at Bodyworks just let us know and we’ll try something new for you. We would hate for you to have flashbacks of being attacked by a parrot during your massage or facial :) Comment on our blog and let us know what music relaxes you and makes you feel joyful and also the music that makes you want to change the station immediately. I’ve included a few links below with some great ways to use music for stress relief and to improve your mood. Be Well, Cindy Owner/Founder/LMT