How to Choose the Bodywork Your Body Actually Needs

People often ask me which kind of massage is best. I understand the question because the menu can be confusing: swedish massage; deep tissue; thai massage; ayurvedic massage; cupping; hot stones; reiki; the list goes on.

I have studied and practiced many of these modalities over the years, and the longer I work, the less interested I am in deciding which one is “best.” They are different tools. What matters is what we are trying to do.

Swedish massage

Swedish massage is one of the foundations of Western massage therapy. It generally uses oil or lotion and combines gliding strokes, kneading, friction and other techniques to work with the soft tissues. It can be gentle or quite substantial depending on how it is practiced.

I think sometimes Swedish massage gets dismissed as merely “relaxation massage,” which underestimates it. Good Swedish work can be extremely sophisticated. Long, connected movements can allow a practitioner to assess the body while also creating continuity through the treatment. It can support circulation, work with muscular tension and create a very complete whole-body experience. It is also a beautiful foundation for integrating aromatherapy and other forms of bodywork.

Deep tissue

People sometimes think deep tissue means the therapist pushes as hard as possible. But depth is not the same as force; to work deeply, tissue has to allow you in, and that usually requires time. If I immediately attack a guarded muscle with excessive pressure, the body may simply guard more.

Good deep work listens to the body and pressure increases only as long as the tissue responds. Angles, positioning, and breath are all critical elements of good deep tissue work. And usually the most effective way to change a deep restriction is not to push directly into it.

Traditional Thai massage

Thai massage changed the way I understood bodywork. I began studying traditional Thai massage in Thailand and eventually became an advanced practitioner and teacher trainer in Nuad Bo-Rarn. The recipient of thai massage is generally clothed and the work takes place on a mat. The practitioner uses hands, thumbs, elbows, knees, feet and body weight. There is compression, stretching and rhythmic movement.

People sometimes call it “assisted yoga,” which gives you an image of some of the stretching, but Thai massage is much more than stretching. There is an entire traditional system behind the work.

One of the things I love about Thai massage is that the practitioner is moving too.

It becomes almost like a meditation between two bodies. Weight transfers, breath changes, and the practitioner has to remain grounded and relaxed enough to use the body efficiently.

When it is done well, there is a rhythm to it.

Ayurvedic bodywork

Ayurvedic massage introduces another framework entirely. Now the choice of oil, the constitution of the person, their present condition, the season and the purpose of the treatment can all influence the work. Abhyanga is one Ayurvedic oil practice, but Ayurveda contains many forms of body treatment.

What I appreciate about Ayurveda is that it constantly asks us to consider the individual.

We are not only treating a tight shoulder, we are asking what is happening in the whole person. That way of thinking has influenced everything I do, even when I am not performing an Ayurvedic treatment.

Aromatherapy

Aromatherapy integrates very naturally into massage because scent adds another sensory pathway to the treatment. An invigorating aromatic blend creates a different treatment environment from a warm, grounding blend. The aroma should make sense with the direction of the session. It should support the work rather than simply perfume the room.

Reiki and energetic work

Reiki works from a different model than anatomical massage. It is a Japanese energy-healing tradition in which the practitioner works with the body's energetic field through light touch or hands positioned near the body. This kind of work is difficult to discuss if we insist that every healing tradition must fit into exactly the same explanatory framework. I don't think it needs to.

I have studied both physical and energetic modalities because human experience has many dimensions. There are times when muscular work is appropriate and there are times when a much subtler treatment is appropriate.

Cupping

Cupping uses negative pressure rather than compression. A cup creates suction at the skin, lifting tissue rather than pressing downward into it. This creates a very different mechanical experience from massage.

Cupping can leave temporary circular marks, which are caused by changes in superficial blood vessels. I use cupping as a tool when it makes sense, not because every body needs cups. That principle applies to every modality.

You don't need to choose only one

This may be the most important thing I have learned from studying so many systems. Modalities are useful, but the body doesn't care what category is printed on the menu. A session can begin with one approach and move into another. A person may need broad oil work, then more specific muscular work, then stretching, then quiet contact. The treatment can evolve. This is why I named my practice Synergy.

Synergy is what happens when different forms of knowledge begin working together. Thai massage changed the way I understand movement, and ayurveda changed the way I understand constitution, qualities and daily practice. Aromatherapy changed the way I think about scent and the senses, and energy work changed the way I understand subtlety and attention. None of these studies cancelled the others. They gave me more ways to understand the body and the spirit, and compound my ability to help people.

So what should you book?

Begin with what you are experiencing.

Are you physically restricted?

Exhausted?

Overstimulated?

Recovering from intense activity?

Looking for deeper muscular work?

Wanting to move and stretch?

Wanting to be still?

Do you like strong physical contact or does your body respond better when the work begins slowly?

Then talk to the practitioner. A good practitioner should be interested in the answers.

You don't need to diagnose yourself and arrive knowing the name of the perfect modality.

That is part of our job. But I do want you to become better at describing your own experience. “I want deep tissue” gives me less information than, “My hips feel restricted when I walk, my lower back has been working too hard, and I haven't been sleeping well.”

Now we have somewhere to begin.

The technique is not the destination; the technique is a way into the body. And there are many ways in.