What is Swedish Massage?
Swedish massage is the most common massage service that people avail of. It involves a lot of stroking or touching techniques and is usually done to relieve pain and/or soreness on various parts of the body.

This particular massage technique was said to be developed by a Swedish physician in the 1700s. The name of the doctor was Per Henrik Ling. He called the massage technique then as “medical gymnastics” and it was intended as some form of supplement or adjunct to traditional medicine. Later on, many other physicians used the technique and gave it different names. In much of Europe, this type of massage is just called “classical” massage. In other parts of the world, the technique is called “Swedish massage”, in reference to the Swedish doctor who first developed it.

Swedish massages are supposedly done to help in the flow of oxygen in the blood and thereby releasing various toxins. With the stroking and touching techniques, the toxins in the body will be released and eliminated. This is why Swedish massage techniques are attributed with benefits like, relief from muscle aches and pains and faster recovery from muscle strains. It also helps stretch out ligaments and tendons making them more flexible and healthy. And with the overall assistance in blood circulation and movement of toxins, Swedish massage is said to be very effective in relieving physical and/or emotional stress.

Swedish massage involves many different techniques. One such technique is effleurage. This technique literally means stroking and this involves hand sliding or gliding to mostly bigger parts or areas in the body like the back. Another technique is called petrissage or sometimes called as kneading technique. This involves squeezing of some body parts like the shoulders, arms, and legs. Other techniques are tapping or percussion, vibration, friction, stretching, and bending.