The Meaning of Full-body Massage
A full-body massage is a general term that encompasses all types of massage whereby the therapist massages the client’s whole body during a therapeutic massage session. A full-body massage usually includes the treatment of the client’s arms, legs, hands and feet, neck, back, stomach and buttocks. The area around the breasts may be massaged, but not the breasts themselves. But you can always inform the therapist in advance, if you hate having your breast area or buttocks or whatever touched. So, there’s no special type of massage that is called “Full Body Massage”. A full-body massage lasts for at least sixty (60) minutes. That’s the minimum number of minutes needed to massage all the major areas of the body, including head, neck, back, shoulders, legs, feet, arms, and hands.
Generally, the client is asked to face down and the therapist starts with his/her (client’s) back and shoulder, then moves down the body. Once you face up, the therapist works her way back up your body, usually ending with your shoulders and neck, and sometimes (especially in Thai Traditional Massage), the scalp gets treated as well.
Whether you’re getting a Body to Body Massage, or Deep Tissue Massage, or Thai Massage or Oil Massage or Swedish Massage, you will be enjoying a full-body massage. If you have a problem area of your body like sore back or tight shoulders that needs extra attention, you can request the therapist to spend more time on those specific areas. Such request can be accommodated by spending less time on areas, such as legs or arms that might just get a quick sweep.
If you have painful body areas, but do not want other areas to be shortchanged, we strongly recommend that you make an appointment for a longer massage session, such as two (2) or three (3) hours. That way you would get a Full Body Massage Home Service, alongside more focused work you need in specific body areas.
When You Won’t Get a Real Treatment of Mobile Full Body Massage
If you book for a quick service or express service or mini-treatment (i.e. a session that lasts for just 30 minutes instead of the usual one (1) hour), it will be better to let the massage therapist focus on a few areas instead of getting a full-body massage.
The reason for our strong recommendation is because it takes some time to warm up and soften the muscle tissues, to enable the therapist to penetrate a little deeper and get the muscles to actually relax.
If you’re suffering from a chronic tension in your back, neck, or shoulders, it’s best to let the therapist apply the 30-minute massage right there. But if you ask for a Full-body Massage in as little as half an hour, you won’t derive much benefit from the massage, as you wish.
Massages that are administered to people with sports injuries usually concentrate on targeted body areas that might be in spasm or contraction from activities related to sports. This is another circumstance in which you might not ask for a full body massage.
Misunderstandings about Full-body Massage
Seasoned Massage Therapists understand full-body massage to be any massage service that covers the treatment of the client’s whole body, rather than focusing on a targeted area that needs special attention like contraction in the muscles. It was a legitimate way to refer to massage when it was first developed. In the 19th century, when massage service was developed, Full Body Massage was the generally-acceptable way to refer to massage.
Studies show that full-body massage originated in the famous Rest Cure for “neurasthenia”, a debilitating melancholy that was common among society ladies in the late 19th century. During the bed rest period of the patient, a full body massage was administered, to improve the patient’s blood circulation and appetite. It was applied as a substitute for physical exercise.
Since the early 1900s, the popularity of general body massage has increased, as it is considered as a form of healthy living, even though The Rest Cure eventually fell out of favour.
However, in the 1960s, the old-fashioned terms like full body massage, masseuse, and massage parlors fell into disrepute, as increasing number of brothels used them as code words for prostitution. For that reason, the terms Massage Therapy, Massage Therapist and Swedish Massage began to replace the older ways of referring to massage services and the individuals who practice them.
That notwithstanding, there are still many underground “spas” that still operate like the old massage parlours or rather brothels. They put out signs that say things like “full-body massage” or “Asian massage”, as a way to indicate that sexual contact or “happy ending” is possible, which is illegal in the Federal Republic of Nigeria. You should not expect sexual contact or a happy ending, when you book for a full-body massage at a legitimate Mobile Massage Service Provider like MassageTherapist.com.ng.