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For Beautiful, Younger Looking Skin + /"! / -/%0-5. ( 4 *"2/ /+ +*"#&.% -&(( +0/" ./ -""* -++' ") &( &*#+ (0"#+0*/ &*! 3., +) 111 (0"#+0*/ &*! 3., +) %! Gift Certificates Available " &! % " ! +0,(". .. $" !!# $ ! " " ," & ( ,"+,(" $" "#3&*$ & ( ,(0. )&*0/" .. $" ," & ( RELAXATION THAT IS GOOD FOR YOU Do you know all the benefits of a good Massage? Yes, there are various types – you’ve probably heard of them: Swedish, Hot Stone, Deep Tissue, Acupressure and maybe, even Meridian. And you probably have a feeling, deep down, that it might be fun and relaxing to have a massage and, well, good to have. Your intuition is right. There are a num- ber of benefits that come from a mas- sage. Let me count the ways for you! First there are the benefits to the body. I’ll get to the calm and restfulness of the mental state afterwards. Healing Power First and foremost, a massage stimulates the circulatory systems. These include the blood circulation and the lymphatic system. We all know about blood flow: the heart pumps blood throughout the body, bringing oxygen, energy and nour- ishment, and taking away cell waste – toxins the cells need to get rid of. The lymphatic system cleans the blood by fil- tering out those toxins through the lymph nodes and kidneys. Massage the blood flow and lymphatic system, and you bring in nourishment and take out toxic waste that much faster. Massage, like exercise, stimulates these systems for better immunological performance – but massage is more enjoyable! De-pinch, De-stress, De-tighten Okay, those may not be the most medical of terms, but they essentially describe what a massage can do, especially one that is focused on tight or sore muscles. Your muscles can be tight or sore for a number of reasons: • overuse, such as at a particular repeti- tive job or through too much exercise; • bad posture, such as being hunched over a computer screen for long hours (haven’t we all done this at some time or another?), or from standing or sit- ting too long in the same position; • joint pain, where certain degenerative diseases (say, arthritis and the like) affect joints, the muscles anchored at those joints pay a price from the atten- dant inflammation or lack of use. Here, a Deep Tissue or Acupressure mas- sage can loosen tight muscles. Blood flow is increased to the stimulated area, bringing nourishment to the muscle cells, as well as lubricant to the joint, and removing cellular waste: in short, better fluid exchange. Manipulation of stiff muscle groups, joints and even internal organs can reduce or eliminate pinched nerves, giving the nervous sys- tem a needed boost, and restoring feel- ing in the affected area. Incidentally, nerves stimulated here send messages back to the brain – more on that in just a bit. And why do massage therapists offer water or tea to drink after a massage? To assist those fluid flows, of course! That Feel-Good Feeling Here are those mental state benefits I promised. A relaxing massage, such as the classic Swedish massage, will release endorphins, a hormone, in the brain and help calm the peripheral nervous system. At the same time, levels of stress hor- mones such as cortisol, adrenaline and norepinephrine go down. Less stress hor- mones mean a calmer, more relaxed mental state and clearer thinking (I like to do word puzzles in my mind during a massage – the best time to solve them!) The therapists at Blue Fountain Day Spa can help you pick the massage right for you. Please see our website, www.bluefountain dayspa.com for our offerings or call us at (732) 424-1400