Your body is trying to tell you something. That aching hip. The way your back seems stiff and tight. Your neck hurts.
The message is clear: give me a massage!
At Florida Lakes Spa, our massages in North Port deliver relief, relaxation, and rejuvenation for patients who need muscle and ligament tension release. With guidance from our medical massage therapists, you can customize a massage treatment that addresses specific issues to deliver therapeutic results.
Or, choose from Swedish/relaxation massages for soothing relief from everyday stress. This supports improved mental health along with the physical benefits of de-stressing your system.
Contact us or call 941.777.7772 to learn more about custom massage treatments from Florida Lakes Spa.
Read on to understand how your massage works—then get ready to hear your body say “thank you!”
The Difference Between Therapeutic Massage and Swedish Massage
Hollywood and the internet have not done justice to the reality of and benefits from massage. Too often it’s treated as a luxury, bougie experience. It certainly can be that, like what day spas tout.
At Florida Lakes Spa, we’re a medical spa. That means our massage therapists are certified and clinically trained in massage techniques that provide specific benefits for your health and well-being.
Through their specialty training, they provide one of two types of massage: therapeutic or Swedish.
What Is Therapeutic Massage?
Our therapeutic massages in North Port, also known as medical massages, help to treat specific issues usually associated with muscle and/or joint pain. This form of more intense massage manipulates soft tissues in areas of the body to manage any or all of the following:
- Muscle pain
- Sports injury
- Joint pain
- Body stiffness
- Back pain
- Osteoarthritis
- Neuropathic pain
- Circulation
- Hip pain
- Lymphatic flow
What Is Swedish Massage?
Swedish massage is a more common—and more popular—type of full-body massage. The benefits of Swedish massages in North Port affect the patient’s body and mind through relaxation and stress release. This gentler treatment helps to manage:
- Circulation
- Mental stress
- General pain
- Muscle tension
- Headache frequency
- Anxiety
- Flexibility
- Depressive symptoms
- Sleep issues
Massage Styles & Techniques
Our licensed medical massage therapist, Rhiann, and our Swedish massage specialist, Tammy, have undertaken extensive training in massage techniques to manipulate
muscles, soft tissues, and joints for improved movement and reduced pain.
Styles of Massage at Florida Lakes Spa
Though our massages are customizable to achieve your goals, there are some basic styles that form the starting points of your therapy.
Swedish Massage
The massage therapist slowly works the patient’s muscle groups throughout the entire body. The patient lies flat during the massage, either on their stomach or on their back, as the therapist gently but firmly works to loosen the muscles and connective tissues.
This helps improve blood circulation, reduce pain and tension, and relieve mental stress without any of the temporary side effects of more intense, deeper massages.
Deep Tissue Massages
In North Port, our massage therapist conducts a deep tissue massage by applying more intense pressure and manipulation to reach deeper muscles and tissues.
Because this massage delivers more powerful probing and deeper tissue movement, it’s likely you will leave our offices slightly bruised and more sore than when you arrived.
These temporary effects of the massage fade away, allowing muscles to relax. They also trigger healing mechanisms that increase blood flow, improve lymphatic flow, and loosen joints for greater mobility and a lessening of pain.
Sports Massages
For patients who are undertaking athletic training, or who engage in athletic events regularly, our sports massages help weary or heavily used muscles recover after intense training or performance.
They also prepare muscles for the next round of activity. Athletes at any level use sports massage to recover from injury so that they can keep their active life thriving.
Shiatsu/Acupressure
Based on centuries-old Japanese technique, our Shiatsu/acupressure massages in North Port used focused pressure to manipulate specific pressure points around the body.
Using finger tips, elbows, and/or specialized massage devices, your Florida Lakes Spa massage therapist pushes on these points to release energy and restore balance to your body and mind.
Neuromuscular Massages
This specialized manual therapy targets your connective tissues, tendons, and muscles to improve your flexibility. The techniques utilized here combine for a stretching benefit along with tension and pain reduction. Neuromuscular massage helps to restore balance to your central nervous system.
Prenatal Massage
Just like the name says, our prenatal massages in North Port, FL, help moms-to-be relieve muscle and joint pain along with the anxieties and stresses during pregnancy. It’s similar to Swedish massage, but with heightened focus on the safety and comfort of both mother and baby.
Hot Stone Massage
With hot stone massage, your Florida Lakes massage therapist places smooth stones on your back. We heat these stones to comfortable and soothing temperatures, and that heat soaks into the muscles, helping ease tension and pain.
Other common treatment locations include the chest, face, feet, palms, and abdomen.
Depending on your needs, stone massages in North Port can include other massage types (Swedish massage, sports massage, deep tissue massage, etc.) to provide full therapeutic benefit.
Related topic: What to Look for in a Med Spa Near You in North Port.
Other Styles of Medical Massage
Our services can incorporate other styles of therapeutic massage, including (but not limited to):
- Fascia Stretching. Manipulates the connective webbing around nerves and muscles to increase range of motion.
Myofascial Release. Stretching of connective tissue to reduce pain and increase mobility.
Reflexology. A traditional Chinese massage that applies pressure to specific points on the ears, feet, and hands to stimulate your body’s self-healing potential.
Trigger Point Therapy. Pressure applied to target areas experiencing knotted muscles or increased tension, providing release and relaxation.
Our team can adjust the intensity level of the massages in North Port to ensure your comfort. Massages for stress relief and relaxation will be lighter and more soothing. Massages for muscle tension may be more vigorous and cause some minor soreness and/or bruising as they deliver their benefits.
Overall, massage therapy is valued for its holistic approach, addressing both the mind and body and contributing to a balanced and healthy lifestyle.
What to Expect During Therapeutic and Swedish Massages
In North Port at Florida Lakes Spa, our therapeutic massage sessions provide relief for specific issues. They can certainly provide calming, relaxing care—but first and foremost, they work to achieve your therapeutic goals.
Consultation
Our massage therapist will talk with you about your needs, preferences, and any specific areas to focus on or to avoid. We may ask you to fill out an intake form, depending on your massage goals.
This way, we will be fully aware of your medical history and any areas of pain or discomfort, and we can ensure you have realistic expectations for your results.
We’ll also go over the types of massages in North Port that we offer and the techniques, personalizing your massage for optimal benefit.
Massage
Our massages require on-skin contact, so patients will fully undress for their session. This is done in the privacy of the massage room, alone. You will lie down on the massage table and cover yourself with a sheet.
Once you’re comfortable and ready, your massage therapist will enter the room and prepare for your therapy. The lights will be lowered to a relaxing level. If you’ve opted for aromatherapy to enhance your massage experience, that will commence.
The therapist will use the sheet to cover you, only exposing the part of your body that is being worked on at any given time to ensure your privacy and comfort.
As your massage progresses, your massage therapist will ask if there are any specific areas of your body that have been bothering you, and if you would like them to be worked on more during the massage.
The therapist typically does a full body massage, but should one area need specific attention, they can work that area for as long as necessary—up to the entire session.
Post-Massage
After our massages in North Port, you’ll feel much more relaxed and “fluid.” The deeper and more intense massage therapies may also leave your treatment area with some tenderness and soreness, known as delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS).
This comes from tight muscles being manipulated or from injured muscles receiving work. The DOMS should resolve itself within a day or two.
Many patients feel a little drowsy after their massage. That’s because you’ve relaxed and de-stressed. Several beneficial effects have occurred during your massage, including:
- Feel-Good Hormones. Your nervous system has released more serotonin and dopamine for that delicious “happy sigh” feeling.
- Lowered Blood Pressure. Massage can lower your blood pressure, which can also stabilize your mood and decrease anxiety levels.
- Less Cortisol. When we’re constantly stressed, cortisol levels can stay high and cause issues like weight gain, diabetes, hypertension, osteoporosis, and more. The relaxing powers of massage decrease cortisol levels.
- Muscle Relaxation. Massages help to loosen muscles for that feeling of “unwinding.”
After having any of our massages in North Port, be sure to drink plenty of water to help flush out any toxins released during the session.
You’ll also talk with your massage therapist about your experience, so that we can continue doing what worked best for you. We can also discuss any changes you would like for future sessions.
Your massage therapist may also provide you with some recommendations for aftercare, such as stretches, hydration, and when to schedule your next appointment.
Overall, a therapeutic massage session is designed to be a relaxing and healing experience, tailored to your individual needs.
Related blog: 3 Secret Benefits of Massage Therapy in Wellen Park.
Who can benefit from massage?
Everyone can benefit from the relaxing and rejuvenating benefits of Swedish massage. In this hectic world with its everyday struggles, some quality “me time” to de-stress and decompress helps calm the mind, bolster the spirit, and rejuvenate the body.
Therapeutic massage benefits people who are more active or who have chronic pain issues. Some who gain the most from medical massage include:
Runners
Patients who enjoy running often have tight spots in their leg muscles. Deep tissue massage works the entire muscle, reaching both the superficial and deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue for tension release.
It also promotes better blood flow for improved oxygen supply during exercise and quicker removal of metabolic byproducts and heat.
Walkers
Do you love walking with your friends or family, but find that your muscles and/or joints ache afterwards? Sports massage can help by targeting soft tissues and muscles that experience repetitive stresses.
Whether it’s a tendon sprain or a muscle strain, you can use sports massage to manage specific muscle pain so that you can keep on keepin’ on.
Golfers
Hitting it down the fairway can cause pain in the upper and lower back. Between the swing motion and sometimes being your own caddy, your neck, back, and shoulders can stiffen and become sore.
Deep tissue massage, sports massage, and hot stone massages in North Port are popular to unknot muscles and reduce inflammation for a better range of motion.
Swimmers
Neuromuscular massage, combined with Swedish massage, helps active patients loosen up before swimming and relieve soreness after a good swim.
Whether it’s for an athletic event, a day at the pool, or swimming at a beach in Sarasota, Lee, or Charlotte County, our massages in North Port can get you ready for the fun and help you recover from it.
Ay, Here’s the Rub
Let’s be honest: Hamlet really could have used a good de-stressing. So could all of us!
When your body is telling you your muscles, your joints, and your stress levels need some care—schedule your massage or call 941.777.7772. You can get a massage as often as you would like!
Our massage therapist may provide some recommendations on the frequency of your massages in North Port, but you can get a massage any time, since it has no downtime or recovery.
Come to Florida Lakes Spa for massage therapy. It does more than give you time away from the busy world—It’s an investment in your self-care that delivers results!
About Florida Lakes Spa
Florida Lakes Spa is proud to serve the Wellen Park community with leading-edge procedures and high-quality aesthetic care.
Our team enjoys talking with you, understanding your concerns and medical history. From the moment you walk through our doors, we’re happy to welcome you and provide you with any information you may need.
Together, we can create a treatment plan that makes you feel better, look better, and live better.