Well-Being Massage Studio

In my unending quest to do new things every month, i used a Living Social deal to get a 90 minute hot stone massage today at a studio in Columbia, by the Mall.
It was different from any other massage with stones that i've had before because at various points there were stones under me, over me, on me and even between my toeses. Plus they were really hot, which is a good thing for me cause i love the heat.
The very beginning of the appointment was a bit rocky because i realized that the therapist was a guy. It is funny how it never occurred to me that it might be a dude cause every massage i have ever has was by a woman. I mean, it never crossed my mind, so imagine my surprise when Yuri introduced himself. There was about 5 minutes of internal freaking out (hello? mostly naked here with some dude i don't know touching me), but of course it was totally fine in the end. He was completely professional and once that first stone came in contact with my skin i couldn't have cared less it the therapist was male, female or tentacled alien.
This was also super different for what i am used to because his specialty is deep tissue massage. I asked for medium pressure and in hindsight i can't begin to imagine what hard pressure would have felt like because this guy really dug into those muscles. Tension didn't stand a chance with Yuri on the case because by jiminey he was going to knead those knots into submission.
His style was much more brisk and forceful than my beloved massage therapist Lynn's, but it was a valuable experience. I can report that there are definitely no tension spots in any of my muscles (i'm pretty sure Yuri wouldn't have let me leave if there were).
They have really good introductory massage rates and comparably priced normal rates which you can find here.
I still recommend Massage Associates above everyone else, but this is a good deal and a great technique if you like hot stones.

what is hawaiian for "frickin' awesome"?

Last time i reached my Gold Star for Grown-ups goal i decided to try a different massage; gotta keep up the trying new things, ya know.
Lomi Lomi is a technique based on ancient Hawaiian healing rituals.
The folks at Massage Associates took a trip last year to Hawaii to get trained and certified in it and i figured that now was as good a time as any to try it.
From the outset you can tell that this is different from the standard Swedish massage because instead of working the body in top half and bottom half, the massage is divided into right side and left side. Also, the oil is different. For Lomi Lomi, they use a more expensive coconut oil. You can feel the difference in the quality on your skin and the smell is yummy. I really dislike fake coconut smell - it kinda makes me gag - but this is not that phoney-baloney, suntanning-oil, car-deodorizer nasty smell; rather, it smells like my kitchen when i make coconut candy.
It is almost impossible to describe Lomi Lomi: there is a lot of rocking and long sweeping motions, but there is also really small knuckle work in circles, arm swings, and this cool leg throwing thing. It fluctuates between slow and vigorous. Immediately i could feel the tension being worked away, but also i could feel my skin warming up and blood rushing to whatever muscles Lynn was working on.
Generally after a massage i am super relaxed and kind of a puddle, like a sleepy kitten who wants to curl up in the sun and nap. After the Lomi Lomi i felt relaxed, but energized. Yes, it seems like an oxymoron, but its true. I stood up and felt wide awake and ready to take on the world. I went to the library, grocery shopping, made dinner, cleaned out my pocketbook, finished a mending project that has been haunting me for weeks and balanced my checkbook - and this is after working all day.
I felt GREAT!
 Lomi Lomi at Massage Associates is only a little more expensive than Swedish massage ($10, i think) and it is totally worth it. Though Swedish will always be my regular massage of choice, i think Lomi Lomi will become my special treat massage.
You should go try it and see for yourself how something can be both relaxing and invigorating at the same time.
It's sorta mind-blowing.

sigh of relief

You know what it is?
Not February any more.
ahhhhhh...
I just feel better knowing that i can write March on things. Though not the worst by a long shot, this last month did dish up work issues, intestinal issues and a blizzard.
How did i celebrate surviving yet another Crapuary?
I had a massage yesterday.
And not just any massage: it was a free-to-me, gift massage. I didn't think that massage could get any better until i had one on the first day of March that i didn't even have to pay for.
Super-duper thanks to the North Carolina branch of the clan: that was an awesome present.

mmmmmm... that feels good

Would you like to relax?
 Do you need to relax?
Have you been ordered by your doctor, your boss, your team, your family, your friends and random strangers on the street to relax?
Are you so Type-A that you have a comprehensive plan and schedule for relaxation?
Know what you need?
A massage.
sigh...
 I could go for a massage right now.
I have found the most wonderful massage therapist named Lynn. She is co-owner of Massage Associates in Ellicott City, MD. My personal trainer gave me a gift certificate for Christmas that i finally got around to using in May. I have been back several times since then and love, love, love it.
The practice offers a range of massage services and types as well as several different therapists. Lynn's bodywork on me could be described as gentle Swedish massage. Some of the movements and manipulations are so small that at first part of my brain was wondering whether or not they were doing any good; that is, until i tried to stand up and my entire body was like warm rubber.
sigh...
 Her room is exactly what you would expect: soft light, quiet music and aromatherapy. A cynic would think it looked like a cliched movie set, but no matter how jaded you might be, laying on the table between warm flannel sheets that smell wonderful with a bolster under your knees to keep your spine in proper alignment is like floating a freaking cloud - i swear it is worth the price of admission just to lay on the dang table.
Then she busts out the heated buckwheat booties and the eye mask.
I dare anyone to stay stressed out under those conditions. Even the new-agey music becomes soothing.
sigh...
 Each time i've seen her, Lynn has done something a little different depending on what i needed at the moment : mint oil on my temples for relaxation, eucalyptus for revitalization, hot cloth for really bad muscle knots, buckwheat pillow on my tummy for, well i don't know what that was for but it was awesome.
I know some people are a little freaked out about letting a stranger touch them. I certainly felt the same way, but Jamie had recommended Lynn so highly that i trusted her. Plus Lynn herself has a way of just putting you at ease immediately.
There is a medical history form you fill out before your first massage and each time she sits with you for a few minutes before hand asking if there is anything bothering you or any muscles that need extra attention. I am sure that the other therapists are equally as good, but i can personally vouch for Lynn. I feel like she actually cares about my well-being.
If you've never had a massage you might be nervous about being undressed in front of someone you don't know. I am far less body-conscious than most people so it was no big deal to me, but it turns out there is no reason to worry at all. There is so much intricate draping with the sheets that there is no point where anything vital is really exposed. Most people strip down to underwear, but Lynn says she has worked around far more clothing than that.
Like any personal service massage is not cheap, but $80 an hour seems like a bargain for how good i feel when i leave. Since i was recently forced to downsize my income i am going to save up and use massage as my incentive to get back on my gym schedule without a trainer.
Plus i am going to treat myself to a Sweet Feet massage at the end of summer programming - an hour of foot massage and reflexology.
sigh...
 You deserve a massage.
Really.