We Asked: What is your favorite type of massage to receive, and why?

Here is what you told us...

Deep tissue. I have chronic fatigue syndrome and my muscles get strained very easily. After my session my back feels as good as new.
Nick Jones
Cambridge, Minnesota

I love receiving (and giving) Thai Yoga bodywork. I find the blend of manual techniques on the energy lines with the passive yoga stretches gives me the benefits of specific work and much greater range of motion and flexibility than other types of table work. On top of that, when a Thai Yoga bodywork session is given with the meditative, compassionate focus that is intended in this work, there is so much energy freed up and I feel spiritually nurtured.
Lisa Berkovits
Easthampton, Massachusetts

When the therapist mixes it up and does what my body is telling her/him what it needs.
Mary Hodits
Jackson, Wisconsin

Pfrimmer Deep Muscle Therapy. It is both corrective and relaxing. As a busy therapist, regular Pfrimmer helps me to look after myself (especially good for those tired forearm muscles), which in turn better helps me to look after my clients. I feel in tip-top shape after a session, stretched out and revived. What could be better?
Sally Murphy
Bryn Mawr, Pennsylvania

A hot-stone session. This is the only session type that truly feels luxurious to me. However, after being a therapist for four years, I have found that deep- tissue and neuromuscular work tend to offer me the most in terms of long-term results.
Chrystal Higginbotham
Oshkosh, Wisconsin

I like to receive as well as give a combination of Swedish and deep-tissue massage. I like a lot of forearm work in the massage.
Garth Stephens
Palm Desert, California

I am a Judo instructor and practitioner of a style of Japanese Amma called Okazaki Restorative Massage. It was a modality infused with Lomi Lomi in the 1920s and as such is both soothing and deep. Nothing feels better after hitting the mat a few hundred times than this old-school method. The common thought of mine is always “that hurts, don’t stop.” It feels like you’re being untied and pressed back into your natural alignment.
S. Kimo Williams
Burbank, California

Deep-tissue massage because it does make me feel more flexible, gets rid of adhesions and trigger points, and increases my whole body circulation.
Monica Polanco
New York, New York

A relaxation massage with deep tissue on my shoulders and neck. My shoulders and neck hold all my stress and tension, so there are lots of trigger points and tight muscles. The relaxation just because I relax and feel 100 percent better once the massage is done. Just being able to take the time to get a massage, no matter what type, is great. We take care of our clients all the time; we need to take time to take care of ourselves also.
RayLynn Kernan
Sheldon, Wisconsin

Deep tissue. I like this because it helps to work out the areas that I have the most problems with. Usually these are areas that are more chronic. It may hurt a little at the time, but I always feel better later!
Ivy Conrad
Red Wing, Minnesota

Basic Swedish, with heated stone incorporated. I just love the relaxation aspect and the heat from the stones makes the experience that much better. It’s very rejuvenating!
Patricia “PJ” Jewelle
Coon Rapids, Minnesota

A two-hour therapeutic/relaxation massage. I like to have the nodules worked out, and be stretched and then relaxed. I feel totally well afterward and can then continue to give my own clients good massages.
Sheila Clifford
Derry, New Hampshire

A general therapeutic massage, Swedish technique with a little reiki too.
William A. McKinnon
Doylestown, Ohio

Hot stone. It’s the most relaxing. I love the heat. I also love the deep, penetrating work without the therapist having to worry about pressure. I also like the feel of the rocks; they don’t feel so much like a massage tool that separates the therapist from the client, they just feel connective and natural. Even hearing the stones click while the therapist takes them out of the heater is relaxing.
Marilyn Marques
Austin, Texas

Arelaxing and slow deep-tissue massage that focuses on a problem area but touches everywhere, connecting my entire body. A focused, slow deep massage is what a lot of people, myself included, need to really release their problem areas. A slow massage lets the muscles relax into the pressure, as the depth gets more and more intense. The muscles just melt and allow it to happen.
Allison Hanelt
Olympia, Washington

What the therapist described as “intuitive” because it was exactly that. He moved very slowly and did a great deal of energy work that made me feel as if it were tailored precisely for me—according to my body’s needs.
Jack Spencer
Troy, Missouri

Deep tissue and hot stone. The deep is nice when I have tired muscles that need to be stretched out and released. The hot stone is also very nice, as the heat really relaxes me. Swedish is good only if it’s 90 minutes long. A one-hour session doesn’t do it for me anymore.
Joni Garfield
Palatine, Illinois

Swedish. It’s both therapeutic and relaxing. The relaxing part is the best for me, with all of the stress in our lives, homes, work and the world. Anything we can do to reduce it makes us feel better mentally and physically. Stress can wreak havoc with our lives, health, relationships, and mental well-being. I know I feel like a million bucks after a good Swedish massage, for only $60 or so. No pain or discomfort involved, Swedish is just plain heaven.
Carla Craft
Killeen, Texas

A very deep-tissue relaxation massage. After my massage I go home and relax for the rest of the day. I leave the kids with my parents or in-laws and veg. I don’t normally schedule work the day I receive a massage. It just doesn’t work, when you feel like a noodle and then you have to come in to work feeling all relaxed.
Rachel Mashni
Redford, Michigan

A massage that goes deep. I’m old enough that I have aches and pains that have lingered through time from all kinds of sources, and some have buried themselves deep. A session of myofascial release, as well as with someone who can follow the trail, brings the best, most long-lasting relief.
Keith Tuxhorn
Austin, Texas