Massage Therapy: Your Wellness Strategy – by Nora Brunner

For many people, massage and bodywork are a critical part of their health and wellness strategy–an idea medical professionals are increasingly embracing. In a recent online survey, massage devotees talked about their commitment to regular massage therapy. These folks find a way to afford it, regardless of other demands on their resources.

Best Life – “Getting massage has been part of my life since I was in my 20s–I’m now in my 50s,” says Los Angeles chef Gisele Perez. Once a modern dancer and now proprietor of a boutique catering company, she considers massage necessary to the career she loves. She finds massage helps resolve problems she’s grappling with and that solutions arise spontaneously in her thoughts while she’s on the table. “I think it maintains my emotional balance,” she says. Many massage clients report cathartic experiences when they finally allow themselves to fully relax. With so much of our lives devoted to what one spiritual guru calls “efforting,” it’s nice to know that letting go of it all can be just as productive, perhaps even more so.