Education

Touch- unlike our other main senses which are confined to specific regions, can be felt all over our body.  Touch is more specifically referred to as our somatosensory system as it is a diverse system that responds to stimuli from touch, temperature and pain.

Is it any wonder then, that such a multifarious sense would lead us to massage therapy?  Ancient civilizations of Rome, Greece, Japan, India, China and Egypt have been found to practice massage and these practices have contributed to the dozens of different modalities of massage therapy that are practiced today.

Massage relieves pain, reduces blood pressure, heart rates, depression and anxiety.  If you’ve ever had a massage in any form, you can attest to these benefits.

The massage therapy and spa industry’s massive growth in past 10 years can be attributed to increased stress levels due to our busier lifestyles and higher demands at work and home. People are looking for an outlet to relieve stress and the deal with repetitive strain, aches and pains without the use of medications or surgery.

Part of the increase in massage therapy’s popularity is also due to the advanced education and recognition of massage therapists in the medical community.  In British Columbia we have one of the most highly regarded education systems for massage therapists in the world.  With over three years of training and mandatory post-graduate studies, registered massage therapists in B.C. are a cut above in the industry.

With this recognition in the medical profession, comes the ability as a client to write off massage therapy as a medical expense. More and more people are requesting to see a Registered Massage Therapist when they book in for a spa treatment.

It’s sounds like Utopia- a prescription for massage!  Now there’s very little excuse for not seeking out massage as a way to maintain mental and physical health.

Spruce Body Lab currently has a staff of several registered massage therapists to meet this demand.  Check out our staff bios and book in. It’s time for some touch therapy!

• Massage Therapy

With the impending fall weather comes the desire to be warm- scarves mittens, wool sweaters and tea come to mind.  Here at the spa, Geo-Thermal Stone Therapy starts comes to the forefront as a way to warm up and relax.

There are many different styles and types of stone massage out there. In fact, the majority of Vancouver spas have this treatment on their menu if they offer massage therapy.  If you’ve never tried a stone massage it  may seem like a strange and foreign concept.  Are the stones rough?  How are they applied to the body without bumping into bones?

You can lay these fears to rest if you confirm that your therapist has the proper training. When you’re in the right hands a massage with the use of stones can be one the most relaxing and transcendental spa experiences you’ll ever have.

At Spruce we offer Geo-Thermal Stone Therapy. What makes this type of stone massage unique is that we use both hot and cold stones in our treatment. Now you may be thinking- cold stones aren’t relaxing.  In response to this I would ask the question: “Would you spend an hour or more in a sauna?” I’m going to assume that in the interests of your health, the answer is “no”. Having a stone massage with hot stones for an hour is the equivalent of spending too long in a sauna.

When we consider our body, it needs to maintain a regular temperature of 38.6 degrees celcsius. When we have a treatment with just hot stones, it brings our core temperature up and our body has to work hard to bring it back to homeostasis.  I’ve received hot stone massages myself and I had completely mistaken the groggy feeling I experienced post-treatment to be relaxation. In fact, my body was drained from trying to cool down.

The feeling I’ve experienced subsequently from a Geo-Thermal Stone Therapy treatment has no comparison.  I feel a deep sense of relaxation that last for days longer than what I get from a regular massage. After a Geo-Thermal Stone treatment, I feel so relaxed and serene that nothing seems to phase me.

What happens during a treatment?

Your therapist applies a warm oil to allow the hot basalt stones to glide smoothly over your skin.  Once your muscles have been warmed up with the stones, your therapist does some hands on work with either therapeutic or swedish techniques.  After this work has been done, cool marble stones are applied to areas of tension.  The different temperature works with your body’s circulation to flush out stagnant blood and muscle aches from lactic acid build up.

Experience a Treatment

If you’re a fan of stone massage but you’ve never experienced alternating temperatures- then I would highly recommend trying a Geo-Thermal Stone Therapy treatment. The cold stones are a bit of a shock initially, but they actually feel quite soothing and relaxing after a few seconds. The alternating temperatures not only support your body’s core temperature, but they have far more benefits for the health of your skin, muscles and connective tissue than heat on it’s own.  While all of that is going on inside, you’ll be revitalized and rested on the outside.

Geo-Thermal Stone Therapy Treatments
Massage Therapy Vancouver

Have you had a Geo-Thermal Stone Therapy Treatment?  Share your experience here!

Working at Spruce Body Lab over the past three yeards, I’ve been priveledged to have several Registered Massage Therapists as my colleagues. They’ve undergone some of the most rigorous training to be found in the world; a three year program of intensive study allows for RMT’s in Vancouver and B.C. to be absolute experts on human anatomy and physiology.

I sometimes take it for granted that whenever I’ve had the slightest ache or pain, I’ve had almost instant access to non-medicinal pain relief, held in the hands of my co-workers. I’ve grown to appreciate the art of massage therapy and how each practitioner takes a variety of techniques from their set of skills to improve the well-being of their patients.  Whether it’s deep tissue work, trigger point realease, myofascial release, or craniosacral therapy- I’ve experienced benefits from each and every treatment modality.

So when one of our massage therapists at Spruce decided to go back to school to become an osteopath, my curiosity was piqued. I really had no idea what osteopathy involved- how would this practice compare to massage therapy?  So I decided to give it a try.

The initial consultation struck me as much more in depth than that of a massage therapy treatment.  I felt a little bit like I was in my doctor’s office and I was providing information that went beyond my immediate muscular discomfort and addressed internal issues that had come up for me over the past year.

What ensued was one of the most relaxing yet lucid treatments I’ve had on a massage table.  There were a variety of techniques employed which I don’t have the expertise to describe; my overall sense from the treatment itself was that my whole body was being cared for- not just my specific muscle groups.

As I spoke with my RMT about the difference between an osteopathic treatment and a massage therapy treatment, the key theme of a holistic approach arose.  Osteopathy is about supporting the body’s ability to heal itself. As a comparison to massage therapy- the treatment’s focus is about getting to the root of why muscles may be pulled out of alignment and addressing that cause. Versus simply manipulating that muscle to go back into place.

The theory makes so much sense to me, especially when you look at issues of chronic pain.  I know that I personally have areas of my body where pain arises periodically on a repetitive basis.  Massage therapy has helped me immensely to relieve this pain and keep it at bay. However, I am very excited about the prospect of a therapy that can re-educate my body so that these chronic musco-skeletal dysfunctions no longer arise.

Before writing about this subject, I did do a little research on-line about osteopathy and found that most information was quite vague. There are a few studies that suggest that osteopathic therapy is a suitable remedy to pain relief with some results sighting that the benefits of this treatment modality last longer than the pain relieving effects of medication.

Osteopathy is a practice that is still in it’s beginning stages.  It will take time for this treatment practice to be appreciated and understood, but I know that from my recent experience- I’m a believer! I won’t be giving up my massages though- the two modalities are complimentary of course!

It’s unfortunate to think of caring for the environment as a trend, but it seems we need reminding and a little social pressure to keep up with being green. I personally haven’t purchased a fashionable tote for my shopping yet, but I have found myself making extra effort recently to remove the little piece of plastic from kleenex boxes before I recycle them, or re-use paper bags and fabric totes for shopping.  

Part of our focus here at Spruce Body Lab has been finding ways to lessen our impact on the environment. As a Vancouver spa, we feel that we want to reflect West Coast values and provide our clients with the best massage therapy and skin care treatments available.  Our first priority was to work with skin care products with minimal packaging made of recyclable materials and ingredients that are as natural and effective as possible.

The next stage of our journey to become a greener company was to find a resource for recyclable plastic cups. Up until recently, we were on a bit of a recycling zeal and putting all of our plastic cups, which were made or number 5 plastic, into the recycling bin. Apparently our attempt to be good to the environment was all for naught as the City of Vancouver only accepts number 1 and 2 plastics.

I found this perplexing- why wouldn’t a city that is known for it’s “green” bent, make it easier for people to recycle?  With a little research into this, I discovered that the numbers on plastics signify the type of plastic material used to construct the container. Number 1 and 2 plastics are the easiest to recycle and have many uses as post-recycled material.  The higher numbers such as 5 and 7 are harder to recycle and have fewer uses as post-consumer materials. 

Once we realized that the cups we were taking the time to sort and recycle were just heading to the land fill, it took a few months to find a supplier for recyclable cups. The hard work has paid off because, not only did we find a resource for bio-degradeable cups made of corn-based plastic, we are also working with the same company to supply Spruce Body Lab with recycled paper materials and environmentally friendly cleaning supplies. 

It is a happy ending for our “going green” dilemma.

It’s important to remember that as consumers, we play a vital role in patronizing “green” companies and demanding products that have a smaller foot print on the environment. Let’s all do our part!

On that note- Happy recycling!