CBD massage, a newer form of massage therapy, is quickly gaining in popularity, and for many reasons. It has many research-backed health benefits that can offer relaxation and relief for a wide range of physical and mental symptoms. At Backstage Salon and Spa in Rowley, MA, we offer this type of massage in a comforting and peaceful environment with a specialist trained in providing a truly therapeutic experience.
What Is a CBD Massage?
While regular massages have many proven benefits, adding CBD oil to a therapy session enhances those benefits in multiple ways. Research into CBD has shown that it has a wide range of therapeutic effects on muscles, joints, and skin, and can promote both physical and mental well-being.
In addition to the multiple benefits of CBD massages, the experience itself is soothing and reinvigorating. Although the massage techniques we use with a CBD massage are similar to those used in other types of massages that we offer, the positive effects from the combination of massage strokes and CBD oil are often felt immediately and throughout each session.
What Health Benefits Does CBD Massage Offer?
Physical Health Benefits
Reduces Inflammation
Massages with CBD oil can reduce inflammation in both the muscles and the skin. This can occur in two different ways, which together serve as a powerful combination to combat inflammation. First, CBD itself is a potent antioxidant that can reduce oxidative stress, which is a type of physical stress that the human body experiences on a cellular level. By reducing oxidative stress, CBD directly reduces inflammation and the free radicals that cause it.
The other way that inflammation is reduced is through the massage process itself, as massages have been shown to reduce pro-inflammatory cytokines. Think of these cytokines as molecules that signal to your body where inflammation should occur. By suppressing these molecules, both the muscles and areas of the skin that have been massaged can benefit from the anti-inflammatory effects of the therapy.
Improves Skin Disorders
Massages with CBD can also lead to improvements in many skin conditions. The health and vitality of your skin are regulated by many bodily processes and immune signals, with endocannabinoid receptors acting as one of the most influential factors. These receptors, which are found throughout your body, as well as your skin, are known to respond to cannabinoids, including CBD.
This recent discovery means that the positive effects of CBD can be focused on specific areas of your skin through massage, which can relieve inflammation and restore skin to a more vibrant, healthy state. With a reduction in inflammation, skin can then function better and replenish lost moisture, leading to a softer and more supple texture and appearance. Dry skin, psoriasis, , and other skin conditions associated with inflammation may all benefit from this effect.
Releases Muscle Tension
Another major benefit of CBD-enhanced massages is that they can relax muscle tension. When your muscles are continuously-tensed because of stress or strenuous activities, they can remain in a contracted state where they receive less oxygen and nutrients due to reduced blood flow. This is a condition known as hypoxia, and it can lead to not only more tension but also other symptoms as well, such as the formation of stiff myofascial trigger points.
Gentle to moderate massages of these areas with CBD can promote better circulation and increased oxygen delivery to these tense muscles. This normally leads to a more relaxed state and less muscle tightness, which is often noticeable after a single therapy session. With regular massages, the muscles have an opportunity to regain their natural, loosened state so you can start feeling normal and agile again.
Eliminates Muscle Fatigue
In addition to relieving muscle tension, CBD massages can also lead to improvements in muscle fatigue, whether it’s acute or chronic. Fatigued muscles can develop for a number of reasons, with mental stress and physical tension being two of the most common causes. Because regular massages involving CBD can both reduce stress and relax muscles, this can have a mediated effect on muscle fatigue as well.
In some cases, muscle fatigue can become a chronic problem when muscles haven’t had adequate time to rest and repair themselves. Even a state of constant anxiety can lead to tense and fatigued muscles over time. While receiving CBD massages on a regular basis, the body can re-learn how to shift into a more relaxed state, which can then focus more energy on healing tired and fatigued muscles.
Soothes Muscle and Joint Pain
Through the same effects that relieve muscle tension and fatigue, receiving regular CBD-enhanced massages can relieve certain types of chronic muscle pain in the neck, shoulders, back, or other areas of the body. Often there are two types of pain that can be relieved through this process: an aching, lingering pain and a sharp, more focal pain when muscles are squeezed or pressed.
The lingering type of pain is often from chronic muscle tension or joint stiffness, while the sharper form of pain can be due to trigger points. When muscles are able to relax and recover from chronic tension or inflammation in the joints, the accompanying dull, aching pain will often resolve as well. The pain that can be attributed to trigger points can also be relieved in a single session, but normally requires repeated sessions for best results.
Boosts Immune Function
Massages that incorporate CBD oil can also lead to improved immunity through an effect on the body’s autonomic nervous system. Since the body doesn’t heal well when in a stressed state, the reduction in stress from routine massages can optimize the body’s healing capabilities.
The relaxing effects of the targeted massage techniques can stimulate the parasympathetic nervous response, which is your body’s “rest and repair” mode, while CBD has the potential to regulate immune responses in the skin. When combined together, the effects on immune function can be particularly beneficial, both in the skin and throughout the body.
Mental Health Benefits
Uplifts Your Mood
These types of massages can also serve as major mood boosters for many reasons. You’ll normally feel refreshed and uplifted after a massage because of the feel-good hormones that are released during the process. Serotonin and dopamine are two hormones responsible for many of these feelings, and the benefits experienced from the release of both can be long-lasting. It’s not uncommon to feel great for many days or even weeks after a single session.
In addition to generally feeling happy and relaxed, the uplifting mental effects can also improve your day in many other ways. Both serotonin and dopamine produced from massages can improve how your body responds to stressful situations in your personal life or at work. Instead of feeling stressed out or exhausted, your nervous system can be better equipped to handle these types of scenarios so that you can maintain a good mood throughout the day.
Diminishes Stress and Anxiety
If you’re already experiencing the symptoms of chronic stress or anxiety, CBD massages can help to control and reduce these symptoms. Regular massages can reduce both cortisol and norepinephrine, two hormones that are responsible for many of the feelings you experience when you’re stressed out. The intense feelings of relaxation that often occur both during and after massages can also contribute to reduced anxiety by lowering your heart rate.
In addition to this, reducing stress through massage can have an effect on blood pressure as well. Blood pressure and stress are often linked because high levels of stress can lead to hormone imbalances. Gentle forms of massage can not only reduce stress but can also indirectly reduce blood pressure in some cases by decreasing levels of arginine-vasopressin, one of the main hormones that regulate blood pressure.
What Symptoms or Disorders Can This Help With?
While CBD massage can offer benefits to virtually anyone, those who are experiencing any of the following symptoms or disorders are likely to see the most positive changes in their symptoms or overall health and well-being:
- Stress
- Anxiety
- Tension
- Depression
- Irritability
- Skin disorders
- Chronic Fatigue
- Joint pain or stiffness
- Muscle fatigue
- Muscle tension
- Muscle pain
Start Feeling Better Today
As an alternative treatment for relieving a number of different ailments, the benefits of CBD perfectly complement traditional massage therapy. Our CBD massage treatment is sure to leave you feeling renewed and rejuvenated after every soothing session. To schedule an appointment for this treatment, call us today at Backstage Salon and Spa in Rowley, MA.
