Throughout my time as a wellness center patron and advocate, I have noticed that many people define the experiences offered in places like Element as luxuries.
NOT TRUE! I passionately believe that the services offered by most spas/wellness centers are necessities rather than luxuries.
The therapeutic benefits of massage and acupuncture are real, even if they seem deceptively indulgent because they are so soothing. We ask our bodies to perform and accomplish so much every day, from straining on a computer, to executing amazing tasks of brilliance and precision, to rearing children in a complicated world. Some people put us all to shame because they appear to somehow manage to do everything without the use of magic or time machines—but everyone can benefit from bolstering treatments that can help us feel and perform better.
So caring for our bodies with time-tested methods like acupuncture, massage, and other wellness techniques is much more just a treat. It can make huge differences in our physical and emotional health. When we’re so stressed out that fifty shades of grey is our new hair color, we need the kind of positive change offered by wellness centers. To treat that as decadence is a disservice to our hardworking bodies.
Treatments like massage and acupuncture are therapeutic, and the benefits go way beyond just feeling good in the moment. When done right by trained professionals, they can be healing and soothing. They even act as preventative care.
Imagine the level of pain or stress you let yourself get to before you finally break down and come in for a treatment. Now, imagine how you feel when you leave. Relaxed. Rejuvenated. Energized. Relieved. There is no reason you shouldn’t feel this way ALL THE TIME.
Why do we tend to wait until the pain is immobilizing, or the stress completely debilitating? Why are we punishing ourselves? Our attitude towards spa therapies/wellness services needs to expand to realize the long-term pay-offs. If you choose to perceive bodywork as maintenance—or better yet, as a pre-emptive strike without side-effects or medication—you could very well increase the performance and longevity of your body. In fact, research has found massage to have multiple benefits: aiding in recovery from illness and injury; reducing stress; and even enhancing the metabolism and blood circulation!
Likewise, acupuncture and other spa and wellness services (such as meditation, craniosacral therapy, lymphatic drainage, etc.) have all been found to have similarly profound effects on health.
Think of it this way: Your health is a complex machine. If you take care of it, the many complicated moving parts are much less likely to deteriorate and fail. So say thank you to your body by treating it with care.
– by Kristanne Thompson, receptionist