What's the point of having a massage?

Paul Adamson
July 24, 2016

Well, you could say because it makes you feel bloody great while you're having it and leaves you feeling rejuvenated for hours or even days afterwards. What's not to like?

And then of course there's all the usual stuff about it alleviating pain, and increasing circulation through pumping oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital organs and enhancing immunity and relieving the tiredness and strain of overused or poorly used muscles.

But I think the real point of having a massage is that it gets us in touch with our own bodies – that thing that carries us around all our lives, often neglected, poorly understood, taken for granted and horribly abused! During a massage we re-member ourselves – and rediscover connections between our corporeal and spiritual states. Dis-ease is the lack of ease or harmony between ourselves and the outside world. Whatever the source of our discomfort, massage can help us love life a little better.  

Let's dance
Get with the program
This crazy lockdown
Crunch time
The crazies
Life goes on
The beauty of scars
The Roaring Twenties
Truly, madly, deeply
Skin deep
Fat kids
Martial artist
Meet Rei Toska
Sperm alert
The spa massage
New year, new you?
The tan line
Back pain
Feeling relaxed?
How old is your heart?
Triumphing over injury
Tackling rugby
Belly watch (2)
La dolce vita
Belly watch (1)
The London marathon
In praise of slow
Open water
The iPhone and massage
The swimmer's body
Happy with yours?
Cut the fat, Santa
The pre-flight massage
Big guys
Thin people
Fat people
Massage and osteopathy
Let's dance!
The authentic voice
Killing a lobster
The way of all flesh
Lost in space
Fat but fit?
Let's do lunch
Andy Murray's hip
Stop making excuses
Brain power
And stretch...
The sandwich generation
How we see ourselves
The pain paradox
The full body massage
The limits of massage
Men and their bellies
Reading the body
The dangers of sitting