Most especially older men say that they look for massage, but in reality they look for sex.  It is unfortunately so in too many cases, which makes the work of real masseurs harder. Younger men know that real massage has benefits. But many men still think that artificial sex with strangers is more rewarding than well done massage. This is because those men don't know, therefore cannot appreciate the importance and benefits of this ancient art. This is partly due to social conditioning and the impact of the euphemism for transactional sex which the word massage has become. So here are the tremendous benefits and unassuming, understated, powerful intimacy of the beautiful art of massage.

Massage is one of the most powerful forms

of physical contact in the context of intimacy and therapy. If massage combines with essential  oils, it is by far the most important application in aromatherapy. This is the case because massage allies the therapeutic power of touch with the properties of the essential oils chosen for a particular person for his conditions.

Massage with or without essential oils formalizes a very primitive instinct. When a child falls, his mother will rub his bumped knee. Likewise if we trip over and bruise ourselves, our first reflexive reaction will be to rub the painful area. Similarly, if we find a friend in distress, we’ll offer a reassuring hug. All these are forms of healing, whether on a physical or emotional level. Rubbing a painful part of the body encourages a stronger flow of blood in the tiny capillaries below the surface of the skin. And this helps to ease the pain. A hug is a way of communicating sympathy and love that we may not be able to put into words.

Both kinds of healing feature in one pleasant form

The masseuse performs a variety of strokes to relieve pain, loosen tight muscles, increase circulation, or benefit the physical body in other ways. She applies strokes to the muscles visible below the surface of the skin. And their effects also benefit the deeper layers of muscle and the underlying organs.  Some forms of massage are to benefit only the physical body. But general wellbeing will result and enhance the relaxation which we will experience after a massage.  Renewed energy and vigour will come after this deep relaxation. The benefit of this healing art is cumulative. The recipient will almost always feel good for several hours after a treatment. And regular massages will prolong wellbeing for increasing periods after every massage.

Several profound benefits

Massage releases tight muscles and reeducates muscles due to making us aware of unnecessarily tensing certain muscles. It also teaches us to feel the difference between a tight or contracted and relaxed muscle. We often do not realise that we tighten certain muscles until we feel those muscles relaxed during and after a massage. It is perfectly normal to tense muscles when we feel mentally tense. But it is important to be able to let go of the tension before the tight muscles convey discomfort to the mind and set up a vicious circle of tension. This is one way in which mental stress can lead to physical illness. Massage breaks this circle, especially when we work with essential oils that calm, soothe or uplift, and heal.

Some systems of massage

such as the eastern massage and various kinds of intuitive massage developed in the past 100 years take the link between body and mind further. Hence they work mainly on the connection between the mental and physical states of the recipient of massage. Letting go of physical tensions often leads to a release of emotions. This can relate to a person's current situation or to something stored in the body for a long time.  The masseuse and the recipient must build a relationship of strong trust and sympathy before such catharsis can take place. And this building happens over several treatments. One idea inherent in eastern massage is that by gently working on the physical surface tensions deeper tensions will come to the surface and eventually be released.

The variety of massage techniques is enormous. But the technique used doesn’t matter as much as the masseuse's caring and nurturing attitude to the recipient. And the recipient's trust in the masseuse.

Massage is vital to aromatherapy

because it provides the most effective way of applying essential oils to the body. The skin absorbs the oils very readily. When we massage the whole body, a useful amount of essential oil goes into the bloodstream in a short time. The essential oils are diluted in carrier oils. If it isn’t possible to massage the whole body, massaging the back offers the best possibility of getting sufficient essential oil into the body for a therapeutic effect. This is because the back has the single largest expanse of skin on the body.

Much better than transactional sex

because to have sex with a stranger in completely artificial conditions is not natural.  That's why many men can't marry paying for it with feeling it and end up feeling empty after it.  No one in real life pulls a woman [who doesn't sell sex] from the street into the bedroom to have sex on demand. Even people on dating sites and apps who have sex on the first date correspond before they meet. So since sex with a woman who sells it is artificial in unnatural conditions, it is forced.  Massage by a masseur whom you don't know is far more natural because it doesn't involve sexual intimacy and embarrassment. It is not in one's face. This is why if done well, massage is far more rewarding than transactional sex.

The benefits of massage versus transactional sex

go even further.  I described the four less obvious benefits of massage for all men. Would you like to try a session?