Red light therapy (RLT) is a treatment that may help skin, muscle tissue, and other parts of your body heal. It exposes you to low levels of red or near-infrared light. Infrared light is a type of energy your eyes can’t see, but your body can feel as heat. Red light is similar to infrared, but you can see it.

Red light therapy is also called low-level laser therapy (LLLT), low-power laser therapy (LPLT), and photobiomodulation (PBM).

How Does Red Light Therapy Work?

With red light therapy, you expose your skin to a lamp, device, or laser with a red light. A part of your cells called mitochondria, sometimes called the “power generators” of your cells, soak it up and makes more energy. Some experts think this helps cells repair themselves and become healthier. This spurs healing in skin and muscle tissue.

Red light therapy uses very low levels of heat and doesn’t hurt or burn the skin. It’s not the same type of light used in tanning booths, and it doesn’t expose your skin to damaging UV rays.

A unique treatment in which the licensed massage therapist puts special cups that create a suction on your skin for a few minutes to help with pain, inflammation, blood flow, relaxation, and well-being. They can be placed or moved around the body to really help with acute to chronic problems. It dates back to ancient Egyptian, Chinese, and Middle Eastern cultures.

Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) is a stretching technique utilized to improve muscle elasticity and has been shown to have a positive effect on active and passive ranges of motion. Using the body’s own natural reflexes PNF stretching may be the most effective stretching technique for increasing the range of motion in the body!

Releases tightness and pain throughout the body focusing on key areas that can be contributing to pain and discomfort. Using manual pressure, your licensed massage therapist will massage and stretch the area, sometimes holding the point of discomfort for a few minutes. Your therapist may repeat this process a few times in each area until they feel a full release.

A trigger point is a small, tight band of muscle fibers and fascia, which restricts blood flow to the area and causes pain. Trigger points become so tight, in fact, that they can be felt underneath the skin. They are typically very sensitive, causing a severe amount of pain that seems out of proportion to the pressure being applied.

One unique feature of trigger points is that this pain is not always felt at the location of the trigger point, but instead, it can be felt in a different area of the body, which is called referred pain.

Trigger Point Therapy works to release tight muscle fibers by pushing fresh blood in and flushing waste material out. This helps relieve some of your pain by bringing more oxygen into the area and encouraging the muscles to release.

Deep tissue massage therapy isn't just a Swedish massage with deeper strokes or harder pressure. Deep tissue massages use firm pressure and slow strokes to massage deep layers of muscle and fascia, which is the connective tissue that surrounds your muscles.

Deep tissue massages are used to break up scar tissue and break down muscle adhesions and “knots”. These knots can inhibit our circulation and cause pain and inflammation.

When the massage begins, your massage therapist usually starts with lighter pressure to warm up your muscles and then works into deeper pressure.

A lymphatic massage is a form of gentle massage that encourages the movement of lymph fluids around the body. The fluid in the lymphatic system helps remove waste and toxins from body tissues. Some health conditions can cause lymph fluid to build up. Lymphatic massage aims to improve the flow of lymph fluid, which can reduce swelling. It is also thought to improve overall health by boosting the immune system.

After surgery consult your doctor if this is an option for you to prevent lymphedema. For certain health conditions, this could be a great option to help with sensitive skin. We offer both a Lymphatic massage and Dry brushing!

Structural massage is a non-invasive technique that identifies the source of pain based on structural imbalances and uses body positioning to relieve tension. When you go in for a structural massage session, a professional will identify the cause of your pain by locating a tender spot. They will then gently shift the body into positions that ease pain and stimulate change. These positions are held for about 1-2 minutes. As they position, they will monitor the change in structure and adjust accordingly to change tissue tension. This technique can produce quick results—you may see a reduction in pain after just one session.

Unlike other massage techniques, structural massage does not use pressure and rubbing to relieve tension. This method attempts to restructure muscles to relieve pain long-term with purposeful poses and positions.

If you’re looking to relieve some pain in a specific spot, a structural massage may be the answer for you. By using strategic movements and positionings, structural massage can relieve pain and lead to increased mobility and flexibility.

The main difference between a hot stone massage and a regular massage is that the focal point of a hot stone massage is the use of stones to apply pressure during the massage therapy session to promote relaxation. Regular massages do not use stones to massage the body but instead focus on pressure points and muscles. In a regular massage, the massage therapist uses pressure from their hands to massage different areas of the body.

This type of massage involves the use and placement of basalt River rock on different points of the body. The rocks are heated before use and the massage therapist can then apply deeper pressure to areas of concern without causing any discomfort.

Basalt river rocks are the most commonly used stones during this type of massage because they are smooth from the river’s current and they hold heat well. They are typically made of volcanic rock which enables them to heat quickly and retain that heat for an extended period. Before treatment, the rocks are heated in a professional heater from 110°F to 145°F.

Direct manipulation of muscle tissue to improve blood flow and alleviate adhesions or knots, muscle scraping has been used for thousands of years.

Muscle scraping, also known as Gua Sha or Guasha, is one of the oldest techniques in Chinese medicine, dating back as early as 1300 during the Ming Dynasty. Gua Sha comes from the Chinese words for scraping away (Gua) and energy blockage (Sha).

In ancient practice, a tool such as a piece of jade stone or animal horn was smoothed, lubricated with oil, and used to scrape across a patient’s skin in one direction. This repeated scraping across the skin was believed to enhance blood circulation to the area that was giving the patient the most trouble. The idea was that the increase in blood flow and circulation would promote healing.

In the modern day, a few things have changed but the technique is the same. Certified practitioners now use a piece of smooth metal or hard plastic tool that is scraped across or pressed into well-lubricated muscle tissue. The idea is also the same, current practitioners believe that muscle scraping can promote blood flow and increase healing.