With over 250 different types of massage and new types of massage emerging every day it is hard to know what is best for you and your needs.

For the most part, it really depends on your needs and the type of massage you like the most. Discovering your needs often involves trying different types of massage and even just different massage therapists to see what you like and don’t like.

Rolfing is named after a woman, Ida Rolf who created it. It is a series of sessions that is based on reorganizing the alignment of the body. It is deep tissue bodywork and works best when you are having structural based issues such as chronic knee problems, neck or back problems. It can be very painful at times and also more expensive than most types of massage. Rolfers usually go through more schooling than just regular massage therapists.

Polarity therapy is quite the opposite as far as the depth of the touch used in the massage. Polarity therapy isn’t really even massage in some ways. It was developed by Randolf Stone and combines pressure point therapy with diet and exercises that uses breath and sound and self awareness. The theory is that energy flows between two poles (negative and positive) inside and outside of our bodies. Increasing the flow of energy between the two poles can help alleviate pain and sickness. The Polarity therapist then applies pressure of varying degrees to areas of the body that are blocked and sometimes they don’t even put any pressure or touch at all. Practitioners are certified by the American Polarity Therapy Association.

Shiatsu is a system that uses ‘finger pressure’ to treat what are called ‘Tsubos’ or acu-points. There are 360 tsubos along the meridians on each side of the body. There are different types of Shiatsu - Zen Shiatsu, Macrobiotic Shiatsu, Integrative Eclectic Shiatsu, Japanese Shiatsu.

So you can see that just reading about different types of massage doesn’t do much to explain what it really is. Each therapist will also have a different learning background and own application of each technique making it even more difficult to know what type of massage to get.

In getting a massage some of the things to remember is to just always be honest with the massage therapist about what you are feeling. Many people think that going to a massage therapist that the therapist will know what is best. The fact is that you know best. If it hurts too much, if the pressure isn’t deep enough, if the room it too hot or cold or if you hate or love the music - let the therapist know.

Julie Onofrio a licensed massage practitioner in Seattle WA for 20 years and author of the “Massage Therapy Career Guide: The truth about becoming a massage therapist ” and “How to Find a Job in Massage”.

My websites http://www.massage-career-guides.com and http://www.thebodyworker.com are great resources to help you learn more about different types of massage.

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