Drinking water before a massage will make it easier for the massage therapist to manipulate a person's muscles.
Drinking water after a massage will help bring a person's body and mind back to the present.
Drinking water after a massage helps the body eliminate toxins
that were released.
Drink water before and after a massage.
People can become dehydrated after a massage.
Drinking water after a massage helps keep the muscles hydrated.
Drinking water after a massage is often recommended by
massage therapists and other health care practitioners, for a variety of
reasons. In fact, drinking water in general is a good idea, as the body
benefits from proper hydration, and consuming water will help the
kidneys and other organs process the various substances which move
through the human body on a regular basis. Drinking water before a
massage is also highly recommended, as it will make it easier for the
massage therapist to perform deep work by hydrating the muscles so that
they are easier to manipulate.
There are primary reasons for people to drink water after a massage.
The first has to do with substances released by the muscles as the
massage therapist manipulates them, and the second has to do with
ensuring that the muscles of the body are properly hydrated.
In the case of the first reason, drinking the water helps the body
flush out any accumulated materials in the muscles which were released
during the massage. Especially in the case of deep tissue massage,
massage stimulates circulation in the body while expressing water, salt,
and other minerals from the muscles, and circulation is designed to
carry away waste materials generated by cells. By providing the body
with plenty of water, massage clients can help sweep away these waste
materials; otherwise, they might build up, causing muscle aches and
soreness after a massage.
In the case of
lymphatic massage,
drinking the water is especially important, as the stimulation of the
lymphatic circulation system can generate a large release of wastes in
the body. If one thinks of the lymph
system as the sewer pipes of the body, collecting unwanted waste
material and carrying it away for disposal, lymphatic massage is like a
drain cleaner, so water helps flush the drain, in a sense.
Most importantly, people should drink water because massage can be
dehydrating. The manipulation of the muscles depletes them of water, and
also moves the fluid in the interstitial spaces between the muscles
around. By drinking water, people can re hydrate their muscles, reducing
the potential for pain and soreness in the days following a massage. For
the same reason, people drink water after exercise and other forms of
exertion, because when the muscles are worked, they lose water and
electrolytes.
Many people also like to drink a glass of water after a massage
because it helps bring them back down to earth. After a massage, people
can feel a bit spacey and disoriented, so having a glass of water while
sitting on the
massage table can help bring the body and mind back to the present, and it gives the client time to slowly return to the real world.
Fifth Avenue Thai Spa
5 East 57th St., 4th Floor
New York, NY 10022 (212)644-8239
