What is the difference between shiatsu massage and swedish massage?

Whether you’re a believer in their therapeutic and mental health effects or not, nobody would say no to a nice soothing massage.

The catch is, once you’ve decided to book a session, you get overwhelmed by the numerous varieties of exotic yet promising massages available out there.

Among the names you might hear are acupuncture, Swedish, and shiatsu massage.

In this article, I’ll be providing you with everything you need to know if your confusion is between shiatsu massage vs Swedish massage.

Let’s get started!

What Is Shiatsu Massage?

Shiatsu massage is a Japanese bodywork therapy that’s based on concepts derived from Traditional Chinese Medicine, and Anma, an old Japanese massage technique.

Introduced in the early 1900s, shiatsu is derived from a Japanese word that stands for “finger pressure”. In fact, shiatsu massage uses fingers along with thumbs and palms to apply pressure on specific points on the body, hence the name.

According to Traditional Chinese Medicine, These points, called meridian points, were believed to enhance the flow of inner energy (chi) and blood in the body, where the inadequate or insufficient flow of chi can cause a wide range of illness and fatigue.

Shiatsu massage therapists use verified rhythmic bodyworks, including kneading, pressing, tabbing, and stretching, where each position is held for 2 seconds and others up to 8 or more seconds.

This is all done by the therapist in order to access the body’s energy flow and target the spots of energy blockage or disharmony he finds within it.

Shiatsu massage therapy is engineered in a way to make the affected points feel delicate or loose, this is why many shiatsu clients often describe that sensation as pleasantly comforting pain.

However, many shiatsu specialists advise the clients to let their massage therapist know if they’re experiencing any pain or discomfort during the session.

Moreover, shiatsu massage therapy sessions are usually done on a mat or a low table to give the practitioner the maximum freedom to maneuver the client’s body.

Additionally, one of the excellent things about shiatsu is that it’s performed without using any waxes or oils in practice, it’s why typically shiatsu clients are usually fully clothed, ditching any irritation or allergies caused by oils and waxes.

What Do You Benefit From Shiatsu Massage?

Shiatsu massage offers a non-invasive alternative to acupuncture as both of them are techniques used to target and enhance the flow of chi in the body.

Although many studies are still conducted to determine how shiatsu contributes to health, it’s claimed by many that shiatsu’s techniques have a positive effect on the autonomic nervous system.

Shiatsu massage has a deep calming impact on the sympathetic nerves, the ones responsible for stress and anxiety, which in turn regulates blood circulation, reduces stress levels, and stimulates the secretion of endorphins, the body’s natural painkillers, which consequently relieves pain on a long term basis.

In addition to the stress-relieving properties, other reports claim that shiatsu massage has a contribution to the healing of fibromyalgia, arthritis, headaches, insomnia, injury recovery, sinusitis, joints, and muscle problems.

When Should You Avoid It?

Although shiatsu is a generally safe procedure when applied by a qualified professional, some individuals might be advised not to try it out.

For example, shiatsu can be harmful to a pregnant woman and people with certain conditions such as blood clotting disorders, late-stage osteoporosis, and patients who’ve recently underwent radiation, chemotherapy, or surgeries.

Furthermore, performing shiatsu is advised to be avoided directly over open wounds, bruises, inflamed skin, abdominal hernia, and recently fractured areas.

All these precautions are due to the dangers of hard finger pressing and body twisting on some vulnerable patients.

What Is Swedish Massage?

On the other hand, Swedish massage is the most popular and common type of massage therapy. It’s actually the modality that comes to your mind when you think about massage sessions.

It was invented by the Swedish fencing instructor and pioneering physical educator, Per Henrik Ling in the early 1830s when he had an injury in his elbow while practicing.

Henrik Ling was able to cure that injured elbow by giving himself tabbing strokes on the area of injury.

After years of development, this technique was later named Swedish massage, which was then transported to the US in the late 19th century, where it met its worldwide fame.

Along with the tabbing strokes, Swedish massage utilized soft and long kneading motion on the superficial muscle layers, as well as moving the joints.

Contrary to shiatsu massage, a wide variety of aromatic or unscented oils in addition to waxes can be used while undergoing a Swedish massage session, the session usually lasts between 30 to 60 minutes.

What’s Good About Swedish Massage?

Swedish massage is known to have a soothing and calming effect, as one of the primary goals in Swedish massage is to reach a state of comfort and relaxation of the entire body.

Moreover, Swedish massage is known for its pain-relieving and injury recovery effects, along with enhancing blood circulation and lowering heart rate which indirectly boosts heart performance.

A recent study published by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine found that volunteers who had a 45-minute Swedish massage session showed a huge fall in the levels of cortisol hormone, which is often dubbed as the stress hormone.

Subjects of the study also experienced an increase in dopamine and serotonin, which are responsible for happiness and well-being as well as an increase in lymphocytes and white blood cells, which boost the immune system efficiency and help in fighting diseases.

Is Swedish Massage Always Harmless?

Although in most cases, Swedish massage is totally harmless, there are still some side effects that need to be mentioned.

However, these side effects aren’t frequent and quite rare to happen, especially if you get a session every once in a while. Only too much massaging in a short period of time can do more harm than good.

One of the most known side effects of repetitive massaging is skin irritation and muscle soreness due to excessive friction or muscle working respectively but worry not, as these effects only last for a couple of days before they’re completely gone.

Another commonly reported side effect is the bruising that some clients experience, this happens if the therapist applies more pressure than some clients can handle, the good news is that it’s scarce and of no medical concern.

Just remember that these side effects are extremely unlikely to occur and usually aren’t anything serious.

Wrap Up

Stress and pain are major warning signs and letting them go unchecked is always a bad idea, as the resulting complications of neglecting those red flags are usually almost impossible to deal with.

If you’re experiencing any dull aches in your body or having a lot of stress at work, I’d recommend you to book a massage therapy session as soon as you can. The results will simply blow you away!