Hot Bamboo Massage at Body Focus Massage.

Massage therapy has many options to offer, from ancient styles originating in the East to more modern Western styles that incorporate body movement. Massage can be done with the hands, arms, feet, or tools such as stones, bamboo sticks, or glass cups. The Chippewa Valley offers a variety of massage styles, from the common to the atypical. I sampled some of the more unique offerings at Harmony Healing Center and Body Focus Massage.

Hot Stone Massage

My regular massage practitioner (Anna Martinson at Harmony Healing Center) offers several types of massage, but usually uses a deep tissue style on me. Recently, however, she has begun combining this treatment with hot stone massage. This style uses smooth river stones about the size of a hamburger bun, which are heated in a turkey roaster. While they can be used to give a massage and apply additional pressure, they are typically just rested on certain spots on the skin to help loosen the muscles in that area and improve circulation. During my treatments, Anna places hot stones beneath my neck and both shoulder blades for about 10 minutes while working on other parts of the body. In the winter, she even places a stone in each of my hands to help keep me warm. Stationary hot stones allow for focused relaxation as you feel the warmth emanating from the stone to your skin and muscles. It also helps to direct the therapist to specific trouble spots that would benefit from hot stone treatment. Hot stone therapy is ideal for people who are looking for a relaxing, nurturing experience but don’t want the strong pressure that other styles offer.

Also available at Advanced Massage Therapies, Eau Claire Massage, Essential Massage Therapy, Gaia Massage, Healing Choices Massage, Lotus Spa, Optimum Therapies, and Path to Health Massage.

Hot Bamboo Massage

When I first heard about bamboo massage, I pictured large stalks of bamboo being rolled across my back or used in a karate chop fashion. I must admit, I was a little apprehensive. So I was pleasantly surprised to see that the bamboo sticks used on hot bamboo massage are actually quite small. Massage therapist Katie Way at Body Focus Massage wraps her bamboo sticks up in a heating pad prior to the session. The sticks retain heat much longer than stones, she says, and therefore can be used to administer a heated massage with more ease. The bamboo sticks are used to apply deep pressure, while the heat helps the muscles relax and the stress melt away. Bamboo massage is an increasingly popular style that has only recently made its way to Eau Claire, but it’s sure to take off here as well. It was a phenomenal treatment for the stubborn knots in my shoulders. I did notice that afterward I was very dried out and thirstier than I usually am after a massage. To me, that was a sign that the treatment had succeeded in releasing a build-up of lactic acid from my muscles. My therapist was careful to instruct me to drink lots of water to help flush those toxins from my body. Hot bamboo massage is the perfect treatment for those with chronic muscle pain or knots who don’t mind deep pressure.

Fijian Massage

“Lay down and get comfortable on this mat on the floor and I’ll come in in a few minutes and walk on your back.” Maybe it’s just me, but those words didn’t exactly inspire relaxation! But, as it turned out, Fijian Massage does not exactly entail someone walking with their full weight across your body. The Eastern massage style relies on the therapist using their heels, toes, and balls of the feet to massage pressure points on the back and for gentle compression on the limbs. While the toes are less flexible than the fingers, a massage therapist can exert more strength with their legs than they can with their arms, therefore the Fijian style can both give deeper pressure to the muscles and be easier on the therapist. For more control, the therapist usually sits in a chair while the patient lies on a futon or mat on the floor with their head supported on pillows. The massage is done fully clothed, and while those with foot phobias may have a harder time, it’s easy to forget there are feet involved at all. My Fijian massage at Body Focus was an excellent way to get relief from the massive knots in my shoulders and neck. The therapist, Aimee Johnson, specializes in the Eastern Styles of massage, which are older and place a stronger focus on energy flow throughout the body.