A massage can have rejuvenating powers. Deeply relaxing, or enormously restoring, the right massage technique for you feeds your soul even as it works tense muscles. Warm bamboo massage is a therapeutic massage technique, with the warmed bamboo stick utilized to work deeper than hands alone, in combination with Swedish or deep tissue techniques.
Apart from relieving stress and tension, bamboo has many unique properties that make it known around the world as a “magical plant.” It even has medicinal and nutritional properties, to work with the systems of the body for improved circulation and deep relaxation.
Read on to learn more and see if a warm bamboo massage is right for you.
Why Bamboo?
Bamboo is known in traditional medicine techniques for its many values and even thought to have magical properties, especially in its homeland of China. Bamboo is a grass, and also the fastest growing plant in the world, growing as much as two inches every hour! The plant is known in China as “Zhu,” and the hard stems are the culms (or canes). Culms have been used for centuries to build furniture and housing, flooring and fence posts and even cut and played as a flute. China and India are the world’s greatest producers of bamboo, but the highly adaptive plant can grow in many parts of the world.
Bamboo leaves and young shoots have been dried and used as medicine, eaten in foods, or otherwise digested to treat fevers, upset stomachs, phlegm or inflammation. In addition to medicinal uses, you can find young bamboo, bamboo leaves or shaved bamboo in many traditional foods throughout Southeast Asia and East Asian countries. In Chinese medicine bamboo is even used to treat aging, improving mental clarity in older age and perhaps reducing wrinkles. Bamboo is thought to represent health, youth, strength, and also prosperity and peace. Perhaps it will help restore those qualities that you may desire as you unwind with a warm bamboo massage.
How Does it Work?
Your massage therapist will use a warmed bamboo stem, often the green hard shoot (culm), which retains its flexibility. In combination with deep tissue or Swedish techniques, the bamboo rolls and kneads tense or knotted tissue, generating powerfully deep therapeutic relaxation. Oils work with the room-temperature or warmed bamboo stem to target muscles, lymph glands, and connective tissue throughout the body. The days and even years worth of stress on the body unwind under the heat and pressure of the bamboo stem. Restoring a sense of well-being, massage techniques such as warm bamboo massage also often aid in the release of emotional and mental drain accumulated from day-to-day life.
Beyond just the deep tissue work and relaxation associated with the use of the warm and magical cane, bamboo has additional mineral properties. Bamboo contains silica, which can aid in the absorption of minerals like calcium, magnesium, and potassium. The deep kneading methods assist in the release of trapped vitamins and minerals, combined with the silica, to improve circulation. The result may improve skin tone or reduce wrinkles and sagging, in addition to the rejuvenating sensation of the improved circulation.
The antioxidants in bamboo can soothe irritation, making bamboo an excellent option for anyone seeking to enhance the look and feel of skin. For those individuals with sensitive skin, eczema or psoriasis, bamboo’s anti-irritant properties may offer some relief. (Please be sure you have informed your massage therapist of any health or skin-related issues).
The strokes with the bamboo stem follow the patterns that a massage therapist would do with the hands. Sometimes different lengths of bamboo canes are used, with the longer culms being best for long, smooth gliding strokes and the shorter culms allowing for detailed kneading and smaller areas of the body. Similar to hot stone massage, the heat from the bamboo releases into the body, creating a warming and soothing effect.
A warm bamboo massage lets you target problem areas, such as sore runner’s legs or “tech neck” tender and stiff neck and shoulders. Bamboo massage has also been known to improve mental clarity, improve lymphatic drainage, remove toxins, reduce pain and even assist with insomnia. Let us help you identify problem areas of the body and determine if a bamboo massage can help.
Warm Bamboo Massage at Botanica
A warm bamboo massage in our tranquil facility can help you relax and unwind, restore, and rejuvenate. Whether you want to target problem zones to help your body heal in a focused massage therapy session, or simply get away for the day to take a personal time out in a serene and healing atmosphere, we can help. A bamboo massage can be done in a short window of time, a full hour and a half therapeutic massage session, or in combination with other spa services as part of a package.
