Getting a bad night’s sleep is the worst. Having a bad night’s sleep every night is much worse. If you’ve ever spent a restless night awake, as you watch the minutes aggressively pass by, you have an idea of the pain associated with insomnia. Millions of Americans suffer from the sleep disorder and desperately look for ways to get to snoozeville. Medication and lifestyle changes are used to treat insomnia, but massage is a natural method to consider. There is a simple correlation between sleep and massage: insomnia is associated with a lack of serotonin and massage increases serotonin levels.

Studies have demonstrated the necessity of serotonin for healthy sleep. Serotonin is a precursor to the body’s rendering of melatonin. Melatonin is a hormone released by the brain to quiet and reset the part of the brain that directs your body to prepare for sleep. Many over-the-counter drugs have melatonin in them, but why not encourage your body’s own production? The chemistry of sleep is relevant to massage because massage can directly influence the body’s production of serotonin and, in turn, melatonin.

“In the past I had worked with a client who had insomnia, neck and back pain and general tiredness for as long as he could remember. After committing himself to bi-weekly massage we were able to work through the muscle tightness and eventually he was able to finally get some sleep.” — Leigh Olander, Elixir Mind Body Massage in Denver, CO

In addition to sleep, serotonin also plays a role in mood, behavior, body temperature, physical coordination, and appetite. Massage makes you feel better AND helps you sleep. That’s chemistry that won’t keep you up at night.

“I always am amazed by how far massage reaches into my life, helping me physically, emotionally and spiritually. I sleep better, I work out more and it even makes me want to eat better.” — Heidi Winkel, The Spa at The Sporting Club at The Bellevue in Philadelphia, PA

Before you pop two Tylenol PMs, consider massage as a substance-free choice to treat insomnia. Every person’s body is different, but using a natural remedy to stimulate your body’s own processes can get your body back on the right track. (And hopefully it’s the fast track to sleep.)

Maybe all the petting is why dogs have no problem getting their beauty sleep.

When your doctor says the dreaded word “surgery,” visions of needles, tubes, recovery and scars may flash through your head. And as your doctor initiates the conversation to start preparing for surgery, you may not think of massage as a beneficial thing you can do for yourself. However, the healing benefits of massage therapy are vast and massage is one of the most-used complementary therapies in the United States. In some cases, massage can even be used as an alternative treatment for conditions that are progressing down the road to surgery.

“I have a client who was told by her physician that she would need surgery to repair her rotator cuff. After a few massage appointments with me, she was told she did not need surgery anymore!! That’s when I knew that I chose the right career!” – Diane Blalock, Bliss Day Spa in Houston, TX

Here are some of the most valuable benefits of massages that could help get you on the road to recovery:

• Helps to reduce edema or fluid accumulation
• Reduces swelling
• Reduces or relieves pain
• Increases flexibility of tissues
• Increases mobility
• Reduces stress and tension
• Enhances immune functions and improved cell functions

Even if you do have to go under the knife, massage therapy can be particularly effective for preparing for and recovering from surgery. Before surgery, massage can relieve much of the anxiety associated with the anticipation of having surgery. Massage helps you feel less stressed and lowers the expectations for pain.

After surgery, massage therapy is a great addition to, and sometimes can even substitute, other pain and recovery treatments, including pain medication. Massage also improves the circulation of blood and lymphatic fluid, reducing swelling and stiffness. Additionally, sometimes just simple human touch can warrant a lot of physical and mental healing.

Of course, always consult your doctor when you are dealing with serious conditions. Massage is by no means a quick-fix to recovery, but you could find answers in massage that you have been missing in traditional treatment.

Here are a couple more success stories from some of Spa Week spas’ massage therapists (who will all be doing $50 massages this Spa Week) who endorse massage as an effective healing method:

“A woman came in to see me after being referred by her doctor because of a bad car accident. She tried everything under the sun first. All medications, chiropractic work, and visited doctor after doctor. She even had a surgeon tell her she needed neck and back surgery. Well it’s been 3 years now and I am her favorite “doctor” of all. As long as she gets her massages she is very content with her body. We will never know if she would have been better off with or without surgery… but one option is final. Why not try me first? Stories like this is why I love being a massage therapist.” — Sheena Vye, Oasis Day Spa in Tewksbury, MA

“This one particular time, a middle aged lady was having severe shoulder pain. She swore up and down she was going to have to have surgery. She came to me faithfully for two weeks every other day. The pain just completely went away. She was so excited because that meant “no surgery.” Now she looks at massage therapy in a different way, and still comes twice a month to maintain her body.” — Rachael Cabaong, Pure Daily Bliss Spa in Norco, CA

Pain may have you living your life on the sidelines, but what if there was a natural and effective way for you to regain your life? Routine massages can reduce the symptoms of chronic pain and, in some cases, even make it disappear. Tens of millions of Americans are living their lives imprisoned by pain. Chronic pain is pain that lasts for more than 6 months and can be pain localized in the neck, shoulders, pelvis, back or joints. Other kinds of chronic pain include tendinitis, fibromyalgia, arthritis, and carpal tunnel syndrome. This kind of persistent pain takes a physical and emotional toll on a person. No one feels like themselves when all they can feel is the pain. Massage may be the answer to get your life back. Massage therapy (the best job on earth!) can improve the quality of life by not only relieving the pain; it can also impact mood and induce positive sleeping patterns. By relieving the pain that keeps you up at night tossing and turning, your body will get the much needed time it craves to restore and to heal. Additionally, lowering anxiety and improving mood can help a person get their life back in order. Massage therapy offers both immediate results, as well as long term. Lisa Ianiro, lead massage therapist at Cure Spa in Malibu, CA, shares how she helped transform her father’s diagnosis:

My dad was diagnosed with having tendonitis from using the computer for too many hours. A doctor had prescribed a tight band to wrap around the muscles of the arm. This issue went on for a month because his job required him to use a computer daily, which only taxed the muscles more. Finally, one night I saw that this band was not giving him any relief and he was still in a lot of pain. I had a feeling the cause was due to trigger points that can develop because of muscle overuse. I started working on his arm feeling for small contraction knots in the muscle tissue. I could feel a ton of them. They are very painful to have worked on, but once you can relieve them the contracted muscles will let go, blood can then flow freely through the muscles and pain will then subside. The session took about 20 minutes. The next day my dad said he was a little sore but it felt better. By the third day there was no pain and the pain has never returned.

Chronic pain sufferers may want to look for a massage therapist that specializes in sports massage, neuromuscular massage therapy, orthopaedic massage, or someone who does craniosacral work or uses strain/counterstrain techniques. It is also always important to check a massage therapist’s qualifications and experience with chronic pain, as well as to always consult a doctor before receiving treatment. Here is what some of our Spa Week spas’ massage therapists have to say on their experience dealing with chronic pain:

“Working closely with individuals, it is very satisfying to know that I’ve eased someone’s longstanding discomfort or helped to make their hectic day-to-day life bearable. I’ve seen clients with chronic back issues become pain free. I’ve watched clients with rounded shoulders and hunched over posture stand straight and erect after a series of treatments.” Denise Quinn, Pure Spa in PA

“What I love about being a massage therapist is when someone comes to me with chronic pain; I can physically help them without giving them any medicine. And the best part of this profession, that it’s stress free.” Dexter Cabasug, Rio Spa And Salon in Las Vegas, NV

“I have met countless people who have dealt with chronic pain and general discomfort in their body from day to day stress. I take great comfort in knowing that once they leave my table, I have in some way released the negativity of pain and irritation that has plagued them for days, months or in some cases even years. Christopher Ruhulessin, Elements Therapeutic Massage in Orland Park, IL

There is nothing in the world more rewarding than helping someone heal, whether that be physically, emotionally, mentally or spiritually. –Lisa Ianiro, Cure Spa in Malibu, CA

Do you feel like you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders? This expression embodies how the stress of life can literally lead to physical pain. And while your honey may give you a quick shoulder squeeze to ease off a rough day, sometimes you need to turn to the hands of a pro. But who are the professionals behind these healing hands? Massage therapists are trained to help you feel better, and the even better news is that many of them are happy to do so. US News recently ranked massage therapist as one of the best careers in 2012. Not only does this profession have a promising outlook for the future, but massage therapists do it because they enjoy their often physically demanding line of work.

Many feel a connection with their work that goes much deeper than deep tissue massage. Ann Marie Burns of Daryl Christopher Wellness Salon and Spa @ HealthPoint in Waltham, MA has been a massage therapist for seven years and reflects on what she thinks makes her successful massage therapist: ”I have learned that the passion within you, to help others heal, relieve pain, clear the mind, reduce stress, all comes through the powerful tool, The Hands. If the passion within is not present, success may not be there.” Making their client feel better is key, but are their hands capable of more than just calming sore muscles?

The Wall Street Journal recently published an article Don’t Call It Pampering: Massage Wants to Be Medicine, which highlights recent studies that back the benefits of the back rub, and the list isn’t short. Evidence has shown that massage decreases the hormone levels of both arginine-vasopressin, a hormone that normally increases with stress and aggressive behavior, and cortisol, a stress hormone. In addition, massage has even shown signs of decreasing cytokine proteins related to inflammation and allergic reactions, and boosting white blood cells that fight infection. Massage can help treat the symptoms of many conditions and improve general health.

Marion Bendfeldt of The Women’s Club Fitness Center and Day Spa in Chantilly, VA recognizes the realm of problems that bring people to her. “I have realized that they lay on my table for many different reasons. My greatest gift to them is to remain present so that the universal energy and love may flow through me and allow them to begin their healing journey with grace and ease.” For many, massage could be the light at the end of years of pain.

As the benefits of touch continue to unfold, it is predicted that the profession will continue to grow substantially. We’re happy being treated and they enjoy their job, everyone wins! (Except sore muscles.) In addition, when you’re paying someone who is happy to be there, you’re going to get better results. A happy masseuse means a happy customer.

We asked massage therapists from our Spa Week spas across North America – ALL of which are offering $50 massages for Spa Week…

What do you love most about being a massage therapist?

I put my heart and soul into each massage trying to pass my positive soothing energy to each individual that I touch. — Juan Morillo, Details Salon Spa in Springfield, NJ

I love that a person can come in feeling run down, tired, sore or even moody and leave a different person. — Leigh Olander, Elixir Mind Body Massage in Denver, CO

I feel fortunate to be in a career where a total stranger can feel a connection that goes beyond the tension in his muscles and have it affect not only himself but the people who love him. — Ann-Marie Sevigny, Bella Santé in Lexington, MA

It’s the relief, the relaxation, a smile with a glazed look in their eyes; it’s the transformation that happens to a person who walks in with stress, muscle tension and pain, experiences a massage and it’s as if they left all that stress they brought in with them, in that room. — Wathena (Nena) Armstrong, Beyond Beaute Day Spa and Wellness Retreat in Deer Park, TX

I think everyone needs a friend and a very good massage therapist too. I can be both. — Lucy AKA Junquioa Lu, Zen Spa – Carmel Mt in San Diego, CA

As a therapist, I love educating others regarding options they have to make their life better, easier, happier, healthier! Some people just need a mini-vacation, a little down time. Others may need to relieve the “joys” of being a weekend athlete while others may just need to feel “taken care of.” Massage is an integral part of a healthy lifestyle! — Kate Moore, Spa Esoteric in McKinney, TX

Sometimes emotions that have been stored in the body due to everyday life overwhelm the client and they just want to lie there and cry it all out. That is when I feel the “Therapist” in “Massage Therapist” really comes out. — Nickm Charuworn, Riviera Spa in Dallas, TX

It allows for a unique working relationship where the their bodies do the talking and my hands do the listening for deeply theraputic outcomes. –Riich Attridge, Andrew Michaels Salon and Spa in Salem, MA

It is a very beautiful and powerful experience that I can create harmony and balance between my hands and people. I am exceptionally honored that I have this skill and can be rewarded every day for doing what I love. — Soyoung Abbate, AVEDA Red Bell Spa in Hicksville NY

That’s what makes my profession worthwhile; helping someone and then seeing them blossom. The process of deep healing is what I love most about my job. — Tania Dzleiri, La Vita Bella Salon & Day Spa in East Norriton, PA

I actually go into a peaceful state of mind relaxing, that way, they can feel my calmness and my energy so I can release it onto them. — Zakiya Clark, Tirra Salon & Spa in Chicago,IL

After some nurturing, they leave feel re-energized, they walk a little bit taller and they have this overall sense of positivity that everything will be okay. — Marisol Fitzgerald, Namaste Organic Spa in Ridgewood, NJ

Personally, I love the scent of aromatherapy oils, of fresh linen, and the sound of soothing music as I prepare to help and heal the person lying on my table. — Linda Mclver, Smooth Synergy Cosmedical Spa in New York, NY

Having someone come to me in pain and taking them through the journey back to good health and being pain free is a very rewarding experience. — Maren Hockenbrough, All About U Salon, Spa & Boutique in McKinney, TX

As a provider I am constantly searching and growing. Scientific knowledge is a perpetual evolution; it finds itself changed from one day to the next. Proof is the beacon that gives direction, but can never be reached; the excitement for me is in the trying. — Dareyth Thornton, Rio Spa and Salon in Las Vegas, Nevada

What I love most about being a massage therapist is that I get to be an instrumental part of changing people’s lives on a daily basis. Massage therapy has enriched my soul. — Christopher Ruhulessin, Elements Therapeutic Massage in Orland Park, IL

What I love the most about being a massage therapist is the bond that I have access to create with people. Clients are always in need of relaxing their bodies in pain or their mind, and through all this time being helping my clientele I can say, there is nothing more rewarding that hearing: “You are the best.” — Gisela Moncada, Massage Envy in Jersey City, New Jersey.

Stay tuned through the next two weeks for a full Massage Therapist blog series, where you’ll learn all the wonderful benefits of massage and meet many more of these magic hands!

Sixty seconds. That’s how long they have to stand and wait before the gong sounds and the games begin. Now, the clock ticks as we ourselves near The Games. We’ve been voraciously awaiting the nationwide opening of the movie tomorrow (or tonight if you’re lucky) ever since the first Liz Banks/Jennifer Lawrence photos leaked and Michelle blogged her unconditional love for The Capitol’s absurd beauty rituals. Now, it’s finally time to watch it all unfold on the silver screen.

To  celebrate the release of the much anticipated Hunger Games movie, we think that after fighting for her life, a girl could use a little downtime. We’re going to show Katniss some spa love. She endured everything from the reaping to reward and now Katniss needs to go from survival drab to winner circle fab. Here are the treatments worthy of a survivor. Let the spa games begin!

(We’ve also included some pre-apocalyptic spas where you can get the Katniss treatment because you’re hungry for spa too!)

Nail It

The first problem area we want to target? Katniss’s dire need for a mani/pedi. A bow and arrow aren’t conducive to pushed back cuticles and polished nails. A day of hard work will make your nails dirty and chipped, but countless days in the wilderness will make your mangy paws look like a construction workers.

• 50 Min Manicure and Pedicure with Foot Reflexology at Bunya Citi Spa in New York, NY
• 75 Min Essential Spa Manicure and Pedicure at Dream Spa & Salon in Westport, CT
• 105 Min Manicure and Pedicure Package: Includes Customized Aromatherapy Spa Pedicure with Paraffin or Mask and Signature Manicure with Warm Spa Mittens at Beau Visage Skin Care & Spa in Greenwood Village, CO

Hair Repair

Heat damages your hair. Giant fire balls being launched at you destroys your hair. While surviving the great balls of  fire attack, Katniss’s hair was not as lucky. A good cut, style and DEEP conditioning will get her singed hair camera ready.

• Studio DNA Haircut and Conditioning Treatment, Including Hot Towel Treatment at Studio DNA in Santa Monica & Los Angeles, CA
• Ultimate Hair Package including Wash, Cut, Moroccan Oil Treatment and Style at Venelle Salon & Spa in Brooklyn, NY
• Repairing Keratin Blow-Out for Overworked Hair at The Blue Sapphire Spa in Port Jefferson, NY

Skin S.O.S.

Roughing it in the wild will leave you feeling dirty. Especially, after canoodling with this mud face. Katniss’s dirt-filled pores could use a serious facial. After all, she has to get ready for her close-up as the new cover girl of Panem.

• 60 Min Showcase Facial at Advanced Esthetics in Ann Arbor , MI
• 60 Min 24ct Gold Facial at Ai Spa in Calabasas, CA
• 60 Min Natural Glow Customized Facial including Nourishing Mask at Anjella Paulette Day Spa in Norfolk, VA

Send a Massage

We’ve never had to habitually run for our lives, but we would bet you would end up pulling some muscles. Also, you’d probably sleep funny every night that you were strapped to a tree branch. Katniss needs some serious body work and relaxing to maybe pretend like that all didn’t just happen.

• 60 Min Knead to Relax Massage at Anjella Paulette Day Spa in Norfolk, VA
• 50 Min Spa Week Stress Melter Body Treatment at Red Door Spa at  all 29 locations
• 90 Min Reflexology Massage at Avalon Massage & Bodyworks in Houston, TX

Detox

Hunting and gathering will dish up some odd meals. After a diet of  mystery roots and groosling, a colonic may be a good way to cleanse out her confused system. (Although, she was previously eating squirrel.)

• Colon Cleansing Hydrotherapy at Cleansing Concepts in Westbury, NY
• 60 Min Colon Hydrotherapy at Herbal Infusion in Fort Washington, MD
• Colon Hydrotherapy at Provence Wellness Center in New York, NY

Now that she’s looking like a winner and not a post-apocalyptic nightmare,  she only has one problem left…

Gale or Peeta? Oh, it’s hard being a teenage heroine.