Massage Therapy Saved My Vacation (Heather, November 11, 2005)

The benefits of massage therapy never cease to amaze me.  My newest discovery of the benefits of massage came during my most recent visit to Las Vegas , but in an unexpected way.  Unfortunately, right before my highly anticipated vacation, I tore my hamstring playing recreational softball.  My entire leg was bruised and I could barely walk as a result of the injury.   About one week later I was off to this city in the desert where it is very deceiving how much walking you’ll do going from casino to casino.

The trip to Vegas was to celebrate my grandmother’s 80^th birthday.  I promised to show my grandmother all that was new in Vegas since she the last time she had been there 20 years ago.  After about a day and a half of touring the city by foot, I was spent.  My leg was in severe pain and I thought I would need my grandmother to wheel me around in a wheelchair!  So what did I do?  I made an appointment for a deep tissue massage at the Elemis Spa at the Aladdin Resort & Casino.  After all, doesn’t a visit to the spa solve everything?

I checked into the spa and made use of the whirlpool, sauna and steam room.  The heat was very therapeutic and allowed my leg muscles to relax prior to the massage.  When my massage therapist David came to get me in the relaxation room, I immediately told him about my injury.  He actually seemed grateful to be working for a medical purpose for a change.  He customized my massage to focus a lot of time to relieving knots the size of softballs (no pun intended) in both hamstrings.  He then knew exactly what muscles to massage in my back that were overly stressed as a result of compensating for the injury.

I couldn’t have asked for a better massage therapist than David.  First, he treated me for a full hour rather than just the 50 minutes that I had paid for.  He wanted to make sure I well taken care of.  He was also more knowledgeable about my injury than the physical therapist assistant who was treating me back home.  He recommended an Elemis product called Musclease, a bath soak designed for muscle relief.  I trusted his judgment and purchased the product.

After the massage, I felt almost like new again!  I was re-energized, the pain and stiffness were greatly reduced and I was able to walk more comfortably again.  And the Musclease product worked like magic; the ugly deep purple bruising faded significantly after each use of the product.  If it weren’t for massage therapy, I would have spent the rest of my vacation sitting at the same slot machine.  But because the massage was so healing, I was able to fulfill my promise to show my grandmother the Sin City and make this trip to Vegas one of my most memorable.

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