As the owner of a spa I answer a lot of client questions about massage. “Should massage hurt?” “ What should I wear during a massage?” “ What is the difference between deep tissue and Swedish massage?” “ What is a sports massage?” “Can I drink alcohol after a massage?” And so on.
(By the way, the answer to that last one is that yes, you can, but no, you should not.)
But one day a prospective client called and asked a question no one had ever asked before.
“How many calories does a one-hour massage burn?”
I was flummoxed.
I cradled the phone between my shoulder and my ear (never do this, it’s so bad for your neck) and quickly googled the question.
Could time spent laying on a table being kneaded like a loaf of bread translate to burning the calories contained in one?
Scanning the google search results, I felt cautiously optimistic.
One result yielded an answer of 240. Incredible! That’s the equivalent of an hour long jog, or roughly, several spoonfuls of Nutella.
But further googling revealed other answers that seemed far more likely.
Massage only burns a few more calories than sleeping. Or about 67 calories per hour for a 160 pound person. Roughly, the number of calories in the bite-sized chocolate that hotels place on your pillow at turn down service. Or, to frame it a little more bleakly, about a quarter of the caramel latte you downed with breakfast.
So, no. You can’t work off the Pad Thai you had for lunch by lying around and getting your body rubbed on.
There is, however, a bright side.
Or maybe it’s more of a loophole.
Massage could be a life hack for weight loss.
A recent Harvard study found that “stress eating” isn’t just an excuse to stuff our faces when we stressed.
It’s actually a thing.
A thing caused by hormones. (I’m talking to you, ladies.)
What’s worse is that stress affects the types of foods that we want to eat. Fat and sugar laden foods dampen stress related responses. So yeah, that’s why that box of donuts at the office is even more irresistible when you’re having a level 10 stress day.
It’s good news then that massage is one of the best ways to alleviate stress.
Massage alters EEG activity and increases the parasympathetic nervous system, decreasing cortisol levels.
(That is a fancy of way of saying that when you get massages you’re going to feel less stressed because you’ll be less stressed.)
And unlike the theories that massage burns 240 calories, the positive effects that massage has on the body and its ability to lower stress hormones, is scientificly proven.
Massage every few weeks should do wonders for your stress levels.
And BONUS we’ve recently implemented a monthly membership program that makes your regular massages more affordable.
So the next time you're feeling stressed, and all you want is to go home and eat that pint of Gelato in your freezer, consider scheduling a massage instead.
Your body and your skinny jeans will thank you.
See you soon!
(Name of Spa Owner.)
*This nurture email was ghost written for an independently owned, high-end spa in Del Mar, California to generate an interest in booking regular massages through a newly implemented monthly membership program. Links to information about the program and to schedule an appointment online were embedded in the email.
