Golf & Tennis Challenge: 5 Tantalizing Benefits of Massage Therapy

The soft lighting, neutral walls, and hushed music pulls you into the moment. The cool, crisp linens gently glide against your bare skin and the sweetest scent swirls within the room. You hear the massage therapist warming oil between his or her hands and you escape to your happy place in your mind …

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Massage therapy as a healing tool has been around for thousands of years and is practiced in many cultures. Ayurveda, the traditional holistic medical system in India, encourages massage therapy to repair the natural mental and physical balance. It is believed to restore harmony between the self and the surrounding world.

Cathy Morris, a licensed massage therapist and owner of Orange Skye Body and Beauty Bar, agrees that massages and spa treatments provide an integration of body and mind. “We want our guest’s experience to feel like a mini getaway, which is a more effective way to recharge your batteries than being rushed in and out,” she says.

Orange Skye, a black-owned business, opened its doors back in January 2007. Morris’ mission was to make people feel better by developing a sense of well-being and balance in the body and mind. Here Morris gives us five benefits of massage therapy.

1. It stimulates the flow of lymph, the body’s natural defense system, against toxic invaders. For example, in breast cancer patients, massage has been shown to increase the cells that fight cancer.
2. It boosts overall immunity by increasing white blood cell count.
3. It assists with shorter labor for expectant mothers and lessens the need for medication. It also combats depression and anxiety, and can help shorten hospital stays.
4. It releases endorphins–the body’s natural painkiller–that relax injured and overused muscles, reducing spasms and cramping.
5. It increases circulation, allowing the body to pump more oxygen and nutrients into tissues and vital organs.

Regardless of whether you are seeking massage therapy for pampering and rejuvenation or for medical stress relief and pain management, massage therapy can be a powerful ally in your health and wellness regimen.

The Black Enterprise Golf & Tennis Challenge will be hosted at the PGA National Resort & Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Florida, this Labor Day weekend, Sept. 3-6, 2015. Take $100 off your own mind and body integration if you register with the Labor Day discount code.

–written by Fatima Bangura