Deep Tissue vs Body to Body Massage
Massage therapy is a form of manual therapy that’s intended to relax the mind and please the body. There are many types of massage therapy you can try, and there are two umbrella types – standard and erotic. Standard massages focus on massaging just the normal parts of the body like the back, legs and arms. Erotic massages focus on the whole body, with particular attention on the sexual areas such as the buttocks, breasts and genitals. While they both promote relaxation, erotic massages also help with sexual satisfaction and impotence.
If you’re really struggling on which type of massage to try, we’ve compared two massages, one standard and one erotic, looked at how they are performed and their benefits.
What is a body to body massage?
A body to body massage, also referred to as body2body or b2b, is a style of erotic massage that has a unique approach. When you think of massage, you automatically assume the therapist will be using their hands. What else would they use, right? Wrong! In a body to body massage, the masseuse will use her whole body to stimulate the client. Instead of just using her hands, she will use her body in a series of rubs, strokes, rolls and glides to massage the client. It is a truly unique style of massage.
How does it work and what are the benefits?
A b2b therapist will cover the client and her own body in massage oils. This allows for her body to slide smoothly against the client’s, which results in maximum pleasure and minimal ease.
Because of the total bare skin contact, a body to body massage is highly erotic and sexual. It’s as intimate and gets as close to sexual intercourse as it can without any penetration happening. This makes a b2b massage one of the most ideal settings for relationship bonding and emotional connections to happen. It’s impossible to experience this level of intimacy and passion without feeling some kind of attachment.
A body to body massage is also an exciting new way of experiencing foreplay and sexual thrill. It can help awaken the spark and chemistry between lovers, whether old or new. It can allow you to explore your sexuality and discover surprising parts of your body that turn you on.
This erotic massage offers a wealth of benefits, ranging from physical to psychological and emotional:
- Improves blood circulation
- Boosts immune system
- Improves efficiency of digestive system
- Helps skin condition (e.g. reduces appearance of scars, stretch marks and cellulite)
- Helps muscle aches and strains
- Reduces stress and anxiety
- Helps with insomnia
- Helps with intimacy and trust issues
- Promotes an overall healthy mental wellbeing
- Improves sex drive
- Reduces erectile dysfunction and sexual impotence
- Pain relief from urinary and prostate problems
Is a body to body massage good for health?
In terms of physical health, a body to body massage can help with some conditions. They promote relaxation and are known to reduce stress. Erotic massages are particularly effective for stress because they focus on the sexual areas as well as the major parts of the body. Sexual frustration is commonly linked to stress, so by causing arousal, the tension from these places is released and the person is left totally relaxed. When someone is less stressed, they are happier, can sleep better and perform daily tasks much better as well.
The focus on the sexual areas can also help with urinary and prostate problems. A body2body massage works to improve sexual control by delaying orgasms. This technique of edging helps to clear out the ejaculatory ducts, emptying the sexual organs of all fluids. This can help with urinary problems, such as incomplete, disrupted or reduced flow and pain from prostate conditions.
However, massage therapists are not health professionals so body to body massages are not advised for any major illnesses.
What should I expect?
A body to body massage is an erotic style so you should be prepared for sexual arousal and the techniques are meant to be pleasurable. Due to the total skin to skin contact and the unique style of the massage, it’s recommended for the client to be naked. This allows for complete bodily contact and you can be sure to reap the full benefits. However this isn’t necessary – you can be as naked as you want. You are free to customise your experience!
What is a deep tissue massage?
A deep tissue massage is a type of massage that, as the name suggests, aims to manipulate the deeper tissue levels within muscles and connective tissues (fascia). It’s very similar to a Swedish massage, as it’s based on similar ideology and uses many of the same techniques, but a deep tissue massage offers more intense pressure. It’s a lot more focused than a Swedish as the therapist aims to ease chronic muscle tension in particular places, also known as knots in muscles.
How does it work and what are the benefits?
A deep tissue massage may feel very similar to a Swedish massage because it uses many of the same movements and techniques. However, deep tissue massages are prescribed for chronic and acute aches, pains and muscle contractions, such as stiff necks, sore back, calf and shin tightness and constricted shoulders. The massage techniques are used to disperse scar tissue and break down muscle knots, which are bands of painfully rigid tissue that can interrupt blood circulation and cause pain, a limited range of motion and inflammation. In order to do all this, a deep tissue massage uses a series of precise movements that are more intense and deeper in pressure than a Swedish massage.
Typically, these two techniques are used:
Stripping – masseuse runs an elbow, forearm, knuckles or thumbs along the length of muscle fibres to create deep, gliding pressure.
Friction – masseuse applies pressure across a portion of the muscle to release tensions and readjust the tissue fibres.
A deep tissue massage typically focuses on a specific problem that’s outlined during an assessment that takes place before the session. Such problems may include:
- Fibromyalgia
- Lower back pain
- Limited range of mobility
- Recovery from injuries (e.g. whiplash)
- Repetitive strain injury (e.g. carpal tunnel syndrome)
- Postural conditions
- Muscle strain in hamstrings, gluteus maximus, legs, quadriceps, rhomboids, back, neck
- Pain from osteoarthritis
- Sciatica and Piriformis syndrome
- Sports injuries
- Tennis elbow
- Upper back pain
A report published in Consumer Reports magazine stated that 34,000 people thought a deep tissue massage was more effective in relieving osteoarthritis pain than exercise, prescription medications, chiropractic treatments, diet, acupuncture and over-the-counter drugs. The massage has also been recommended for fibromyalgia pain and people have commented on their improved range of motion immediately after a session.
Will a deep tissue massage hurt?
Because a deep tissue massage uses a range of intense pressure, you may feel some slight discomfort, particularly at the beginning of a session when the muscles are still stiff. A deep tissue massage will usually begin with lighter pressures to warm up the muscles. This will reduce the chances of discomfort.
However, a deep tissue massage isn’t supposed to hurt and discomfort isn’t supposed to be prolonged either. It’s not necessarily a sign that the massage is working. If anything, the body tends to tense in response to pain, and this will make it harder for the therapist to affect the deep tissues and make it more painful for you. If this is the case, always let the massage therapist know so they can adjust the techniques, pressure or switch to prepping the tissues again if the muscles are still tense.
What should I expect?
Therapists may use their fingertips, knuckles, hands, elbows and forearms at a variety of pressures. You may be asked to concentrate on your breathing and take deep inhalations when the therapist works on tense areas. After the massage, it’s common to feel some stiffness or soreness, but this should fade in a few days. If you feel excessive pain or prolonged pain, be sure to contact your massage therapist for advice. Drinking water after the massage will help to flush the metabolic waste released by the tissues during the session from the body.
Unlike a body to body massage, it’s not necessary for the client to be naked during a deep tissue massage. It can be performed while you’re wearing clothes, but minimal clothing (for example, wearing swimwear or light fabrics) would allow for more intense pressures.
Deep tissue massage vs body to body massage: the takeaway
Both of these two massages are more than just massages. Both focus on deep pressure to induce relief from muscle pain and stress. Those are the ultimate goals. However a deep tissue massage uses the hands and arms to provide deep pressure while a b2b massage uses the masseuse’s body to provide deep pressure. A B2b massage will undoubtedly feel more pleasurable and clients will leave feeling sexually satisfied as well as mentally relieved.
It depends on what you’re after. If you’re stressed, aching and sexually frustrated, try a body to body massage. That will offer physical and mental satisfaction. If you’re completely aching and suffering from muscle strains, try a deep tissue massage. in either of these situations you should always go to a trained professional masseuse and when it comes to body to body massage the best in the world are asian masseuses in London.
