3 Reasons to Try a Full Body Sugar Scrub & Mud Wrap at The Good Life Massage

According to our friends at SpaFinder, mud wraps are one of the most popular spa treatments available. But what is it, anyway? And why get one? (Because you really should get one!)

First, let’s separate fact from fiction, science from advertising hype.

A full body scrub and mud wrap WON’T …

Make you skinny. You may see temporary weight loss. You may be slightly slimmer with less cellulite, but these effects are due to lost water weight, and only last a day or two at the most. There’s no magic in the mud to burn fat or shrink fat cells.

Cleanse you from toxins (whatever those are). Many spas push this treatment as a “cleanse”. But we’d like to know– cleanse you from what, exactly? No studies have shown this as a real benefit, and nobody who touts this as a benefit will be able to name for you a single chemical toxin mud wraps are supposed to cleanse you of.

A full body scrub and mud wrap WILL …

Exfoliate. It starts with a gentle sugar scrub. We generously apply hot towels to open your pores before applying sugar scrub one area at a time. Sugar is the ideal exfoliant because it doesn’t draw out moisture from the skin the way sea salt does, and doesn’t chafe like pumice. This is gently applied to your back, arms, legs, feet, and hands, then gently removed with hot towels. You won’t believe how much more soft and smooth your skin can get! You’ll feel like a kid again.

Soothe aching joints. The evidence on this is a little shaky, and generally anecdotal. That said, many study participants have reported at least a temporary decrease in joint and muscle pain. If you know you’ll be feeling sore after an athletic event or just a good workout, it might be ideal to schedule a mud wrap directly afterward. Is this a cure for arthritis? No, though you may find it provides some temporary relief.

Relax you. This is an unquestionable benefit of this treatment. Once the exfoliant is removed, the mud is gently applied to all the same areas. (We say mud, but it feels more like a thin clay, and it isn’t as messy as it sounds.)

We then wrap you up in a layer of plastic, an electric blanket, and a thermal mylar blanket to lock in the heat. This causes the mud to soften and ferment slightly as you sweat. You’re left to sit, relaxing to the sounds of the music or white noise of your choice for about 15 minutes, letting your mind drift gently away from all your cares.

The therapist comes back in to unwrap you and gently remove the mud with more hot towels. The result? You’ve already forgotten what year it was since your skin felt this soft, and since your mind was so still and rest.

This is a great treatment, either as a stand-alone, or to compliment a massage. The whole treatment takes about 90 minutes.

Book one today!

Tom Gunn is the marketing director and blog editor for The Good Life Massage. You can hire him by contacting him on Twitter @ElManoRoboto or by email at tomgunn@gmail.com

Add a Little Extra, Get a Lot More – A Primer on Massage Enhancements, Part II

In the last post we reviewed a few of the session enhancements available at our clinic. These are a fantastic way to make a great massage experience even better, so if you haven’t already read it, check out that post.

What we haven’t covered, however, are the spa treatment enhancements that are also available. Like any spa treatment, these must be reserved in advance. Don’t ask your therapist for these on the day of your massage, because these require extra time on the schedule and/or prep time that make it impossible to prepare on-demand.

As you’ll see, however, it’s well worth the effort to plan ahead and schedule one of these with your session.

Fancy Feet
If you like the hand or foot sugar scrub, you’ll love this! This is quite a full pedicure, but it’s the next best thing. For 30 blissful minutes, your hardest working body parts get the TLC they deserve. We start with a gentle exfoliating sugar scrub and follow that with hot stone massage. This is a perfect add-on for someone who spends a lot of time on their feet, or who just need some extra attention in that area.

HFS Upgrade
HFS stands for hands, feet, or scalp. You’ll get 15 extra minutes in one of these targeted focus areas. We’ve posted on this space before about how amazing this upgrade can be, but briefly, this adds time to your session dedicated to one of these areas.

Hands. You may not realize just how hard your hands work until you try this. The therapist will spend time on each joint of the finger, soothing all those tight muscles and connective tissues with focused touch therapy. This is highly recommended for anyone who works with their hands, or even just uses a computer a lot (which is pretty much everybody, right?).

Feet. Is there any part of your body that needs more attention than your feet? This enhancement adds 15 blissful minutes of attention just on your feet. This is considerably more than the 3 to 5 minutes your feet would each get in a full body massage, and will have you dancing out the door.

Scalp. It’s counter-intuitive, but the scalp is a great place to get some focus work done. It’s deeply relaxing and can even help relieve headaches. This is ideal for stress relief or to aid with mental health or addiction recovery.

Chocolate Hydrating Face Mask
Good news: this one involves chocolate! Not so good news: it doesn’t involve eating any. It turns out that the flavonoids in cocoa are great for your skin. It smells great, has been proven to leave your face feeling smooth and moisturized, and most of all, gives you that feeling of being treated like royalty.

Again, whichever of these enhancements you decide to go with, remember that each of them require extra time be added to your session. That means these must be booked in advance and can not be added at the last minute. For enhancements that can be added on the fly, see our last post.

Tom Gunn is the marketing director at and blod editor of The Good Life Massage. You hire him to help with your content marketing and social media tasks by contacting him at tomgun@gmail.com.

Add a Little Extra, Get a Lot More – A Primer on Massage Enhancements, Part 1

We like to think our clients keep coming back to GLM because we focus like laser beam on doing one thing extremely well: massage. But if you think massage is all we have to offer, you’re missing a lot.

We offer a number of enhancements to make your massage experience even more enjoyable and therapeutic. For just a little extra, you can add extra non-massage treatments to your session.

In this post, we’re focusing on our massage enhancements that add no time to your session, and can be requested on the day of your appointment–no need to plan ahead for the enhancements listed here. Some enhancements have a therapeutic value, while others are designed to make your massage experience more relaxing and memorable. Find out what you’ve been missing!

Foot or hand sugar scrub
Sugar scrubs are a great way to gently exfoliate your hands and feet. First we apply hot towels to your hands or feet to relax and open the pores. Then we use a sugary compound made with glycerin, coconut oil, and essential oils, formulated by our own Amy Gunn and manufactured right here in our clinic. We finish with a grease-free lotion to seal in the moisture. Choose from five pleasant fragrances or go fragrance-free.

The hands and feet are your hardest-working body parts! Give them a little extra love by taking good care of them. Go with just the hands, just the feet, or do both for a little extra.

Hot stone spot treatment
Whether you already know and love hot stone massage, or have never heard of it before in your life, our hot stone spot treatment is a great little taste of the hot stone massage experience. It’s also great for giving a particularly painful or tense area some extra TLC.

We use smooth stones hand-picked from the Washington and Oregon Coast which are submerged in hot water. We use these stones as massage tools, applying heat to help soothe and soften sore tissue and muscle in your focus area.

Tension release
Not only is the addition of a unique blend of essential oils relaxing, it makes your therapist’s job a lot easier. Our LMTs claim that this enhancement makes it faster and easier to get through superficial tissue to deeper levels. This is the perfect way to help slow your mind, relax your body, and make your massage as effective as it can possibly be.

Aromatherapy
This enhancement is a treat for your senses and your muscles. Your therapist will help you choose from a broad selection of oils. These are then added to strategic points all over your body. The overall effect is surprisingly relaxing, and adds that extra element of escape to your session.

You can add more than one of these to your session in any combination you wish, but we recommend taking it slow with these. Give them a try one at a time. Find out what you like the most, and you’ll want to make it a regular part of your massage experience.

Book your session today–and don’t forget to add an enhancement this time!

Tom Gunn is the marketing director, social media manager, and blog editor for The Good Life Massage. You can view his other work or hire him through his website www.TGunnWriter.com