5 Green Ways to Beat the Heat

It’s so easy to flip a switch and get comfortable. But it’s becoming increasingly clear that to take care of our planet, convenience shouldn’t always come first. When the heat gets to be too much, where can you turn without turning on the AC?

Get out of the house
A great way to conserve electricity during the day is to get out of the house! Find a shady spot in a park or a place with a nice breeze. Come get a nice massage with free ice treatment or treat yourself to cold stone spot treatment as an enhancement to your session. Our clinic is already air conditioned, and it will be running whether you’re here or not. All that’s missing is you!

In fact, the same logic goes for coffee shops, movie theaters, stores, malls, public libraries, and other public places that don’t mind if you come in and cool off for a minute. So don’t let that electricity go to waste!

Sleep outside
It’s amazing how much your home can retain the heat of the day long after the sun has gone down. Whether or not camping is your cup of tea, it’s a great time to spread out a pad or an air mattress on the back lawn, unroll a sleeping bag, and slumber under the stars.

Stay hydrated
Your body simply can’t cool itself unless you’re drinking plenty of water. It will help you think more clearly, stabilize your mood, and make it easier for you to stay comfortable throughout the day. Cool water is best, as it will help lower your body temperature slightly. Water is best, but there are other choices that will help you hydrate as well. It’s a misconception that caffeinated drinks dehydrate you. It’s true that caffeine is a diuretic, but the water in caffeinated drinks more than compensates for this effect. The main caution in flavored drinks or coffee is sugar. Try to opt for drinks sweetened with honey or agave nectar so not to spike your blood sugar.

Get wet
You’d be surprised what a little cold water in the right spots will do to help you feel cooler. Apply ice packs or a wet wash cloth to key spots on your body, including:

• forehead
• behind the knees
• on the wrists
• on the ankles

This is particularly useful if you’re hot at night and can’t get comfortable enough to sleep.

Plant trees
Besides being beautiful, trees are the best possible way to shade your home from summer heat. They also help consume the carbon you might be releasing into the atmosphere to run the AC. This is no quick-fix, but it could save you a fortune in the long run, not to mention add value to your property.

Tom Gunn is the marketing director and blog editor for The Good Life Massage. You can reach him to help develop your brand with logos and content marketing by contacting him at tomgunn@gmail.com.

Fancy Feet: A Healing Enhancement For Your Hardest-Working Body Part

Feet are a miracle of nature. Every day we put more and more miles on our feet, whether its by walking or running. And they don’t just bear your bodyweight: every day your feet bear your weight, plus atmospheric pressure equal to the weight of small car. Even just standing in line can put your feet to the test. Sometimes we just need to take the time and appreciate our feet by just kicking them up and getting off them. That doesn’t sound like a bad idea right?

Well, what about a foot massage? That would definitely show your feet some appreciation.

GLM offers a massage enhancement to go along with your regular full-body massage session called “Fancy Feet”. This enhancement allows our therapists to give your feet the focused work and attention they deserve.

The Fancy Feet enhancement consist of two options that are available to you that will last 30 blissful minutes. The first option is a foot sugar scrub and the second option is a hot-stone spot treatment. If there is any inflammation around the area, we do offer the cold-stone spa treatment as well. Fancy Feet is designed to bring relaxation and healing to you and your feet.

Sugar Sugar

Why sugar? Salt is a common abrasive agent for many spa treatments, but unlike sugar, salt dehydrates the skin. Sugar naturally soothes and protects the skin of the feet and also eases discomfort from dry and tight skin. Sugar adds hydration to your parched skin and can refresh parts of a tired foot. We offer four different types of handmade sugar scrubs for you to choose from:

• Sweet pea
• Peppermint
• Energize
• Peaceful Nights

You can also purchase these handmade sugar scrubs right at our location before or after your massage is complete or through our online store. Our therapists will gently scrub in a circular motion, which will exfoliate the skin on the foot. Once the therapist is done scrubbing the foot, they will rinse off the foot with a moistened towel, leaving the skin of the foot healthier and noticeably softer than before.

The Stones

The Second option that you can choose with this enhancement would be the hot or cold stone spot treatment. At GLM we do not have manufactured stones. Our smooth stones are hand-picked from the Pacific Northwest coastline. Hot stones allow your feet to receive a more luxurious foot massage. It feels great, but it can also help relax soft tissues and break down adhesions in the muscles which cause unnecessary tension in your feet. It also allows increased blood flow and circulation when the heated stones are applied.

Our stones aren’t manufactured: they’re individually plucked from the shores of the Pacific Northwest with our own hands.

If you are suffering from inflammation in your feet, we do offer the cold stone spa treatment to help reduced the pain and discomfort that you may be experiencing.

Click here to book a Fancy Feet today!

None of this information should be construed as medical advice or care. The employees of The Good Life Massage, including the writers of this blog, are not medical doctors. Consult with your physician before making any changes to improve your health.

Byron Benson is a marketing intern for The Good Life Massage from Eastern Oregon University.