Family massage

When I was growing up, the idea of getting a massage was almost always associated with seedy parlors where the method of choice was not Shiatsu or Swedish but “sensation.” And so I settled instead for the occasional hilot (traditional Filipino healing art which combines massage, chiropractic manipulation, and some faith healing) and actually looked forward to getting a sprain so that I could go to the local albularyo (folk healer).   I got a little scared though when he once lighted a candle and dripped wax on a basin of water to determine what spirit might be causing the pain my younger sister was feeling. The street corner barbershop was another early alternative and I can still remember what I can only describe as the “electric shock” technique of one of the barbers. He would dramatically stab my temples with his fingers kung fu style and then go into an epileptic convulsion as if he was shooting an electrical charge from his body into my head. Even for such simpler pleasures, cost was still a burden to us then. My late father therefore employed a more pragmatic approach. For a back massage, he simply asked my sister and me to walk back and forth on his back. He also let us dig our fingers into his head and mess up his hair for a scalp massage. Oftentimes, however, he just did that to himself as a result of our childhood misadventures. 

 Thankfully, massage is now a generally accepted and wholesome form of therapy to relieve stress and to improve overall health. There are even family massage rooms so that husbands and wives can enjoy rubdowns together in adjacent chairs or beds. It is the one real vice that I allow myself to indulge in. I think that there are up to a hundred recognized massage modalities around the world. Our very own hilot is one of them. Two of the more popular ones here, however, are the Shiatsu and Swedish massage. Shiatsu is a Japanese form of massage which literary means “finger pressure.” Using his or her thumbs, fingers, and palms, the Shiatsu masseur applies pressure on so-called “energy meridians” or “internal networks that channel energy throughout the body.” The intent of the therapy is to locate and correct energy imbalances in the body. Swedish massage, on the other hand, is a more classical approach. Using five basic long and flowing strokes (ex. sliding, kneading), this type of massage is effective in releasing muscle tension and increasing blood circulation. I don’t know if it reveals something about my personality, but I prefer the faster and more direct Swedish massage. I get bored and impatient at times with the slower Shiatsu.

But while getting a massage is no longer automatically associated with the red light district, it is still largely considered an adult activity. For centuries, however, it seems that other cultures have been practicing infant massage. Although it is a known practice in China and some South Asia cultures, I do not think that we have this tradition in the Philippines. It is claimed that infant massage has a lot of positive health effects on babies. According to its supporters, the massaged baby is “healthier and more mentally advanced in motor skills and neurological development.” They also sleep better, cry less, remain more active throughout the day, and have more even temperaments. Premature babies were also reported to gain weight quicker after infant massage. Of course one does not do deep Swedish massage strokes to an infant! There is a special technique to infant massage that involves much gentler and lighter manipulation. It is very important to learn how to do it correctly from a professional lest you inadvertently injure your baby. Another caveat to all of these is that other experts say that more research is still needed to validate the data before it could be universally recommended. Be that as it may, I think that there is no harm in encouraging parents to have more physical contact with their babies. Regardless of the supposed medical impact, it would undoubtedly lead to a better bond between parent and child. It does not have to be limited to massage as well and should include things like holding, cuddling, and physical (horsing around) play. In fact, why even limit it to just when they’re infants? I don’t want to just be emotionally connected to my kids. I want to be physically close to them as well and I hope that when they get older, they will not, as many of us did, avoid parental displays of physical affection in public. And while we’re at it, I guess it would also be good to let our kids walk on our backs (for free) while we can still take their weight. The scalp massage can wait as I’m sure that just like my dad, I will be doing a lot of hair-pulling of my own when they become teenagers.

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