2 Your Health: Paraffin Treatments During Massage: How Can Paraffin Help?

Heidi Overman, LMT

Ahh, paraffin treatments. They feel so good when having a manicure or pedicure. Your hands and feet feel smooth and refreshed. Do you know why you feel so much better after that paraffin treatment, and what other body parts can benefit from it?

At the National Holistic Institute, I was taught how to use paraffin as a tool, not only to help my clients, but as a way to keep my own hands, feet, and joints healthy and pain-free.

In my practice, I use hot paraffin for many different issues, and it can be remarkably effective in alleviating pain from arthritis, bursitis, chronic joint inflammation, and it helps soothe dry, cracked skin.

Paraffin is a drug-free option, and the penetrating heat therapy also relaxes sore, tired muscles, relieves stiffness, and helps with muscle spasms. It can be twice as beneficial because hot paraffin wax therapy stimulates circulation, as well as moisturizes and nourishes dry skin.

How does it work?

Paraffin uses intense heat therapy, which, like other heat therapies, increases blood flow, relaxes muscles, and decreases stiffness. However, the added bonus is that the wax hardens, creating a shell that traps the heat in with no place to go, except down into the surface below. The heat generated also opens the pores in the skin, allowing topical products to penetrate deeper into the skin’s layers, which make the products more effective.

Paraffin treatments can be used on the hands, elbows, shoulders, back, feet, knees, and more. It can be a great addition to your massage. Not only does paraffin exfoliate the skin and give a deeper moisturizing treatment, it also helps in deep pain relief and relieves those sore, tired muscles.

If you are interested in a therapeutic massage, call MEND for an appointment at 520-771-1514. Our website is www.mymendingplace.com, and we’re located at MEND Therapeutic Massage and Restorative Skincare at 15920 N Oracle Rd., Ste 170 Tucson, AZ 85739 (next to the Golden Goose).