From Midlife Crisis To Midlife Happiness

Yes indeed, a spa.

Did you know that the number of men who visit spas have more than quadrupled since the late 80's? Spas are not just for career women and moms. The spa business has been booming since the last decade and there are more specialty spas now that cater to the needs of men.

Some of these are your basic day spas while some are environed by a luxurious resort or five-star hotel. They certainly are not only about cucumber facials or chamomile compresses (and what's so bad about those anyway?). Spas are so dynamic these and scientific these days, they certainly can offer dad the right treatment to help him relax.

Now to get you ready for your visit, here are a few suggestions:

• Heated stone massage. Stones of different shapes and sizes are used and they are heated to varying temperatures before your arrival. The temperature range is between 0 to 140 degrees Fahrenheit. Prior to applying this massage, the client usually receives an aromatherapy treatment. During the process of the actual heated stone massage, the massagist will hold a stone and apply some traditional Swedish strokes. Once the stone has cooled, it will be replaced. It is also not uncommon for some of the stones to be left on certain parts of the body like the spine and hands. This is mainly done to enhance the energy flow of the body.


• Thai massage. This is a relaxingly slow and rhythmical technique. This type of Oriental therapy basically involves pressing with the thumbs. The areas that are covered are what the Orientals refer to as the "energy channels".
  These basically are the muscles where one's energies pass.


• Deep tissue massage. Similar to Thai massage, this technique concentrates on the muscles. But unlike Thai massage where pressure is applied along the muscles, deep tissue massage is applied across the grain of the muscles. It involves a number of slow movements, but generally the pressure is more intense because the objective is to release the tension in the body.


• Therapeutic massage. This technique alternates between gentle kneading and strong pressure concentrating on the soft body tissues. This type of massage is beneficial to overworked individuals because it alleviates pain and stiffness, among others. Other benefits include increased blood circulation, reduced cramping and spasms, releases endorphins (the body's natural pain killer), soothes lower back pains and provides alleviates migraines.

So as you can see, there are a variety of services that dad can avail of in a spa, none of which involves mud packs.

This father's day, give dad the gift of relaxation and release him from his stresses. A visit to a spa could be just one of the pleasant surprises he will not soon forget.