Massage minutes go by faster than the rest.

If you’ve ever been to a spa or any other place where massage therapy is offered, you probably know that massage therapists provide treatments for assorted lengths of time. Three typical massage lengths are 30 minutes, 60 minutes, and 90 minutes.

The most common massage in a spa environment is a 60-minute massage. As a massage therapist at a chiropractic office, I’d say I give about an equal amount of 30-minute and 60-minute massages. I give occasional 90-minute massages and have only given a single two-hour massage.

Which should you choose? The one that’s best for you depends on what you expect to get out of your massage.

30-minute Massage

• What it is:A 30-minute massage is a great maintenance massage for one area of the body. (Most of my 30-minute clients enjoy my combination shoulder, low-back, neck, and scalp massage.) It can also offer you a quick breather in the midst of a stressful day. Another major “pro” of a 30-minute massage is that it’s usually pretty cheap.

• What it isn’t: 30 minutes isn’t the intended length of time for a full body massage; it simply isn’t enough time to adequately address all areas of the body. If I were to break down a general full body massage into 30 minutes, I wouldn’t have enough time to do extra work on any of the muscles after I warmed them up.

60-Minute Massage

• What it is: 60 minutes is enough time to fit in a relaxing full body massage. An hour gives me time to warm up muscles pay a little extra special attention to problem areas. A 60-minute massage will be more expensive than a 30-minute massage, but many massage therapist offices and spas won’t actually double the cost for double the time. Generally, you’ll get more massage for your buck if you choose a longer massage. (For example, if a chiropractic office charged $40 for 30 minutes, it might charge $65 for 60 minutes.)

• What it isn’t: Some clients don’t feel that 60 minutes is quite enough time for them to be on the table when they want a well-rounded treatment. As a therapist, I agree. I can give a full-body massage in 60 minutes but I still feel rushed. For example, sometimes I’ll have already worked on a person’s back for 20 minutes but then run across a problem area right before I go onto the next body part. I have no choice but to tell my client something like, “I can continue to work on this spot and not work on your arms and legs, or I can just continue on

90-minute+ Massage

• What it is: 90 minutes is blissful. It’s enough time for me to slow down, ignore the clock a bit, and listen closely to what a client’s body is telling me. It’s also enough time for me to try out new massage techniques. Some of my clients say, “Once you try a 90-minute massage, you will never want to go back to shorter ones.” A 90-minute massage is naturally more expensive than your other options, but it also is usually cheapest per minute. I couldn’t say whether you should get a 30-minute massage every two weeks or one 90-minute massage every six weeks; that really depends on how often your body needs maintenance.

• What it isn’t: A 90-minute massage isn’t for people who have trouble lying in one position for extended periods of time. It also isn’t a frequent treatment option for people who are on a tight budget. However, I urge you to try it once to decide whether it suits you.

There is no way to completely avoid toxins.

“The Toxoblaster 28000 Wipes Out Toxins!”

“Eliminate toxins with the new super detox fast!”

“Drink lots of water to flush out the toxins.”

I hear the word “toxins” so frequently that I can’t help but think that my body has become a noxious waste cesspool on the verge of explosion.

What are toxins, anyway? Are they little green monsters with evil grins? Are they really the murky gunk that fills up ionic foot baths? Should I resort to fasting and jumping into an ice cold lake twice a month in an attempt to purge my body of those occasional extra glasses of wine? Probably not.

Toxins are: everywhere. Environmental chemicals, food additives, the stuff we drink at parties, the bath product ingredients that are impossible to pronounce, and even compounds in seemingly innocent foods such as soy.

Toxins are not: avoidable.

Toxins creep up on us whether or not we eat food from our own pesticide-free gardens. They will find a way to sneak into our bodies even if we buy organic body wash. I’m not entirely sure, however, that the sneaky ones—the untested, potentially poisonous chemicals that we breathe in on a daily basis—are what will eventually kill us. (That isn’t to say I’m not concerned about our pollutant-ridden environment.)  However, I’m convinced that what matters more than anything is what we blatantly do to our systems on a daily basis.

I have a lot of faith in the human body. I think that humans are blessed with an amazing, adaptable network of toxin filters (e.g. liver, kidneys, and urinary systems) that have allowed us to thrive on this planet for a long time. The problem is, these systems weren’t made to withstand lots of abuse. I know of people who smoke, try recreational drugs, binge drink, eat junk food, and avoid exercise. Some of these people also sit in sweat lodges, order ionic foot baths, go on “detox fasts,” and obsessively cleanse their colons in an attempt to flush out the toxins.

I can think of an even better and more cost-effective method of flushing them out: drink lots of water, cut back on the junk, and go for a run every now and then. Maintain your body instead of trying to put Band-Aids on preventable damage. If you want to do the extra cleansing rituals in addition to the daily maintenance, your body might reap some extra benefits.

Give the gift of massage this season.

If you’re having trouble finding the perfect Christmas gift for your friends and relatives this year, may I make a recommendation? Get them a massage.

I know, I know. It’s a bit predictable for a licensed massage therapist with a massage therapy blog to recommend massage as a present, but who could possibly be better equipped to make a case for it? It would be a sin for me not to say something on its behalf.

Massage is easily transportable. You don’t have to assemble, ship, or wrap up a massage gift certificate. Simply put the certificate in an envelope or gift card holder and slide it into your mom’s stocking or send it to your cousin eight states away.

Massage can be for anyone. Even your dad, who says he already has everything, can enjoy a massage for Christmas. It certainly won’t be another gag gift to pile into his den. Even your great aunt could benefit from massage. If an older relative is wary about getting a massage for the first time, you can also buy a massage for yourself and offer to take her out for a spa day. Once she finally goes she’ll be hooked.

Massage is a great way to say thank-you. This year, skip out on the gift baskets or extra tips for your child’s teacher, the mailman, and your hairdresser. A massage gift certificate is more personal and it will go a long way for people who endure stressful days to make your life better.

Massage can also be a great group gift. Talk to your superiors at work to arrange (and pay) for a corporate massage therapist to come to your office. After your coworkers get a seated massage, they will go back to work feeling a little less stressed out—and a little more thankful for you—in the midst of the workplace holiday mayhem.

Massage can fit many budgets. You can opt to splurge on a 90-minute hot stone massage for your best friend or get a 30-minute pick-me-up for the members of your immediate family. I also mentioned in a previous post that many cheap massage deals are out there. If you want to buy in bulk, consider getting all of your family members (even your least favorite ones) certificates for a 10-minute chair massage at a massage station in your local mall. If you decide to hand out gift certificates before Christmas Day, you will give them a good excuse to take a little rejuvenating break from their holiday shopping.

Massage can be free. When I was a little kid, I used to give my mom the gift of “coupons” for things like free hugs and house vacuuming. It sounds a little silly, but if someone gave me a home-made coupon for an eight minute back massage, (example here) I definitely wouldn’t laugh or complain. Would you? I urge you to try it out if you’re strapped for cash. An added bonus: picking up the new skill could make you everyone’s favorite friend/relative in the very near future.

Insurance coverage is money in the bank.

In December 2008, the National Health Interview Survey showed that about 38 percent of American adults and around 12 percent of kids are treated with complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) of some sort. Kaiser says that at least 75 percent of adults have at least tried it. Some people receive treatments such as massage and acupuncture to complement their conventional medical care, while others rely solely on such therapies as alternative medicine .

Based on conversations I’ve had with my clients, I believe that a much larger percentage of the population would try—and regularly seek—alternative medical assistance and preventative care if insurance companies were willing to cover more of it.

The good news is that insurance companies are starting to see the light when it comes to covering CAM. Because consumers’ interest in CAM coverage has increased dramatically in recent years, insurance companies have started to offer coverage for treatments like chiropractic, massage therapy, acupuncture and sometimes even naturopathy and biofeedback.

You owe it to yourself to find out if your insurance plan covers massage therapy or other CAM treatments. At the risk of sounding like a Geico advertisement:  A few moments could save you lots of money on complementary and alternative medicine. Here’s how to do it…

Just look at the details of your insurance plan by scanning your insurer’s website, reading the handbook you were given, or calling a knowledgeable agent. If you find that a CAM treatment is covered, investigate what limits are in place. For example, find out if there is a cap on how many visits you can make to a chiropractor and decipher how much you can spend. Know that even if your plan doesn’t cover a treatment, it may offer a discount on certain CAM treatments.

If your insurer is riding with the times, congratulations! Here comes the tricky part. When it comes to actually getting things covered, you will need to:

1. Have a reason to go. Even if your insurance company does cover something, a caveat is that you probably won’t get it covered unless you have a legitimate medical reason to need treatment. Is your back giving you problems because you aggravated it at work? Could chiropractic care and massage therapy potentially prevent you from needing costly surgery in the future?
2. Find a doctor willing to refer you to an alternative practitioner. Your primary care physician may be willing to help you out.
3. Find an in-network provider that “counts” on paper. For example:  I, a massage therapist, can perform 30-minute massages covered and coded as “trigger point massage” under some insurance plans because I work for a chiropractor who works with many insurance-covered injury cases. However, if I were working for Massage Envy, chances are slim at this point (2009) that your insurance would cover a massage from me.
4. Run it all by your insurance provider before you jump on the table (massage, chiropractic, or otherwise.) Better safe than sorry.

If your insurer is still a bit behind the times, you aren’t necessarily doomed. Directly ask your insurer to give you reasons why a particular CAM treatment isn’t covered. A representative may mention something regarding lack of scientific evidence. Now’s your chance to shine: Visit this website and do some research of your own. You may be able to find sound evidence that a certain treatment is effective. If you do find that evidence, cite it and dispute a denied claim.

Even if your individual attempt doesn’t end up working in the short-term, your efforts will not have been in vain. When enough people bring complaints and supporting evidence to the table, insurers will begin to change their minds about what gets covered.

Take a stand and be part of a revolution!