Massage is a centuries-old remedy for the stress of daily life. If you live in the Melbourne area, you are lucky enough to have many options to choose from! If you are seeking a stress relief massage, there are a multitude of choices available, from Thai massage to hot stones to a chocolate rubdown.

Options range from top luxury offerings where you can combine massage with various beauty regimens, to ancient healing practices from cultures from all over the world.

The only challenge will be getting away from the day to day grind to find time to experience all the relaxations these spas provide. Plus, with so many to choose from, you might find it hard to make a decision!

Do yourself a favour: try a few, to find what approach works best for you.

1. Ripple

Ripple is a luxury spa which offers an innovative range of treatments. Their stress relief massage options include Russian Deep Tissue and Remedial Stress Relief Massage.

They also offer invigorating and healing skin treatments which use unusual ingredients such as chocolate, honey, seashells and coffee.

2. Sakura Lounge

Sakura offers a distinctly Japanese approach to stress relief. In addition to the spa’s soothing Eastern decor, their menu includes shiatsu, seitei and kinesiology.

This facility encourages the holistic approach, treating not only the body but also the mind and spirit.

3. Massage Yoga

Yoga is another way that many choose to alleviate the stress in their life. Yoga can assist with many physical ailments like neck pain, digestive problems and emotional imbalance.

Combining yoga with stress relief massage is a great way to utilize both touch and movement for body awareness and healing.

Massage Yoga is one of several places in the Melbourne area to take this integrated approach for a truly liberating experience.

4. Iva Baloun

Stress causes many physical and emotional problems and can manifest in many different ways. In addition to the common complaints of headaches and back or neck pain, people suffering stress also experience chest pain, insomnia, loss of libido, aches and sore muscles, and lowered immunity, among many other symptoms.

Stress relief massage can be very effective in treating these conditions when used in harmony with other holistic treatments such as acupuncture.

Iva Baloun, located in Melbourne CBD, is an example of a spa which offers both traditional and laser acupuncture in addition to the ancient Chinese treatments of massage, herbal medicine and cupping.

5. Corporate Massage

If you are like many people, you spend a lot of time in front of a computer at work. If your workstation is not set up well, this can result in chronic neck, back and wrist issues.

Poor ergonomics at work can be a real “pain in the neck!”

One happy trend that is spreading in Melbourne is that more and more employers are offering massages right in the office. The services provided by companies like 3 Minute Angels will come right to your office, conference or tradeshow and provide welcome relief.

These services are great for company morale in addition to the physical well-being of employees, leading to more productive and happy workplaces.

6. Luxury Destinations

Stress relief does not always have to be rooted in strict health principles. Some spas combine stress relief massage with indulgent decor, glasses of champagne and a range of beauty treatments.

Sometimes pampering yourself in beautiful surroundings can go a long way towards making you feel relaxed and calm.

Many of Melbourne’s nicest hotels have day spas which offer massage along with beauty treatments like manicures, pedicures and haircutting and styling.

Nourish in the Adina Hotel is one example of one of these luxurious retreats.

7. Park Hyatt Day Spa

The spa at the Park Hyatt Hotel in Melbourne also offers luxury in the comfort of your hotel. This spa offer stress relief for men and women in beautiful surroundings, complete with an infinity pool and all-natural organic products.

Some of the pampering you can order up at this location includes classic treatments like the Turkish salt scrub (exfoliation and thermal mineral shower), ginger renewal (oil massage and pressure point scalp massage) and lavender dreaming (lavender oil massage and scalp acupressure massage).

8. The Botanica

Another spa located on one of the city’s top hotels, the Botanica also focuses on luxury as the path to serenity. Whether you are a guest staying at the Intercontinental Hotel or just coming by for the day, once you enter its spa you will be transported to an oasis of tranquillity and calm.

For visitors to Melbourne who want to stay in the city but who also want a chance to get away from the stresses of everyday hustle and bustle, this is the place to go.

The Botanica also offers corporate retreats or group rates for families or friends who want to indulge in some stress relief together.

9. Lyall Spa

The Spa at the exclusive boutique hotel The Lyall in South Yarra continues this trend towards relaxing in the ultimate in luxury.

The Lyall’s treatments include the sodashi salt serenity application with soothing oil treatment and the exotic ancient DIY rassoul, a steam ritual with exfoliation and a mud application.

10. Hot Springs

Another sure-fire way to find total body relaxation is to combine a stress relief massage with a soak in a hot spring.

Just 90 minutes outside of Melbourne is the Peninsula Hot Springs resort, where you can take a dip in the natural mineral pools and relax in the communal bathhouse.

This destination offers such variations on the traditional stress relief massage as full body Kodo Massage, inspired by Aborigine customs. This massage helps tone and realign your energy flow.

11. Remedial Massage

Sometimes we need a specific kind of massage to address physical injuries. If you play a certain sport frequently or were hurt in an accident, you may need special attention paid to one part of your body.

These injuries may also cause further problems with alignment as the rest of your body compensates for the injured part.

Injuries and site-specific problems may also require that those areas should be avoided or treated differently during a massage.

Remedial massage is designed to address these specific injuries or problem areas. If you have hurt yourself and would like a therapy that treats both that problem and general stress, check out the services at Milk & Honey.

12. Sexual Healing

Melbourne does offer an array of legal massage parlours which provide erotic services.

Many report experiencing significant stress relief from these types of massages.

13. Osen Ma

This spa is one of the most famous Japanese day spas in the Melbourne area. It offers the traditional Japanese bath, both shared and private. These baths must be taken without clothes in water which can reach up to 40 degrees.

The Japanese bath is intended to cleanse the body while refreshing and relaxing one’s Kokoro (your spirit or heart). Combined with Japanese stress relief massage, it is conducive to both physical and psychological/spiritual well-being.

Osen Ma offers Japanese Dry Massage or Relaxation Oil Massage. The former claims to re-balance the energetic pathways of the body called meridians, helping to not only alleviate stress but also to treat pain, nausea, anxiety and depression.

Oil Massage, on the other hand, increases the flow of blood through long strokes made in the direction of one’s heart. This technique eases tension, improves circulation and helps to flush out toxins from the body.

14. Mansion Hotel

The Mansion Hotel at Weribee Park, thirty minutes outside of the city of Melbourne, distinguishes itself from other day spas with its history. For decades the Mansion hosted St Joseph’s Seminary, a spiritual retreat and college for the Catholic Church in Australia.

The Hotel continues its tradition of contemplation and serenity through its spa offerings focused on relaxation and beauty. In addition to stress relief massage, the Hotel offers Hydraderie, a facial treatment created in Paris.

You can also use traditional Turkish Hammam Chamber which combines the soothing elements of a steam room with essential oils and mud.

You will be soothed from the bottom of your feet to the top of your head with botanical hair treatments containing marine collagen, French clay and vitamin B5.

15. Medical Treatments

Holistic and nontraditional methods of healing like massage and acupuncture can be used in conjunction with more modern medical procedures.

Some of Melbourne’s most exclusive spas also offer the latest in cosmetic processes to help you feel beautiful and youthful.

Miss Fox is renowned in the area for its three tiers of treatments. Its beauty salon offers hair, makeup and nail services, its spa offers massage in addition to other organic body therapies, and its clinic is licensed to perform medical aesthetic procedures.

This spa focuses on inner and outer beauty. Its founder considers self-care a “sacred act.” It is also considered one of the most expensive of the city’s spas, so keep that in mind if your stress might be affected by the price tag.

If you want to combine your massage therapy with more lasting procedures like medifacials, micropeels and Venus Legacy collagen treatments, this is the spa for you.

16. Skin Day Spa

The Skin Day Spa on Chapel Street is another facility which brings together skin treatments like peels and microdermabrasion with body treatments like massage including hot stone, remedial and deep tissue. They also offer a pregnancy massage for expectant mothers.

This spa focuses on the innovative use of oxygen, vitamin C and natural enzymes like glycolic acid, Resveratrol, Niacinamide and natural fruit acids to hydrate, moisturise, and plump up the skin. They also offer nail and hair services to further enhance the stress relief you will get from their massages and facials.

17. Getting Away from It All

Sometimes you need to get completely out of town to really unwind. Balgownie Estate offers the best in spa treatments and stress relief massages, all in the beautiful wine country of the Yarra Valley.

In addition to engaging in these relaxing treatments, you will also be able to relax at the resort and enjoy fine dining and excursions such as hot air balloon rides or vineyard tours.

Your stress will be greatly alleviated by a therapeutic massage, a delicious meal and a bottle of the report’s flagship Estate Cabernet Sauvignon and Estate Shiraz.

18.Hawaiian Influence

Habitat Massage is located in Northcote. Its founder Michael Cauce has created his signature form of stress relief massage: the Deep Lomi Massage Blend. It combines deep tissue massage or remedial massage with the Polynesian/Hawaiian approach of Lomi Lomi.

Adherents say this kind of massage offers a powerfully rejuvenating way to feel blissful and relaxed, with added energy.

Lomi Lomi is said to address tension and pain by releasing energy blockages, letting your circulation flow more freely. It is also considered helpful in elevating mood and helping with depression, anxiety and grief.

It is a spiritual practice which helps one gain more clarity and connection with others while promoting balance and groundedness. Longterm benefits include resilience against chronic conditions like heart and digestive problems, premature ageing and weight issues.

Stress Relief Massage: Find the Treatment Your Body Needs

With so many options available, there’s no excuse for not finding the perfect way to relieve your stress.

Even if you do not have the time to make it to a spa as often as you might like, you might consider a massage chair to bring the relaxation and relief to the comfort of your very own home. Many products are available which can be used at home and which will still provide the relief found at the most expensive spas in the country.

Electronic massagers and chairs can alleviate back pain, stress and tension, improve alignment, and help with posture. If you are on the go or on a budget and you can’t get to the masseuse, you can still maintain your mental and physical wellbeing with electronic or handheld devices or massage chairs.