If you have never had a massage chances are good that someone you know has. And while the facts regarding whether or not massages have a positive effect on your health, people who have had massages promote the benefits they feel. Some of the claims made regarding the benefits of massages are muscle and tissue pain relief, headache relief, and helps to alleviate stress and anxiety. There have been studies done in which blood is taken before and after massages which concluded that cortisol levels dropped after the massage. It is also stated that any benefits from massages are short term and to sustain the benefits you would need to keep getting massages. There are also cases in which massages could have a negative effect and some people should avoid them.

Read more: Are Massages Beneficial? What We Know, and What We Don’t – American Council on Science and Health