And the research is complete!

If you remember, I was performing some very serious research, and making MWC proud by following proper professional research protocol.     Here is my final report

My  Massage Therapists

Objective:  Compare and contrast 3 massage therapists in my town in order to confirm or refute my claims that Spa A was the "best massage  I've ever had" 

Research elements:  Spa A, Spa B, and Spa C

Methods:  I visited each spa for a one hour massage.  A 2 or 3 week rest period was observed between each massage in order to ascertain they were close enough together to remember each massage well enough to do an accurate comparison.

Observations:  

My first visit for the purpose of this experiment was to Spa B.  It was a lovely salon and the massage therapist was warm and friendly as well as professional.  The music was peaceful and relaxing.  The massage therapist did an excellent job, however, she was not as good as my first massage at Spa B.  She did not apply quite enough pressure to ease my muscle aches and a huge negative was hearing someone enter the room to get something from a supply cabinet while I was on the table.  As my face was down, I do not know who entered but it felt awkward and definitely disrupted my relaxation.

A couple weeks later I happily returned to Spa B with great anticipation.  I was led into a much larger room this time and was told another therapist preferred the smaller room so we'd be using the couples room.  It did not have quite the ambiance as the smaller room and the music was not very soothing.  It was a more energetic mix of music than she'd chosen previously. As before the therapist was professional and friendly, but not overly warm.  However, her hands are still magic and I very much enjoyed the massage.  I did have some significant soreness and aches though the day following.  It went away though and I did feel more comfortable and looser than before I went for the massage.

Spa C was a massage like no other I've had.  The experience itself was not necessarily a pleasant one. It was my first time visiting a male massage therapist and I was a little nervous about it. He was very talkative and was more focused on the results than any relaxing.  I didn't find him as discreet in his use of draping as I would have preferred and he did not use oil on his hands so some of the massage techniques felt rough. I told a friend I was "literally man handled."    However, there are two aspects about the experience that I did prefer over the others.  First was his choice of music. Typically massage therapists choose a soothing Asian type music.  He used instrumental music and I recognized many hymns in his repertoire.  Second, his results!  The tightness in my back and shoulders has been signifcantly better in the days following my massage.  He also worked on the adhesions I'd been developing since my abdominal surgery in the spring.  He has freed me from the ever present pain I'd been dealing with whenever I rolled over in bed or made certain movements during the day.

Conclusion:  Spa B is the winner for the massage experience and Massage Therapist B undoubtedly has magic massage hands, thus it is accurate to say "Spa B is the best massage I've had" and I have not shamed MWC by my hyperbolizing or misrepresentation with my words.  I have not yet decided what to do about Spa C.  The results have been quite positive, however, I'm not quite sure they are worth the price of the manhandling.  I'm still collecting data in regards to the longevity and the rewards of the benefits.