I'm frequently asked by massage therapy students, other massage therapists, and even clients what music I like to use during relaxation/stress reduction massage sessions. The first part of my answer to the question is that I use music the client likes to relax with. I have clients that love to listen to classical music like Mozart's violin concertos and some that listen to classic rock such as AC/DC. Another has been known to enjoy listening to Frank Sinatra during one session and Irish drinking songs during another. However, many clients have no real preference and leave it to me to choose some relaxing music for them.

How do I pick the music? Well, I do have some self-developed guidelines for music during relaxation massage sessions. First, I tend to use music without lyrics, or music with foreign language lyrics that the client doesn't understand. This is because early in my career I noticed that the majority (not all) of clients that heard lyrics would try to sing along and didn't allow themselves to go into deeper relaxation. That doesn't mean that they didn't enjoy the massage or benefit from it but, I believe they could have received more benefit. Next, the music selection should have a fairly level volume and minimal fade outs. I've seen clients that were asleep to the point of snoring that woke up when the music's volume dropped sharply. Some of my music CD's actually have just one track or a few longer tracks to prevent dropout. Another thing I look for is a slower tempo. I haven't really figured out how many beats per minute is optimal and I'm pretty sure it varies from client to client but most Disco and Hip Hop is too fast in most cases.

So, how about some examples:

I like the Merlin's Magic CD's a lot and so do my clients. The music is composed and played by a Reiki Master for use in Reiki sessions but are equally at home during relaxation massage. On the classical music side I really like:

You'll find that you usually can't go wrong with Pachelbel's music since it's used in a LOT of massage and relaxation collections. These are just some examples of the music I use in relaxation sessions, for more active therapeutic or sports sessions the music selections are somewhat different and faster paced. I rotate through about 20 selections but occasionally deviate from those. My advice would be for you to try out different music until you find what you like.

If you'd like to experience a massage while listening to these selections while in the San Antonio, Texas area please call me for an appointment at 210-269-3314 or visit my website MassageByBen.com