Massage Therapist Spotlight: Doug Spaeth

Doug started his massage therapy journey in Hawaii at the Maui School of Therapeutic Massage where he completed an extensive 750 hour program. Since graduating over 16 years ago Doug has been working full time in resort spas nationally and in the local Austin massage scene for nearly 11 years.

Throughout his extensive career in massage therapy Doug has mastered several different massage modalities including Deep Tissue, Prenatal, Swedish, Thai and most notably Hawaiian Lomi Lomi. Doug has gained quite the reputation in the Austin area for his unique approach that blends his Aloha Spirit with therapeutic massage techniques.

A closer look at Doug's stylistic approach to massage reveals that his integrated protocol of Hawaiian Lomi Lomi and Thai assisted yoga massage techniques for deep but also relaxing body-work. He puts a big emphasis on a holistic whole body view of massage.

Personal Interest:

Doug’s personal interest are long distance backpacking, hiking at the Austin Greenbelt, swimming at Barton Springs Pool and the Pedernales River with his dog, and gourmet cooking.

Fun Fact About Doug: Doug spent a portion of his childhood in France and can speak the French language fluently.

Recent Reviews of Doug:

“Doug was great! First time and he was able to help immediately.”

-Ralph

“Doug does such a great Lomi Lomi massage. I'll be back again and again.”

-Gary

“It was such a WONDERFUL massage, I had a 90 minutes with Douglas would definitely recommend him”

-Julie

Austin Traffic Stress Relief

We all know that feeling sitting on I35 or the Mopac moving at a snails pace, the frustration as you sit through 4 light cycles on S. Lamar Blvd. That feeling of tension in the neck as we stop and go or that ache in the lower back from sitting too long in the car eagerly waiting to get home. The amount of stress that builds up while sitting in traffic in unquantifiable for the average Austinite.

The bad news is that the traffic in Austin is only going to get worse. In 2017 the average Austin motorist spent nearly 66 hours stuck in traffic. Austin also climbed the latter to rank #14 of the most congested cities in the United States. The good news is there are ways to relieve the discomfort and stress that comes with traffic.

While Stuck in Traffic Don’t Forget to Breathe

You’d be surprised when paying attention that you’re probably holding your breathe in traffic more than realized. This sort of breathing is not good for our stress levels but is easy to remedy. Make sure to be taking deep intentional belly breathes with controlled exhalations. By focusing on this for even as little as a minute your body should start to feel more relaxed. This is an free remedy that anyone can do.

Post Traffic Stress Relief

Infrared Sauna

We know stress raises our blood pressure and one way to lower our blood pressure is with an Infrared Sauna session. Infrared saunas induce a deep sweat to make the heart pump faster, which in turn increases blood flow, lowers blood pressure and helps circulation. Clinical research shows a reduction in systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Both are key factors in maintaining a healthy heart.

For more information on the effects of Infrared Sauna Sessions and heart health refer to our other article “What Does Science Say About Infrared Saunas and Heart Disease?”

Relieve that traffic headache, pain and stress with a massage

It’s never a bad idea to do an activity to relieve the stress of traffic right after being stuck in it for an extended period of time. One of the biggest therapeutic benefits of massage therapy is it’s ability to provide significant stress relief. We recommend a Swedish Massage for general relaxation but if your experiencing some chronic pain from your daily commute try a Deep Tissue Massage. Schedule a massage for after one of your weekday commutes so you have something to look forward to and relieve yourself from all of the negative health effects from traffic.

Now we've got you thinking about your daily traffic stress and you may be wondering - I wish there was a massage near me somewhere along my commute. Conveniently located at the Westgate Shopping Center on the corner of South Lamar and Ben White Blvd, commuter accessibility is some of the best in South Austin. You may also find it very convenient location to run any weekday errands with places like Central Market in the same shopping center.

Green Light May Relieve Chronic Pain

NPR recently released an article with some interesting data that some researchers have been studying about the effects of green light on migraines and other forms of chronic pain. Having some scientific data from credible sources about the effects of something like green LED light on chronic pain is very exciting. Although research at this point is mostly animal studies and human anecdotes it does bring some interesting observations to the table.

One of the studies principal investigators Dr. Mohab Ibrahim observed that on average 60% of those studied experienced a decrease in intensity of their migraines. Dr. Ibrahim also designed a 2017 study that observed quite remarkable results that saw green LED decreasing a pain response in rats.

The article also mentions a Harvard study that observed green light can in some cases reduce intensity of headaches and can “trigger positive emotions"

Read NPR Article here: Researchers Explore A Drug-Free Idea To Relieve Chronic Pain: Green Light

There is definitely quite a bit more research that needs to be conducted on the effects of green light on chronic pain. But for those seeking relief from their symptoms with non-invasive or pharmaceutical intervention this news brings some hope.

At Dimensions Massage Therapy we have made all our rooms have custom LED lighting that can change colors based on the clients preference. Although hard to observe if this has any effects on a clients chronic pain, the addition of colored lighting seems to be a nice added touch to the massage experience. We are excited to be able to offer Green LED light in conjunction with massage or in our infrared sauna room for any and all who would like to give it a try.

So next time you get a Deep Tissue or Ashiatsu session, maybe try some green light.

Schedule a massage or sauna today!