The Healing Power of Touch

Suburban Warrior Newsletter explores How Massage Therapy Benefits Women (and Why You Should Care!)

Author

Crissy Pyfer
May 12, 2025

Hey Warriors!

Welcome back to another edition of the Suburban Warrior newsletter, where we bring you expert insights and conversations to help you live a healthier, more empowered life. In this issue, we’re tackling something that often gets mislabeled as “self-indulgence” but is actually a powerful tool for overall health and well-being—massage therapy. Ready to learn why you should consider regular sessions on the massage table? Let’s dive in!

The Healing Power of Touch: How Massage Therapy Benefits Women with Guest Expert, Sarah Sall

In this episode, I had the pleasure of speaking with Sarah Sall, a massage therapist with over 20 years of experience in the field. Sarah’s journey began as an accomplished athlete and rugby player who learned firsthand the importance of recovery. She graduated at the top of her class from a renowned massage school and went on to specialize in therapeutic and sports massage—so much so that she served as the head massage therapist for the USA Rugby Men’s National Team for a decade, including the 2016 Olympics and multiple Rugby World Cups.

Sarah’s extensive background with elite athletes gave her a unique edge in understanding how the body recovers and heals. She now focuses on providing holistic, integrative therapy to clients of all backgrounds—with a special focus on the benefits for women in midlife. Sarah believes in creating a tailor-made experience each time—melding techniques like cupping, muscle scraping, red light therapy, and traditional massage. If you’ve ever felt muscle tension, joint pain, or the effects of stress, Sarah’s insights are especially relevant.

5 Key Takeaways

  1. Massage Is Essential for Recovery
    Muscle is built during rest, not during workouts. Regular massage promotes faster muscle repair, increases flexibility, and prevents injuries—making all that gym time truly count.

  2. Hormone Fluctuations and Tension
    Many women in midlife experience joint and muscle pain as estrogen levels decline. Massage helps break up chronic tension (the kind you forget you even have!) and can reduce the intensity and frequency of hot flashes.

  3. Greater Blood Flow = Better Healing
    Techniques like cupping and muscle scraping bring much-needed blood flow to problem areas. This increased circulation helps speed tissue repair, reduce inflammation, and even soften the appearance of scar tissue.

  4. Mental Health & Stress Relief
    Massage moves you from “fight or flight” to a relaxed, parasympathetic state. In doing so, it helps with stress management, improves sleep quality, and can even help with mood swings often associated with menopause.

  5. It’s Not Just About ‘Pampering’
    From better sleep to improved immune function and skin health, regular therapeutic massage is a proactive way to optimize your overall wellness. Sarah recommends aiming for at least monthly sessions to keep your “trash can” of tension from overflowing!

Ready to Warrior Up?

Thank you for being part of the Suburban Warrior community! We’ll be back soon with another enlightening conversation designed to help you live bolder, stronger, and more joy-filled. Until then, take time for yourself, Warrior up, and remember—a little dose of self-care goes a long way.