Everyone knows that a visit to a Phuket spa is great for stress-relief, but how great there are certain professions in the world where the stress levels are taken to 11 on a regular basis, then taken up a few notches further. Rescue personnel like firefighters, first responders and nurses, in particular, experience an unusually high rate of burnout if they don’t let off a bit of pressure every now and again. A holiday to Phuket is a good start, but let’s take a look at some of the ways in which a visit to a luxury spa in Phuket will help even more.

Massage for Nurses

Studies on nurses working in Intensive Care Units (ICUs) have found that those receiving massage therapy see a huge reduction in work-related stress. In a job where your every minute can involve a split-second life-or-death decision, there’s no doubting the emotional strain such people are under, but taking care of their stress with even something as simple as a 10-minute chair massage resulted in an improvement in both their own health and their ability to care for their patients.

Massage for Firefighters and First Responders

Much like nurses, fire and ambulance workers can be required to endure long and extremely stressful shifts, up to and including 24 hours on duty. However, a study of members of Ohio’s Forest Park Fire Department found that massage therapy helped to reduce stress and increase well-being.

Because of the traumatic and often fatal injuries that First Responders and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) are required to work on, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder is comparatively common among such people, but research found that those who received massage therapy alongside typical stress treatments responded better than those on just the standard treatments.

Massage for Office Workers

While working in an office perhaps means fewer life-and-death decisions, it doesn’t necessarily mean less stress. Combine poor posture with long hours and high expectations and you’ve got a recipe for severe neck, back, head and shoulder pain. Fortunately, massage can help. Studies have found that those office workers getting the benefits you’d get at a Phuket spa saw huge reductions in pain, blood pressure and stress hormones.

Massage for Models

Admittedly, this one is fairly niche – there aren’t that many of us who can claim to be models, particularly compared to the number of people who are office workers. However, what you might not realise is just how challenging the job really is. Being required to hold extreme poses for protracted periods of time, working long days, constant exercise and dieting all take their toll. When you’re fighting the effects of ageing to maintain your income but everything you do amplifies its impact, you’ve got a lot of stress to contend with, too. However, research has shown that massage therapy can have the desired anti-aging effect, as well as relieving muscle and joint pain and improving sleep quality, helping to maintain good physical and emotional well-being.