Aromatherapy practitioners believe inhaling the scents of essential oils extracted from plants has salutary effects on the body—lavender is said to ease insomnia, juniper berry to energize, basil to boost mental acuity, and so on. In an aromatherapy massage, these oils are mixed with massage oil and spread with light strokes over your entire body.

When most people think of massage, they think of Swedish. The style takes its name from a 19th –century Swedish physiologist, Per Henrik Ling, whose system of medical gymnastics included massage. Traditional Swedish massage consists mainly of long strokes over oiled skin and kneading the out layers of muscle tissue to reduce stress and soothe sore joints and muscles. It helps to relax the nervous system, aids circulation, and helps with detoxification.

In this massage the therapist heats as many as 50 basalt stones to 120-140 degrees F, rubs them over your oiled body, and rests them on top of and beneath you—on your stomach, in your palms, between your toes. The stones’ warmth enhances the relaxing effects of the pressure. Some people believe the stones have healing, grounding qualities, which makes hot stone massage a more profound experience than your basic massage.

As you might expect, sports massage is designed to enhance athletic performance, loosen and warm up muscles before you play a sport, and help recover afterward to reduce soreness. Although it’s sometimes confused with deep-tissue massage, they aren’t the same: sports massage involves less intense pressure and much more stretching. It’s a good choice before or after an activity such as golf or tennis.

This therapeutic treatment targets your body’s deepest layers of muscle and releases tension in overstressed areas. When your muscles are severely knotted, a deep-tissue massage is the dynamite you need to break it up. Using short strokes and powerful pressure, the therapist employs her thumbs, forearms, and even elbows to work muscle tissue and relieve tension. But be forewarned: if it’s your first massage or you don’t get much exercise, steer clear—you could end up very sore the next day.

Lymphatic massage is thought to flush toxins from the body by gently stimulating the lymphatic system—basically your body’s garbage disposal—and so combat everything from headaches to water retention and acne. Its feather-light strokes aim to open up lymphatic blockages, but they may surprise anyone expecting a serious kneading. It doesn’t work the kinks out of muscles, but it’s incredible for allergies, colds, and sinus infections. It also has the side effect of being extremely relaxing: many people zone out or fall asleep during a lymphatic massage.

Reflexology is based on the theory that points on the bottoms of your feet are energetically connected to other parts of your body and that stimulating those points affects the corresponding body parts—e.g., squeezing your big toe is believe to alleviate sinus pain. Reflexology helps balance the entire body, so it’s often beneficial for people who haven’t had success with other therapies. It also helps with chronic foot pain.