There is a moment that many of us may recognise, somewhere in the first ten minutes of a massage, when the body begins to let go in a way that no amount of willpower could achieve on its own. The breath slows without asking it to, the shoulders drop and something that had been held, maybe for a very long time, starts to release.
We may have felt it but what’s actually happening in that moment? According to Dr Hayley Dickinson, Research Scientist and part of the endota Wellbeing Conversation, the answer is more profound than we might expect and it has everything to do with the nervous system.
the body stuck in survival mode
Most of us know the feeling, that sense of being permanently switched on, of moving from one demand to the next without ever quite landing. What many of us don’t realise is that this isn’t just a feeling. It is the nervous system doing exactly what it was designed to do, just without the off switch.
The autonomic nervous system has two primary states. There is the sympathetic state, otherwise known as the fight or flight nervous system response, where heart rate rises, breath becomes shallow and the muscles brace for action. And there is the parasympathetic state, sometimes called the rest and digest nervous system, or as Dr Dickinson describes it, “the rest, digest and reproduce nervous system,” where heart rate slows, breath deepens, muscles soften and the body is free to focus its energy on healing, digestion and repair.¹
Modern life keeps most of us in that first state for far longer than our bodies were designed for. The nervous system does not distinguish between a looming deadline and a physical threat. The response is the same, the body prepares for action, and it stays there until something signals that it is safe to stop.
Dr Dickinson often uses her dog Jessie to bring this to life. “Jessie could be fast asleep on the couch, but the moment she senses any movement, a rabbit in the garden or someone at the front door, she is up and fully switched on. The moment that threat passes, she is back on the couch, completely at rest, showing no sign of stress. I don’t think that I know any humans who live that way, where we’ll have those busy, hectic, overstimulated moments and then meet them equally, or even more so, with rest and recovery. We just haven’t really built our lives that way.”
what touch actually does to the nervous system
When the body receives slow, gentle, rhythmic touch, something very specific happens. Specialised nerve fibres in the skin are activated and as Dr Dickinson explains, “nurturing touch allows us to access the nervous system in ways that we perhaps otherwise can’t. When we receive slow, gentle, rhythmic touch, it accesses parts of our brain that ask us not where was I touched, but what does this touch mean for me. And so it can allow us to really bring our attention inwards, which can help us shift our nervous system to a more restful and calm state.”²
This is a physiological process, not a psychological trick. The relationship between the parasympathetic nervous system and massage is well documented. Touch encourages a genuine shift into a more restful state, where heart rate slows, breathing deepens and muscles soften. In that state, the body is finally free to do what it has been waiting to do: heal, digest, restore and rebalance. As Dr Dickinson puts it, “it’s only when we take these moments to rest that the body can apply its resources to those other critical parts of our physiology and our health and wellbeing.”³
“We really can only invite the body to find rest,” Dr Dickinson reminds us. “It’s not something that we can force. And it really will only come if we provide support to that nervous system to allow it to feel safe.”
the endota study—what the research showed
To better understand what was actually happening in the body during an endota Organic Relax Massage — not just how it felt but what was measurably shifting — endota partnered with Dr Dickinson to take a closer look.
Study participants received an endota Organic Relax Massage while wearing a heart rate monitoring device throughout their time in the spa. Before and after, they completed questionnaires about their emotional state and muscle tension.
The relaxation massage benefits were clear. Participants reported lower perceived stress and reduced muscle tension after their treatment. On average, emotional state scores shifted from 6 to 2 on a 10-point scale, and muscle tension scores moved from 6 to 3. Among those for whom quality heart rate data was obtained, heart rate decreased by an average of 10.6% during the massage.⁴ Participants also reported feeling more balanced and connected with themselves in mind and body, and the treatment produced this response regardless of how participants were feeling when they arrived.
As Dr Dickinson notes, those who arrived already carrying the most stress showed the greatest shifts in both emotional state and heart rate during the treatment. To read the full findings, the endota Organic Relax Massage Report is available here.
how different massages support the nervous system
Not all massage has the same effect on the nervous system, and understanding the difference can help guide the choice toward what the body needs most right now.
The endota Organic Relax Massage is designed specifically for full nervous system downregulation. Its long, slow, rhythmic strokes create the conditions for the body to begin shifting from a state of alert into something quieter and more restorative. It is the treatment at the centre of the endota research and a massage where nervous system support is the primary goal.
The Hot Stone Massage works in a similar way, with the added benefit of sustained warmth. Warmth itself signals safety to the nervous system, as Dr Dickinson notes, encouraging the body to soften in ways that can take longer to achieve through touch alone.
For those with more time, the Surrender and Rejuvenate spa packages offer something particularly valuable: multiple treatments in sequence, which allow the nervous system a longer and deeper period of settling. The body eases into full parasympathetic rest gradually, and the longer that space can be held, the more profound the shift tends to be.
making rest a practice, not a reward
“Rest is not time wasted,” Dr Dickinson says. “It’s when the body does its most important work.” And yet most of us have been living in a way that treats rest as something to be earned, something that comes after everything else is done. For many of us, that moment never quite arrives.
“Rest is not time wasted…It’s when the body does its most important work.”
Regular massage for stress relief is one of the most effective ways to begin supporting the nervous system toward a more balanced baseline over time, not as a one-off reset but as a consistent practice that reminds the body what rest actually feels like. The more regularly those conditions are created, the easier it becomes to find that state between treatments too.
“We really can only invite the body to find rest,” Dr Dickinson reminds us. “But when we create the conditions for it consistently, the nervous system learns. It begins to trust that rest is available.” And from that place, the healing, the restoration and the sense of feeling genuinely well all become possible.
frequently asked questions
what is the parasympathetic nervous system and why does it matter?
The parasympathetic state is a condition of genuine rest in which the body can focus its energy on healing, digestion, hormone balance, reproduction and repair. Most of us spend far more time in the sympathetic state, known as fight or flight, keeping the body alert and ready to respond — over time that imbalance can take a toll on our overall health and wellbeing.⁵
how does massage reduce stress?
When we receive slow, gentle, rhythmic touch, it sends a signal to the brain that it is safe to shift out of alert mode. This is a physical process, not simply a mental one. The body responds by slowing the heart rate, deepening the breath and softening the muscles, creating the conditions for genuine rest and recovery.²
can massage help with anxiety and a racing mind?
How massage helps anxiety goes beyond simple relaxation. A racing mind is often a sign that the nervous system is stuck in overdrive rather than a purely psychological experience. Massage may help to work on the physical root of that, helping the nervous system to settle rather than simply offering a temporary distraction. Many people find that after a treatment, the mind quiets in a way that is difficult to achieve through willpower alone.
what is the best type of massage for nervous system support?
The endota Organic Relax Massage is designed with this in mind, using long, slow, rhythmic strokes to encourage the body into a more restful state. The Hot Stone Massage offers the added benefit of warmth, which can support deeper muscle release. For those with more time, the Surrender and Rejuvenate spa packages allow the body a longer period to unwind, which tends to deepen the experience.
how often should I get a massage for stress relief?
There is no single answer, as it depends on what the body is carrying and what life allows. What tends to make the most difference is consistency rather than frequency. Thinking of massage as a regular practice rather than an occasional reward gives the nervous system the repeated opportunity to find rest, making it easier to access that state over time.
what did the endota massage study find?
In research coordinated by Dr Dickinson, 16 women received the endota Organic Relax Massage while their heart rate was monitored throughout. Participants reported feeling less stressed and less physically tense after their treatment, with emotional state and muscle tension scores both showing notable improvements. Heart rate also decreased during the massage. Those who arrived feeling most stressed experienced the greatest changes, which you can read more about in the full endota Organic Relax Massage Report.
references
¹Chu, B., Marwaha, K., Ayers, D., & Sanvictores, T. (2024, May 7). Physiology, Stress Reaction. PubMed; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK541120/
²Ingvars Birznieks, & Ingvars Birznieks. (2025). C‐tactile afferents: The mystery of human emotional touch has been hidden hair‐deep. The Journal of Physiology, 603(16), 4441–4442. https://doi.org/10.1113/jp289528
³Field T. Massage therapy research review. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. 2016;24:19-31.
⁴Dickinson H. Organic Relax Massage Feasibility Trial Report. endota; (2020). Heart rate data based on n=9 of 16 participants for whom quality heart rate data was obtained. This was a small feasibility trial; statistical analysis was not performed.
⁵Tindle, J., & Tadi, P. (2022, October 31). Neuroanatomy, Parasympathetic Nervous System. PubMed; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK553141/
Dr Hayley Dickinson is a women’s health scientist and reproductive physiologist with expertise in stress and nutrition. She is part of the endota Wellbeing Conversation, a group of experts who share evidence-based insights to help people better understand how their bodies and minds work.
