Practices That Strengthen Your Relationship (and Massage Makes Them More Effective)
- Phaedra Owlfinch
- Nov 29
- 4 min read
My life (and business) partner and I have been together for 10 years, and we know full well that relationships need time, intention, and care to thrive. It’s so easy to get caught up in the busyness of life and find ourselves disconnected and unsatisfied, unsure about what is wrong or why we’re tense and irritable with each other. Have you ever looked at your partner and felt an almost tangible distance between you that doesn’t reflect how much you love them? Or have you ever found yourself annoyed, overstimulated or impatient at things your partner says or does that don’t normally bother you?
If you answered yes, then it might be the case that you haven’t as a couple been able to intentionally nurture your relationship for some time, and you’re due for some intentional re-setting and re-connection!
I’ve written this blog to share some simple but powerful ways Adriano and I maintain and strengthen our bond, and why adding a couples massage into the mix makes it all better!
Each of the ways in itself can help, but combining multiple practices for a sustained amount of time gets us the best results.
Have you ever looked at your partner and felt an almost tangible distance between you that doesn’t reflect how much you love them?
We also often find it hard to instantly switch from rushed, anxious and distracted into present, mindful and intentional - this is where massage comes in. It creates the perfect transition activity for returning to care and connection - what brings us together and what keeps us together.
Laugh Together
Shared laughter is great and my partner and I really connect through laughing. We make jokes and are silly throughout the day. These jokes are light and playful, but never serve as an attack or a way to shame each other. When feeling particularly tense, it’s easy to try and relieve some of that frustrated energy by jibing at your partner. Finding ease can make shared and caring laughter come more easily, and generate a cycle of stress relief.
Explore Common Interests
Sharing passions or being interested in each other’s passions can create energy, vitality and excitement in a relationship. My partner and I have several hobbies in common, like taking dancing lessons, going to the gym and theatre shows. Taking part in each of these activities focuses us on shared goals, motivates us and creates valuable quality time.
If we’ve let stress creep in throughout the week though, these hobbies can become frustrating and it can be hard to feel fully present. Dancing with someone who’s calm, grounded and relaxed is a world away from trying to dance while experiencing muscle stiffness, headaches, or just general stress-induced irritability.
Delve Deeper Emotionally
We’re very big on talking openly about really deep feelings with each other, and find that when we do we experience a powerful feeling of being pulled closer together. We generate these moments by checking in throughout the day and trying to be mindful of when one of us has had a difficult time or seems upset or frustrated in some way. We have honed our communication over many years to make sure we’re responding and receiving each other in a way that’s safe and present, and that’s much easier when we’re carrying good hormones in our body like oxytocin or endorphins. This means our deeper chats tend to be better after we’ve experienced movement or relaxing touch together!
Take Care of Each Other
We all need time to be taken care of - even for an hour - to feel like we have no responsibilities and let go of planning or worrying about what’s coming next. My partner and I have found it helps to designate a responsible person in the house every couple of days - that person takes on most of the responsibility for planning and emotional load, and making sure we’re on track with our tasks and self-care. Then we swap, so we take it in turns to get a bit of a break.
We all need time to be taken care of - even for an hour - to feel like we have no responsibilities and let go of planning or worrying about what’s coming next.
An excellent gift to give your partner is a way to both enter that state of presence and relaxation at the same time: a couples massage. This can kickstart the feeling of being at ease and taken care of and make it easier to receive love and affection from your significant other.
Get Good Hormones Together
Let’s be honest, good hormones make everything better. That’s why this morning I was struggling with period cramps and they somehow disappeared after I returned from the gym! Humans are mammals that are meant to move and touch each other - a lot. Nowadays society has created such disconnection that most people are only touched by their romantic partner - make the most of it! You can learn how to massage each other in one of our workshops, but if you want to generate good hormones for both of you at the same time, nothing beats a couples massage.
Why Massage Makes These Practices More Effective
It’s not always easy to stop and direct attention to each other. A regular practice of touch changes that. Massage slows you down, regulates your nervous system, and creates space for laughter, gratitude, and emotional depth to flourish.
Dinner and a movie is great - but massage followed by dinner guarantees deeper, more embodied connection.
Massage slows you down, regulates your nervous system, and creates space for laughter, gratitude, and emotional depth to flourish.
If, like many of us, you sometimes struggle with disconnection, make love a priority. Our new massage for two subscriptions are heavily discounted to make massage accessible to those of us with a budget. And they can help you commit to regular pauses that:
Generate good hormones
Make you both feel cared for and energised
Create space to laugh, share gratitude, and deepen emotional intimacy afterwards
All for up to 35% off the usual price of a couples massage - an hour’s massage session for two for as little as £45.50 per person
Because connection isn’t just about time together — it’s about how you spend it.
📍 Ready to strengthen your relationship? Explore our subscription options for massages in Bristol today and give yourselves the gift of presence, connection, and care.
