Soothing Your Travel Aches and Pains

Atypical business trip is bound to induce a physical ailment. Spend a day at a conference, lugging around a bag of program materials, and you've got Conference Shoulder. Or you might get a case of Trade Show Legs from standing on the show floor all day, meeting with customers. Just sleeping in a hotel room often brings Foreign Bed Pain. And all those aches can be further complicated by the Airplane Seat Lower Back you catch on the flight in.

When those conditions set in, all you probably want to do is climb in bed and go to sleep. But your first inclination—to do nothing—is also your worst. "Often people ignore their pain, and it doesn't go away," says Barbara Bancroft, one of nine licensed massage therapists at the Sheraton El Conquistador Resort and Country Club in Tucson, Arizona, which hosts many conferences and conventions. "Ignoring it only makes it worse."

So what should you do? Many hotels catering to business travelers now offer a slew of options to combat the physical stress of business travel. In addition to fitness and exercise centers, some properties offer full spas, staffed by professional massage therapists, nutritionists, yoga instructors, and other New Age relaxation experts.

Bancroft says she works with many business executives and salespeople, especially when the hotel is hosting a convention or large meeting. "The most common complaint that I hear is neck, back, and shoulder pain from driving in cars and flying in airplanes," she says. "If they're just looking to relax, I do a Swedish message with a medium amount of pressure." If clients comes straight from a long airplane ride, she'll give them a deeper massage, concentrating on the neck, shoulders, and back.

Easing that upper body tension is especially important if you need to have a clear head for an important sales meeting or presentation, says Diane D'Aversa, spa director at the Wyndham Palace Resort & Spa in the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. "You're cutting off circulation and oxygen to your brain."

But if you're staying in a hotel that doesn't offer such luxuries—or you don't want to shell out $40 to $85 for a massage—there are some activities you can do in your room. If you're just looking to relax, D'Aversa suggests lighting an aromatherapy candle, or taking a bath with scented salts or oils. Listening to relaxing music can also take your mind off of tense situations, says Noel Labak, a massage therapist at the Sheraton Chicago Hotel & Towers.

To give yourself your own minimassage, Labak suggests packing a golf ball. You can roll it around the floor under your foot, or lie down on top of it on the bed and use it to put pressure on a tense area of your back. Another way to soothe aching muscles is to take a hot bath or shower, or