When you're counting down the days until a vacation, you might also be a little tentative about the hours you'll be spending on the airplane. Being cramped on a plane for several hours can leave you with sore muscles, especially if they're already tight and stiff by the time you board the plane. It can be a useful strategy to book a relaxation massage in advance of your flight; for an early-morning flight, try massage treatment the evening before. For an afternoon flight, see if you can book a morning massage. During this session, have the practitioner focus on loosening up these muscles for your comfort on the flight.

Calves

Many people suffer from tight calf muscles, which can result in everything from dull aches to sharp pains. When you're confined to your seat on the flight, it's difficult to stretch these muscles to loosen them up. This is especially true if you have long legs and your knees are pushed up against the seat in front of you. Having your calves massaged extensively before you have to travel by airplane can help, though. The treatment will leave the muscles looser and less apt to give you discomfort during the flight.

Shoulders

If you commonly hold tension in your shoulders, which is the case for many people, they can be stiff and painful. This feeling can be an obstacle to allowing you to pass the flight by sleeping; when your shoulders are stiff and sore, it's often difficult to get your body into a comfortable position that is conducive to sleeping. The massage session can help to loosen these muscles; your practitioner will also focus on the base of your neck, given that loose muscles in this region are also ideal if you want to sleep on the plane.

Low Back

If you're among the eight in ten people who will contend with back pain at some point in life, you don't want to be dealing with this discomfort on your flight. Some people find airplane seats uncomfortable at the best of times, but the flight can be downright miserable when you already have a sore lower back. For example, the lack of lumbar support in airplane seats can lead to your lower back slouching due to a lack of support. A massage in advance of your flight will help to loosen up your lower back so that you'll be able to sit for several hours with a higher degree of comfort.