Touch is very important and honestly I don't know how I'd make it through the day if I didn't have my wife to come home to and be close to every evening. It makes all the frustrations of working in corporate america and life in general worth it.
As far as massage is concerned, I feel it's just as good as if not better than going to see a shrink to talk about problems / anxiety. I started getting monthly massages about six years ago when I started running 2-3 marathons every year and I never miss my massages now. I'm very much looking forward to my massage this afternoon as I most always have knots in my back from sitting at a computer so many hours a day. Exercise and yoga only makes my back feel worse lately it seems like. I think my desk job is where the tension originates in my back, shoulders and neck and I can't seem to find a way to relieve it other than getting massages frequently. If I could afford to go 2-3x per week I would and maybe someday I will be able to do this once I get my own business ventures really going and I'm making more money.
I enjoyed reading your post and couldn't agree more.
Watch out for your chest, too. Desk jobs are hunching over phones is bringing strange new pains and conditions. Posture when you remember!
Massages are so good for you in many ways. And your body tells you how much you need it if you skip a session!
Thank you!