FAQs
& More
What should I expect from
my first massage?
Before the session – have a stomach relatively empty of food or drink so that when you are lying down on it, you are not uncomfortable.
Privacy – if you choose to be unclothed underneath the sheet, I will give you your privacy to undress to your level of comfort and will not re-enter the room until they are sure you are covered by the sheet. I will ensure you are properly draped through the course of the session and, when it is over, will leave the room so you have your privacy to get dressed.
Safety – I will respect any wish you voice to avoid working any particular area of your body. You are in charge of what you receive during the session. You get those needs met by asking.
Time – the first massage are 15-30 minutes longer than subsequent sessions to allow time to discuss your physical health history and current needs.
After the session – Drink at least 2 glasses of water to flush your system of any toxins released during the session. Give your body time to integrate the session – do not plan any stressful activities, mental or physical, immediately afterward. Give yourself time to soak it in!
[Back to Top]
When should I get massage?
To decrease stress and tension
To increase health and vitality by stimulating immune cells in the skin
To relieve pain from:
- headaches, including migraines
- repetitive stress
- injury; whiplash, sciatica, plantar fasciitis
- improve athletic performance
[Back to Top]
When should I NOT get massage?
When you have a cold or cough
When you have a contagious skin disorder (including poison oak/ivy)
When you have been told by your doctor not to
[Back to Top]
How do I get the most from my massage?
Communicate – Remember: your massage therapist is not psychic. You may wish they were, but if you think about it, you probably don’t want them to be able to read everything in your mind. So, talk to them. Tell them what feels good and what feels uncomfortable. There’s no other way for them to know. Wouldn’t you want to know if you were doing something uncomfortable to someone else? So do we. And, please don’t worry about hurting feelings. Feelings would be more hurt if you didn’t share what didn’t work for you. Help us do what we want to do – to help you feel better – by communicating.
Drink – 2 glasses of water after each massage to flush toxins out of your body which may have been released during the session.
Get massage regularly – just like with regular exercise and daily nutrition, the benefits of massage increase over time with regularity.
[Back to Top]
How frequently should I get massage?
Rehabilitate / Excel in Athletic Performance – 2 or 3 times each week. For peak athletic performance and in the case of injury rehabilitation, massage 2-3x/week is recommended.
Optimize – Once a week. For optimum physical and mental health, the ideal is to get massage weekly.
Maintain – Once a month. To maintain good self-care, and balance time and money, many choose to get massage monthly.
[Back to Top]
Massage Myths
No pain, no gain. Also known as, “It’s supposed to hurt to be helpful.”
Wrong!! No pain, no Pain! If you are fighting yourself (or me) to bear the pressure, how can that be relaxing? More pain is not better. More pain is more pain. More pressure is not better, either. In the same way that you can find relaxation by sitting completely still on your couch at home after a long day, so, too, can you benefit from light to no pressure in massage. This is not to say I can’t or don’t deliver a lot of pressure. I can and I do, when and where it seems right. My goal is to match your muscle exactly where it’s tension is, and to apply the appropriate level of pressure to allow it to release whatever tension it is ready to release, in a relaxed and easy way. This way, your body shifts from tense to relaxed and you leave with more lasting relaxation.
One session should be enough to fix me.
If it has taken years to develop the tension in your neck and shoulders, it is highly unlikely that one session will undo all that built up stress.
[Back to Top]