| Frequently Asked Questions |
| How often can I get a massage so that it is beneficial? The benefits of massage go beyond the physical. Massage can help ground you and help reduce the mental stress of daily life. Ask yourself what benefits you are looking to get out of massage. Some clients who need to balance their fast-paced lives receive massage once per week. Others receive massage once a month just to "get the knots out." If money is not an issue and you really enjoy massage, I would suggest you receive it once a week or every two weeks. Listen to your body. How soon after a massage does it begin aching? When does your stress level get too high? What if I am late for an appointment? If a client is late for an appointment the session will be adjusted to perform as much of the treatment as possible within the remaining time. Pricing will not be adjusted. What preparations do I need to make? Please arrive on time and freshly bathed. Ladies, if you shave, please do so one-day prior. If possible do not shave on the day of your treatments. Also ladies, please come with little or no make-up. Gentlemen, if you normally shave facial hair, please do so the morning of your treatments. It is recommended that your alcohol intake be limited within 24 hours of your session. It is also recommended that you keep your eating light the day of your session, keeping intake to whole foods. Do I have to disrobe entirely? That is your choice; however, it is customary to do so. Your therapist is highly trained to appropriately drape you with towels or sheets to protect your privacy. Should I inform my therapist if I have any physical ailments or allergies? Yes! Please notify your therapist as soon as you can. Adjustments to some treatments can be made or alternative treatments may be substituted. If you require special assistance, please let me know so that I may assure you a pleasant experience. What about Gratuity? Gratuity may be left at your discretion and is appreciated. What if I'm overweight or embarrassed about my body? You wouldn't believe how many times I've heard someone say they'd get a massage if they lost weight first or didn't have that cellulite on the back of their thighs. Don't let this stop you. You're denying yourself quite a pleasurable experience. Massage therapists have seen bodies in every imaginable shape and size, from young to old, and they're not there trying to judge your physique or ogle your body. They're professionals who have found massage to be a wonderful gift to give to men and women alike, regardless of age and weight, and are proud of what they can offer to people in need of help or just wanting to relax. Can I talk during a massage? The key to a massage is relaxation and allowing yourself to enjoy the experience. Many therapists will discourage you from talking during the massage. They want you to relax, to just let your mind float free, and let the massage transport you to an almost subconscious bliss. It's not uncommon for many people to be more relaxed talking. After all, they're lying undressed on a table with a stranger touching their skin. Talking makes the therapist become more human and personal to them, and having this interaction makes it easier for them to place their trust in the therapist, and therefore make it easier for them to relax. Many clients talk in the initial stages of a massage, and as the massage progresses, they slip farther into a state of total relaxation and become quiet. There are times when you should speak up during a massage. If anything makes you uncomfortable, bring it to the therapist's attention. If you're too cold or too hot, the room is too bright and hard on your eyes, or if you prefer the strokes to be deeper or lighter, mention it to the therapist. Feel free to speak up, if something about the massage isn't working for you. Will a massage hurt? That depends on the type of massage and the depth of the strokes. A light massage that doesn't probe very deep into muscles shouldn't hurt. At the same time, the light massage won't be able to work out any stress that's deep within those muscles. A muscle that is relaxed will be supple and soft and won't hurt when rubbed. Muscles that are tight, and in many cases have been chronically tight for a long time, may have that "hurts so good" feeling with a deeper massage. Think of that "good hurt" as the feeling you get when you stretch a sore muscle during exercise or a yawn. Muscles can be very sore from overuse or tightness, and that good hurt can become painful. A sharp pain may indicate a muscle that has been injured and has some sort of inflammation. In this case, you don't want the deep work to continue in this area. A deep massage with tight muscles may leave some residual soreness the next day. Everybody has different thresholds of pain. The depth of a stroke may not be deep enough for one person's liking and may cause pain for another. Some people want the massage as deep as possible regardless of the soreness. Others want something much lighter, to help them relax rather than deeper work that might be sore. So make your preference known to the therapist, and give feedback at any time during a massage that the depth of the strokes is more than you'd like. |
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