Have you ever walked into a massage room and been stumped by the question, “what kind of massage are you looking for?”

Cue deer-in-the-headlights look.

We understand this confusion. Prior to being massage therapists, we’ve had plenty of massage experiences and many of them missed the mark.

Here’s some tips to help you get the massage you’re looking for and feel comfortable asking for it. After all it is your massage.

Let’s start by agreeing to throw out the term “deep tissue”. It has no specific medical meaning and interpretation varies from one therapist to the next. So where do we start?

Tell us what your goals are for the massage.

• Pain relief? Tell us the where it’s located and how it’s affecting you.
• Tension relief? Let us know how you’re using your body.
• Stress relief? Need some time to zone out and enjoy some silence, we are here for you.

We understand that people want “deep tissue” massage. If you are looking for specific treatment work, we can do that. If you like heavy pressure, don’t worry, we’ve got elbows.

The important thing to understand is that it is possible to get an effective massage treatment without causing harm or damaging the tissue. Which can feel good in the moment, but ultimately does more harm than good.

There’s a balance.

“Not everything that hurts is therapeutic, but not every therapeutic procedure is painless.” -www.painscience.com

This is true for massage. We might suggest working on something that could be intense. If you don’t need to be stretched to your limit on a particular day, just say so. Your personal preference is the most important factor in how we determine our treatment.

When it comes to digging deep into muscle tissue, it’s important to trust your therapist. Too much force will make muscle molecules cling together and almost harden. Our goal is to apply just the right amount of pressure to kick-start that relaxation response, loosen and lengthen your muscles, and release tension rather than add to it. This helps you feel good both during and after your session.

What happens if you don’t tell us what you want?

Before your massage starts, we’ll determine what areas you want worked on. Our pressure will be dictated by the responsiveness of your tissue and where we find areas of interest.

We’ve got a myriad of experience when it comes to massage: luxurious deep relaxation with hot stones, intense injury treatments after car accidents and cupping sessions to release stubborn tissue. We’ve even climbed up on the table for some “knees in the butt”. (Thanks to some classes on Thai massage) Everyone requires a different blend of our skills and we love getting to know each individual.

Remember, we are here to help facilitate your relaxation and healing. All we ask is that you kindly trust us enough to share goals, expectations and preferences, so you can leave our studio in state of complete bliss.