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| Relaxing Massage Services for Busy People | ||||||
Frequently Asked Questions
Answers Any time is a good time to get a massage. You don't need to wait until you're stressed or injured. Too often I see clients who wait until they reach this state to see me. Massage works wonders as preventive care for a person's body and mind. Instead of waiting until your back hurts from overwork or stress, or the headaches that start at the back of your skull begin to pound, or the stress of every day life makes you want to pop your cork, get a massage before these things happen. A regular massage is a wonderful way to cope with stress, both physical and emotional, and to keep if from causing discomfort or harm to your body. If you've found yourself dealing with a nagging minor injury, sore muscles, or are completely stressed out, find a massage therapist and see what he or she can do for you. First, check out the next question in the FAQ. When should I not get a massage? There are several contraindications for receiving a massage. If you have any of the following conditions, you should not get a massage:
The guidelines here are pretty straightforward. You don't want the massage to make an underlying medical condition worse, and you don't want to pass anything contagious. If you're unsure about whether a minor condition should prohibit you from getting a massage, call before your appointment. If you have a chronic medical condition, check with your doctor before proceeding on a course of massage therapy. At your initial visit I will have you fill out a client intake form. This not only doesprivides me with your name, address, and phone number, it will also have a place to list any underlying medical conditions. Even if you have an allergy to something in the oil the used, you should list this. If on any subsequent visits please let me know about any new medical or physical conditions. What types of massage do you offer? I offer a wide variety of massage services for my clients. The most common, and probably the best known, is Swedish massage. If you see a movie or television show with someone getting a massage, this is usually what they show. The client is undressed, draped with a towel or sheet, oil is placed on the skin, and the muscles are kneaded, rubbed, vibrated, or tapped. Most of this FAQ will concern itself with Swedish massage. There are many types of Oriental bodywork, Shiatsu and acupressure are the most common. These are often done with the client clothed, and concentrate on applying pressure to different points of the body. The primary body focus of these are energy meridians, and bringing them back into balance. Practitioners of these arts believe that an imbalance in these meridians affect the inner organs of the body and causes illness. Some bodyworkers may combine one of these therapies with a Swedish massage. There are a host of other types of maassage services: cranialsacral, myofacial release, postural or structural therapy (Rolfing, Hellerwork, and others), Reiki, and many, many more. They all have one goal in mind, to bring the body's systems back into balance. The accumulation of stress, misuse and overuse of the muscular-skeleton system, illness, poor posture, and just the normal routines of daily life bring the body out of balance, and some degree of suffering ensues. All bodyworkers try to bring the client back towards the state of natural equilibrium in their bodies. Note that this doesn't usually happen in one session. Does the gender of a massage therapist make a difference? The short answer is no. In general, nothing about a therapist's gender will give you a clue about the style or quality of the massage they give. In reality, many people are nervous about receiving a massage from one gender or the other. Most women prefer a massage from a woman, and most men prefer a massage from a woman. Some people are more comfortable receiving a massage from a person of the same gender, some from a person of the opposite gender. While no professional wants their services refused based upon their gender, I also realize that if you're too nervous about the massage, then you won't be able to relax and enjoy it. What if I'm overweight or embarrassed about my body? You wouldn't believe how many times people say they would 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. I have worked for clients in every imaginable shape and size, from young to old. Massage to be a wonderful gift to give to men and women alike, regardless of age and weight, and I am proud of what I can offer to people in need of help or just wanting to luxuriate in the sense of touch. How much will a massage cost me? My massage session rates are very competive with any therapist in the San Antonio area. I also offer discounts for multiple sessions. Another service which I provide is group masssage session for Bridial parties, Office Parties , etc. If your interested in this type of session, please visit my pages for this service at www.moongoddessmassage.com What does a massage therapist's license or certification mean? A license means that a massage therapist has met the requirements to legally practice massage therapy. In Texas a massage therapist and required to meet strict standards and must be licensed to provided therapy to clients. To get a license, a massage therapist will usually have to have a minimum hours of training at an accredited or accepted school or training center. This varies widely, from 100 hours in some places to over 1000 hours in others. What happens during a massage? At your first session you'll be asked to fill out a client intake form. This will give me the personal information about you that will help determine the style of massage most appropriate for you. Don't hesitate to ask questions about anything which you're unsure, or any concerns you might have. If you're expecting something in particular from the massage, make sure to let me know. For example, if you've been having a lot of tightness in your right shoulder, and you'd like some extra attention given to it or if you prefer a lighter or deeper massage, please let me know. During your session we will discover your tight and sore areas and I will prioritize the time spent on these areas, and may do less work on areas that don't need as much attention. Letting me know ahead of time about these problem areas, will help me prepare to spend some extra time there. Once you've finished with the paperwork, Yoy will have some privacy to get undressed and get on the massage table. A drape, either a sheet or towel, is provided. Initialy you will be lying on your stomach or on your back. If you're to start on your stomach, there will be a cushioned doughnut-shaped device at one end of the table. This is a face rest, and you should place your face in there. This allows you to be face down, and keep your shoulder and neck muscles relaxed. If you lay your head on the table and turn it to one side, the muscles in your neck and shoulders won't be in their relaxed state and won't be able to receive the best benefits of the massage. There may also be a pillow or bolster on the table. A bolster is a padded, cylindrical device. These are to be used for your ankles and knees. If you're lying face down, the pillow or bolster goes under your ankles, so you're not hyperextending your feet while lying that way for an extended period of time. If you're lying on your back, it goes under the knees to prevent any hyperextension of your knee joint. Once you're undressed and under the drape I will come back into the room. For the most part, your work is done, and all you have to do is relax and enjoy. I will undrape the section of the body that I will work on first. They will use a variety of strokes, some rubbing, kneading, vibration, percussion, whatever they think will work best for your muscles. Stretching, rocking, or pressure point work may all be added. If the therapist gives you directions for slow exhales, just follow along. If they stretch or rotate any joint, don't try to help. Just stay as relaxed and limp as you can and let me move that part of your body. When we are finished with one area of the body, I will put the drape back over that part, and undrape the next section to be massaged. At some point, you may be asked to roll over under the drape, and we will continue with the other side of the body. When your massage is over, you'll be left in private to get dressed again. If a towel was used for a drape, you can wipe off any excess oil with it. What parts of my body will be massaged? This will vary from client to client. When you complete your initial client form, I will ask if you have any areas of your body that you would prefer not to be massaged. As a general rule, just try to stay relaxed as much as possible during the massage. If it's your first massage, and you suddenly find yourself nervous, just try to make your mind float and enjoy the feeling of having the stress worked out the muscles there. Do I have to be completely undressed? You should undress to your comfort level. I will work around the clothes left on the best I can. You should realize that this may mean that certain areas of the body may not be massaged at all, or may only receive minimal work there. I suggest to my clients that they should leave on whatever clothes are necessary for them to be relaxed during the massage. If removing all your clothes makes you too nervous and unable to relax, then receiving a massage that way won't allow you to obtain the optimal benefits from it. The pieces of clothing left on the most often are either panties or boxer shorts. Certain styles of panties will allow access to most muscles in the buttocks if they are moved slightly. Boxers and panties that come over the bottom of the buttocks usually mean that no work will be done in that area. Some women wear thong panties to a massage. It allows taccess to all of the major buttock muscles, and also allows them the comfort and modesty they prefer. The key to a massage is relaxation and allowing yourself to enjoy the experience. I want you to relax, 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. Some clients feel that talking can make the session become more human and personal to them. Many clients will 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 my 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 me. Feel free to speak up, if something about the massage isn't working for you. 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 "good hurt" 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, more sensual and pleasing, to help them relax rather than deeper work that might be sore. How often should I receive a massage? The answer here depends on the reasons for receiving the massage. If a client comes for some injury relief, and to relieve chronic tightness that is interfering with their daily lives in some way, weekly sessions may be necessary for a while to build on each session's improvement in their relief and healing. For those who use massage as preventive care and managing the daily stress in their lives, once a month is about the norm. They may shorten the time between massages during stressful periods. Some come more often just because they enjoy it that much. For most people, the frequency of the massages they receive is limited by their pocketbook. It's an unfortunate fact, but once many people realize the benefits it provides them, and the pleasure they receive from it, they find a way to incorporate a regular session into their budget. |
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