There are many things that play into becoming a massage therapist. Of course, there is the attendance of a massage school. At school the therapist will learn about the anatomy of the body and massage techniques. We learn about the muscles, the skeletal system, the nervous system as well as all the other bodily systems. Depending on the school, a therapist might learn other things such as aromatherapy or different types of massages such as hot stone or pregnancy. However the main thing that not one school can teach is touch, especially a giving and loving touch. Now granted the training does help, yet training can not help give a true therapist the skill of touch and connecting with their clients. What makes one therapist better then another is that desire to help people, that love of what they do as well as knowing they are great at being a massage therapist. Overall, the loving intent and touch is what will make one therapist great over another therapist who just wants to get through their workday.
For more information on Heavenly Healing Mobile Massage, please visit my website . Learn something new daily, connect with me on Facebook or follow me on Twitter.
Mobile massage that benefits you through the healing power of touch and helping you escape reality one hour at a time I can help ease pain, lessen stress / anxiety and assist your body on the healing path all through the palm of my hands! As well, pioneering Infertility Massage to benefit the reproductive and digestive systems for women going through Infertility, PCOS, Endometriosis, IBS and other digestive issues.
Showing posts with label Massage Therapist. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Massage Therapist. Show all posts
10.26.2009
Will it Hurt?
There are the rumors I'm sure you've heard of people feeling sore, bruised or even hurt after a massage and you don't want to be one of those people. Can all of this happen with a massage? Yes, you can be bruised. Yes, you can be sore. Yet, no is the answer for most massages. There are many factors into answering that question.
Some styles of massage work deep into the muscles, sometimes stretching is involved and even body re-posturing which can make you hurt both during and after a massage. This is not to say one of those styles may not work for you and your body, they just work differently. Sometimes even a relaxing massage may make you sore. My last massage, which is usually not a deep tissue as it's not what I like, did hurt. However, I asked for it. I needed a certain area of my body to be worked on with deep pressure and it did hurt! Yet mostly this is not the style I choose for me. It's up to you what style you choose for you.
Can you bruise from a massage? Yes. Some people bruise easily, like myself. Some people may have bruises prior to a massage forgetting that it's there and blame it on the massage. Also, some bruises may be brought up to the skin surface from the massage and weren't noticeable prior. And yes, sometimes the therapists do go very deep and will bruise you whether a purposeful deep tissue or by not knowing what they are doing. If for any reason you are hurting and you know the massage isn't the style to hurt please, please speak up. Like any industry, there are those that do not know what they are doing and they can and will hurt you. They may have taken the classes yet they don't understand the body as well as the clues it will give you when you are hurting someone.
There is a key thing to do after a massage that can help avoid some of the after-pain and that is to drink water. Water will help flush out the toxins that have been pushed around from a massage. When the toxins haven't been flushed out they have a tendency to accumulate back throughout the body and you may experience soreness as well from not doing this simple thing. For some people they can get headaches after a massage. So please with any type of massage make sure you drink more then your normal daily amount of water to help flush out the toxins and the pains.
As you can see this is not a question that has a definitive yes or no answer. If you are worried about some of these issues, talk with your therapist. If they don't listen find someone who will. After all it is your body.
For more information on Heavenly Healing Mobile Massage, please visit my website or follow me on Twitter.
Some styles of massage work deep into the muscles, sometimes stretching is involved and even body re-posturing which can make you hurt both during and after a massage. This is not to say one of those styles may not work for you and your body, they just work differently. Sometimes even a relaxing massage may make you sore. My last massage, which is usually not a deep tissue as it's not what I like, did hurt. However, I asked for it. I needed a certain area of my body to be worked on with deep pressure and it did hurt! Yet mostly this is not the style I choose for me. It's up to you what style you choose for you.
Can you bruise from a massage? Yes. Some people bruise easily, like myself. Some people may have bruises prior to a massage forgetting that it's there and blame it on the massage. Also, some bruises may be brought up to the skin surface from the massage and weren't noticeable prior. And yes, sometimes the therapists do go very deep and will bruise you whether a purposeful deep tissue or by not knowing what they are doing. If for any reason you are hurting and you know the massage isn't the style to hurt please, please speak up. Like any industry, there are those that do not know what they are doing and they can and will hurt you. They may have taken the classes yet they don't understand the body as well as the clues it will give you when you are hurting someone.
There is a key thing to do after a massage that can help avoid some of the after-pain and that is to drink water. Water will help flush out the toxins that have been pushed around from a massage. When the toxins haven't been flushed out they have a tendency to accumulate back throughout the body and you may experience soreness as well from not doing this simple thing. For some people they can get headaches after a massage. So please with any type of massage make sure you drink more then your normal daily amount of water to help flush out the toxins and the pains.
As you can see this is not a question that has a definitive yes or no answer. If you are worried about some of these issues, talk with your therapist. If they don't listen find someone who will. After all it is your body.
For more information on Heavenly Healing Mobile Massage, please visit my website or follow me on Twitter.
10.23.2009
What to Wear Or Not to Wear
What do I wear or not wear for my massage? Do I completely undress? A question that is asked over and over, especially for first-time massage clients. As the previous blog said most people are nervous the first time they receive a massage and this question is one of the many normal questions that you should ask or be told what to do by your therapist.
Usually the fear of vulnerability by being naked is the biggest factor to the question. For some it's even what will the therapist think if I do undress completely. Most people will undress completely. However, you do not have to! Understand that you will be covered by sheets in those uncomfortable to expose areas at all times. What I tell my first-time clients is that it is up to them whether or not they want to take their underwear off. If they do go completely nude, I tell them that I massage the hips and gluts (butt) as part of the massage. If for whatever reason(s) they are uncomfortable and do not want to be completely naked I avoid those areas as the butt and hips can be an area that they are not used to having someone touch. Everyone has their own comfort zones of what to wear or not wear and my main concern is for my client to be comfortable in their space. I have the whole range of clients from the people who undress in front of me to the underwear/boxer shorts that almost reach their knees. Again, your comfort level is the most important thing (along with communication to your therapist) and you make the decision of what to wear or not to wear. And if you do choose to not wear anything your therapist isn't going to think any differently of you. :)
I hope this has helped you make the decision to get a massage and get passed those fears, questions and concerns. Now the big thing is....when will you make your first appointment?
For more information on Heavenly Healing Mobile Massage, please visit my website or follow me on Twitter.
Usually the fear of vulnerability by being naked is the biggest factor to the question. For some it's even what will the therapist think if I do undress completely. Most people will undress completely. However, you do not have to! Understand that you will be covered by sheets in those uncomfortable to expose areas at all times. What I tell my first-time clients is that it is up to them whether or not they want to take their underwear off. If they do go completely nude, I tell them that I massage the hips and gluts (butt) as part of the massage. If for whatever reason(s) they are uncomfortable and do not want to be completely naked I avoid those areas as the butt and hips can be an area that they are not used to having someone touch. Everyone has their own comfort zones of what to wear or not wear and my main concern is for my client to be comfortable in their space. I have the whole range of clients from the people who undress in front of me to the underwear/boxer shorts that almost reach their knees. Again, your comfort level is the most important thing (along with communication to your therapist) and you make the decision of what to wear or not to wear. And if you do choose to not wear anything your therapist isn't going to think any differently of you. :)
I hope this has helped you make the decision to get a massage and get passed those fears, questions and concerns. Now the big thing is....when will you make your first appointment?
For more information on Heavenly Healing Mobile Massage, please visit my website or follow me on Twitter.
6.30.2009
Communicating with your Massage Therapist
We all know that communication is the key for everything. From communicating with your loved ones to communicating with people you may only encounter once in your life. Everyday we communicate, though some days may be better then others on our communication skills. Now I'm sure you're wondering what this has to do with massage. It actually has a lot to do with massage, actually more to do between you and the massage therapist then the actual massage. Just like any other area of your life, communication needs to be present between you and the therapist doing the bodywork. The first piece of communication would be relaying any pertinent information such as particular body parts that you might want more work on then others, any large bruises or sprains that we should be aware of, as well as any type of pain medications that you might be taking. In regards to the pain meds, the reason you would want to relay this information is because with certain strong pain meds such as doctor prescribed, they work so well that you may not feel how deep a massage you might be getting which would not be a benefit for you body and could be counterproductive. Another key time to communicate with your therapist is during the massage. This would be to let the massage therapist know if the pressure is too soft or too hard. Most of my clients are happy with my 'regular' pressure and style of massage. However, we are not all built the same. I have had clients that like a very soft massage as well as ones that have wanted the massage so deep that if it was me, I'd be screaming. Yet, this is what the client wants, not me. Mainly, if your not happy with the pressure, say something! When I massage a client I try to watch the body language to see if it's telling me if the pressure might be too hard. Most of the time the body will speak in ways that the client won't and I try to keep my eye out for it. However, if the body isn't giving me signs, I would not know. I try to always tell my clients to please let me know if the pressure is too hard or too soft. My philosophy is that they are paying me to make them feel wonderful and fantastic, not to feel all right and dissatisfied with there massage. Plus the fact that I just want them to feel wonderful and fantastic! So to reiterate all of this, please talk with your therapist about your massage. Let them know what pressure you like, whether it might be too hard or too soft. And if for some reason you are not feeling comfortable about communicating this during the massage, send them an email or maybe even a text to let them know. I know I won't please every single client, yet I would like to know what they did not like that I might be able to improve for the next time I massage them (hopefully there will be a next time) or for the next client.
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