What time should I arrive prior to my treatment?
You should arrive at least 10-15 minutes before your treatment time. This way you have time to begin to come down from your day and become present to your self care.
What do I wear?
You can wear as much or as little clothing as you wish. Whatever makes you feel comfortable. Lying on the massage table, you will be covered by a sheet and blanket at all times. One area at a time will be uncovered (eg. your back) to treat and then it will be covered again when treatment to that area is complete.
How Often Should I Receive a Massage?
There are multiple situations where the frequency of massage therapy is recommended:
Expecting mother: Bi-weekly. As a woman progresses through her pregnancy, weight gain and the increasing laxity of her ligaments increases the pressure on her back and joints. Massage works incredible well to reduce pain and increase blood flow so she can move more easily and sleep better. Once she has given birth, massage helps to maintain muscle balance while ligaments tighten up and awkward body positions for long lengths of time while carrying for the baby tighten muscles up in the hip, back and neck areas. Plus, it feels good to be taken care of:)
Insomnia: Weekly. Massage therapy activates the parasympathetic nervous system which is responsible for slowing the body down for repair processes, like digestion and rest. Maintaining the balance between the sympathetic (flight or fight) and the parasympathetic nervous system (calming) is achieved with massage.
Sitting at a desk 40+ hours per week: Bi-weekly or weekly. Massage lengthens your appendages (legs and arms) that are in a shortened position 8 or more hours a day. your therapist will also work with you so that you become aware of poor body biomechanics while sitting. Pain and tightness in your mid/upper back, shoulders and neck are due to a lack of blood supply and lengthened/adhered muscles because of a scrunched over posture at your desk.
Injury: Bi-weekly or weekly. Dealing with an acute injury from your chosen sport? Start out by seeing your therapist on a weekly basis. Then, as you heal, you can start to leave more time in between sessions.
Chronic pain: Weekly or bi-weekly. If you’re dealing with ongoing discomfort caused by depression, IBS, or another condition, it is important to keep an ongoing dialogue with your massage therapist, who is there to facilitate healing and make the you feel good.
If you are under major stress: Weekly. Stress affects your sleep, gut health, strength of your immune system, your ability to repair injured tissues and is linked to autoimmune diseases. Massage therapy lowers your heart rate and blood pressure, relaxes your muscles and increases the production of endorphins, your body's natural "feel good" chemical. Serotonin and dopamine are also released through massage, and the result is a feeling of calm relaxation that makes chronic or habitual as well as acute or short-term stress much easier to overcome.
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