3 Ways to Enhance Your Massage Therapy Session

When I tell some people that I’m a licensed massage therapist, sometimes they’ll say, “I tried massage once because of [insert reason here] and it didn’t help at all”. This is unfortunate, to say the least. Massage therapy is a wonderful way to not only relieve your body of chronic pain, but to also reap the benefits of increased blood flow, an improved immune system, and whole slew of other amazing things!

When people write off massage as ineffective, sometimes it comes down to miscommunication between you and your massage therapist, not because massage therapy is ineffective. Here are a few ways to ensure that your next massage session will be proof enough to give massage another chance:

1. Be 100% Open With Your Massage Therapist

Give your massage therapist a chance to make a difference by being completely honest about what ails you. How long have you had that stiff neck, headaches, sore back, or tight shoulders? Don’t be embarrassed or shy. My job is to make sure that you’re as comfortable as possible and nothing you say to me leaves the table. The more you tell me, the more I’ll be able to ensure that your experience is as therapeutic as possible.

2. Lay Out Your Expectations

You know your body best and how it responds to treatment. Inform your therapist what you hope to get out of your session, what didn’t work during the last session, the type of pressure you prefer, the method you’d like to try, etc. Your body is unique, so with your involved input your therapist can help craft a more specific treatment plan to suit your needs.

3. Give Feedback

Trust me, you won’t hurt my feelings if you tell me something didn’t work for you. This will just allow me to be more precise. The opposite is also true: let me know what did work in our last session and I’ll be sure to apply this method consistently. And I want to know results! After our session, how long did the pain subside? Was it the same? Are you noticing a difference?

Like most things, though, it might take a few massage sessions to see a difference. Some issues might be so deep-seeded that it might take a couple of methods and conversations to find what works best for you. As long as you are open and communicative with your therapist, you’ll start to notice results. In the meantime, relax and enjoy!