Therapeutic Massage

Q. What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A. Do some preliminary research on the benefits of massage and know what you want to accomplish from your sessions.Make sure you feel comfortable with the therapist. Be sure to give feed back during the massage, for instance, is the pressure okay for you. Also, remember, if you are seeing a massage therapist for a particular reason they can't fix you in one session. So give them a chance to help you. It takes the body a while to heal and balance itself.

Q. If you were a customer, what do you wish you knew about your trade? Any inside secrets to share?

A. Along with eating right and exercising I think regular massage and bodywork is one of the most important things we can do for ourselves to promote better health. Back pain, joint problems are one of the most common reasons people take time off work. 90% of illnesses and common ailments are stress related and it is a proven fact that regular massage helps to reduce stress.

Q. What questions should a consumer ask to hire the right service professional?

A. How long have you been a therapist? What is your specialization? What kinds of things do you do to take care of yourself? Why did you become a therapist?

Q. What important information should buyers have thought through before seeking you out?

A. If they are coming to me for a specific reason such as pain or other stress related conditions they need to understand that massage and bodywork isn't a magic fix that will occur in one session. Oftentimes, depending on the situation they can have immediate results such as relief from a muscle spasm or tight tense muscles but if it is a chronic condition, one that has been going on for a long time then they need to understand it will require a commitment on their part to receive regular massage until their body heals. Sometimes that means having several sessions close together and then gradually spacing them out until they can come to a maintenance schedule which is usually once a month. But, since everyone is different even that can vary.

Q. Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?

A. I think one of the things that makes me different from a lot of therapists is I can get effective results without having to inflict pain through a lot of deep tissue techniques. That is a common complaint I've heard from people and their experience with massage. I also incorporate a lot of lymphatic work in my practice which is a great way to help the body detoxify and boost the healing process.

Q. What do you like most about your job?

A. I love that I can tailor my services for every client that walks into my practice. Everyone is different and needs vary from client to client. I can offer anything from a relaxing therapeutic massage to and intense bodywork session with stretching. One of my most favorite services is myofacial release and lymphatic work for cellulite and detoxification and post surgery cases.

Q. What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A. Generally a client will seek my services because of muscular tension in the head, neck and shoulders which is causing them an extreme amount of discomfort and affecting the quality of their life. So after explaining this they ask if I can help them with that. That's one of my specialties so my answer is "Of course!"

Q. Do you have a favorite story from your work?

A. I had a woman come to me one time who was having a spasm in her shoulder blade area. She also mentioned that years ago she had been in a car accident and had always suffered from a tight muscle in her hip that always aggravated her. She had been going to a chiropractor for years but had no relief so I worked on it a little bit and was able totally work it out. The next time I saw her she was practically crying because she was so thankful.

Q. What do you wish customers knew about you or your profession?

A. In my profession there are people who do massage for a living and then there are others who are therapists that truly want to help people achieve a better quality of life. I am passionate about what I do. I love it when I can help people feel better.

Q. Do you do any sort of continuing education to stay up on the latest developments in your field?

A. A massage therapist is required to take a certain amount of continuing education units to renew their license. This is great because it challenges us to take different things that can add flavor to our practice or bone up on skills we already have and add a new dimension.