Personalized Massage & Reiki

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

A. Talk to people you know, get some reviews online, and check out the provider's website! The biggest thing of all, though, is to talk to the actual provider themselves. Ask them about their thoughts on what massage can do for you, about their tendencies toward light or deep pressure, ask about what other modalities they practice (such as Reiki, Medical Massage, etc), and what types of people they like to work with best. Some massage therapists prefer to just work toward an end goal of relaxation, but if you are looking for deep tissue relief, this this therapist will not be the right one for you.

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

A. Not all massages are created equal. We hear terms like Swedish massage or deep tissue, but how many clients actually know what those mean???

Swedish massage is actually a therapy that's primary goal is relaxation and increased blood flow. Most of the techniques are on the lighter side, consisting of efflourage (light gliding strokes), pettrisage (squeezing techniquest to bring blood flow to muscles), friction (static pressure to relieve minor knots), vibration (vibrating technique with the hands), and tappotment (tapping or chopping). After a Swedish massage, you should feel de-stressed and energized.

Deep Tissue massage is a much deeper pressure, but not necessarily too hard for your body. Some therapists take it to mean as hard of a pressure as the client can take, but that's not a good deep tissue massage. A good massage uses deep enough pressure to get the muscles to relax, but not so deep that the client's muscles actually push back against the pressure-- which actually tightens the muscles rather than relaxes. It's normal to feel a bit of discomfort the next morning; usually it feels like you worked out too much the day before. Three or more days in pain after the massage means that it was definitely too deep for your body and you should let you therapist know the next time you see them that you would like a lighter pressure.

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

A. You should ask your therapist...
-What type of pressure do you tend to use?
-What kinds of continuing education courses have you taken and why?
-Do you stretch your client or just use pressure to relieve muscle tension?
-Do you offer anything other than massage?
-How often do you recommend that I get massage?
-Do you have experience working with (insert personalized problem area or diagnosis here)?
-How long have you been a massage therapist?
-Are you LICENSED?
-Do you have a website and how can I recommend you to my friends?

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

A. Buyers should think about what they want to get out of their massage. Do you want to relax? Do you have medical conditions that need special consideration? Do you have pain or discomfort in certain areas of your body? Do you want to work on something specific or do you want a general (therefore lighter) full body massage? When you know your answers to these questions, then you will be able to better guide your massage therapist in designing your personal massage appointment. Every body is different and therefore needs something different from a massage. So many clients tell me that their last therapist just didn't get what they needed and I often suspect that the communication was not clear enough between the client and therapist so the therapist didn't know exactly what the client wanted to get out of the massage. Knowing what you want and what your body needs will increase your chance of getting the perfect massage.

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

A. I take the time to really listen to what you need from you massage. And then, I deliver it. It's that simple! Too often massage therapist don't really take the time to hear what their client needs to be getting from their hour...they tend to have their own agenda. I understand that not everyone needs a full body massage. Actually, most of my clients request that I do specific work on their problem areas because they have found it to be much more effective in pain relief since more time is spent on the areas that need it. I also understand that some people like quiet during a massage...and others relax best when they are having a lively conversation. Just let me know. I will hear what you need and make sure that you get the best hour of massage possible.