Communication

Image by BIJI KURIAN via Flickr

When you receive a massage it's important to communicate with the therapist. Let her know if there's something that's not to your liking or you'd like changed. It's very tempting to just let go, float away and not bother saying what you like and don't like. But by not speaking up about it, you do yourself a disfavour and the massage will become a bad experience.

Most therapists can feel with their hands where the sore spots are and the tensions in the muscles are hiding. But what we can't easily tell is how painful it feels for you, or if the pain refers to other places. Especially when working on trigger points, we feel this small knot or nodule, we can feel how hard and big it is, but what we can't tell is if the pain refers to other body parts or if it just feels sore or like a needle stabbing you.

Some people like a deep painful touch, where others tense up from the slightest discomfort. There are people with such control over their pain and muscles, that even if they feel it hurts too much for them, their muscles won't tense up. A muscle tensing up is usually the first sign that a touch is too hard, so that's what we focus on if the client doesn't speak up about the pain.

A massage should never be painful. Sore is fine, short bursts of uncomfortable pain can happen especially when working on trigger points, but overall, a massage must be pleasant and comfortable, relaxing and enjoyable.

There are also days when you might just need a gentle soft touch instead of the deep touch working on all the sore spots. The therapist can't know what you desire if you don't express these things either before the massage or during it. It is also helpful to let us know if you have any pains and sores bothering you, so we can plan to focus on those areas and help you the best way possible.

When you don't speak up about what you expect, how you feel, where it hurts and what feels good, the therapist will follow her intuition and do what she thinks is the best for you. This often will provide a good and satisfactory touch, especially if the therapist knows you well.

In order to give the very best massage to you, lets us know if there are discomforts or specific desires you have so we can adapt our massage to suit your specific needs that day. It's very important communicate and let us know.