Many people ask:
"Don't your hands hurt all the time?"
"Did you have to go to school for this?"
"Can I tip?"
"Do I have to shave before the massage?"
"Do I have to take off my underwear?"
"Do I have to be completely nude?"
"How often should I get a massage."
"Am I too only/young to get a massage?"
Honestly asking lots of questions is great when walking into your massage session. Weather it be your first time, your 120th time or meeting a new therapist. These are questions you may want to know or are curious about. Sometimes new situations come up and things may also need to be readdressed.
In some cases, you may just want to get to know your therapist better and understand who is working on you.
"Don't your hand hurt all the time? This answer may vary depending on the therapist. For this therapist the answer is no. Keeping up with a daily self-care route to keep my tools in check helps. Some therapist may change there techniques over time as there hands may not be able to handle deeper pressures and techniques.
2. "Did you have to go to school for this?"
The answer will always, hopfully, be yes when working with a therapist. We did have to go to school for this. Program length may vary depending on the number of hours required per state. Most programs are about a year long and addition training is taken after to keep up with licensing requirements per the state.
3."Can I tip?"
Yes, your therapist does not expect it, but gratuity is always a nice gesture. Some places such as healthcare settings may not let you tip, it doesn't hurt to ask either way.
4."Do I have to shave before the massage?
Good hygiene is important before and after your massage session. You are in a no judgement zone and we do not care if you shave before your appointment.
5. "Do I have to take off my underwear?"
Your massage therapist will discuss what is comfortable for you to disrobe down to during your session. Your therapist leaves that up to you, someone will keep just their underwear on and some will disrobe down to nothing. Sometimes depending on the type of massage you receiving you may keep things on such as a sports bra and shorts.
6. "Do I have to be completely nude?"
That is up to you and your comfort level during the session. Some therapists do work the glutes directly so draping may be adjusted to accommodate. Proper draping is always taken in this circumstance and in all case throughout your session to keep you covered and comfortable.
7. "How often should I get a massage."
That is completely up to you. Your therapist will have suggestions based off of your treatment goals and needs. Most suggest anywhere from four to
six weeks as a routine maintenance, some will do weekly depending on their activity level, health needs, stress level and symptom management over time.
8. "Am I too old/young to get a massage?"
Absolutely not! Massage has been proven to provide quality care for all ages and health conditions. Sometimes depending on specific conditions massage may be contraindicated, that's why it's best check with your healthcare provider anf therapist when your unsure.
When in doubt ask a question. Your therapist is there to make sure you're having a comfortable, relaxing and healing experience.