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What to Expect in Your First Massage
Massage can be daunting to try the first time. To people who haven’t experienced it before, it seems like a strange thing to undress and lie on a table and let someone else come in the room and work on you. The first time I had a massage I was nervous and didn’t know what to expect. I only knew a few things: you had to undress, you let another person touch you, and sheets were somehow involved. However, once I was on the table and felt the gentle, competent touch of the therapist, I was converted!
One thing that can relieve a little of the nervousness and trepidation is knowing what to expect during a session. Let me walk you through a session. As a new client, I will go through an intake process where we discuss your current medical health. We will talk about medications, injuries, places of soreness or tension. We may discuss how you spend your day (at a computer, standing to work, carrying children, etc.) and what kinds of activities cause you discomfort or soreness. In addition, I will ask you what your goals are for the session: are there particular areas you’d like addressed, and how you’d like to feel at the end of the session. Some clients strive for relaxation and centeredness at the end of a session, others want to feel energized and refreshed when we’re finished. It’s very common for clients to hold their tension in a particular area. Some hold tension in their neck and shoulders, others in their low back – two of the most common places tension is manifest. All of this information is confidential, and I use it to create a treatment plan based on your needs and requests. Before we start the session, we may discuss preferences for lotions, oils or cremes, and I will communicate a general treatment order. I will also describe how to get on the table, and whether we’ll start with you face up or face down. After I leave the room, the client gets undressed and lies on the table between the sheets. When I return to the room, I start the session. Each session is unique, and planned in response to the needs of the client on a particular day. I will describe a common session flow below. For more information on the types of strokes and modalities that may be combined in a session, see here. A common flow consists of starting with the client face down on the massage table. After some gentle strokes and rocking motions over the sheets, I undrape the back and begin work on the back – from the low back up to the shoulders. When I’m done with the back, I undrape the arms one at a time, and massage them. After the arms, I move to the legs, working one leg at a time. Once I’m done with the back of the body, I will assist the client as s/he turns over, holding the sheet between myself and the client while turning over for the client’s privacy. On the front of the body, I often start at the legs, and move up the body to the arms and the shoulders/chest – undraping only the area to be worked. Sometimes I will finish the session at the head and neck. At the end of the session, I will leave the room for the client to dress. Afterwards, we discuss the session and how the client feels with the work that was done. It’s important to remember to drink lots of water following a massage. By working the muscles, massage releases the lactic acid and other toxins that build up in the body. Drinking lots of water helps to clear those toxins from the system. After a massage, people sometimes feel dizzy or euphoric, others may feel some soreness in areas that were points of focus for the massage, some may feel slight headaches. Most people, however, leave a session feeling relaxed and calm. All of these after-effects are normal and common. Any discomfort you experience at the end of the session should last no longer than 24 hours. |
Connect with Heather(615) 294-6672 & (502) 265-6710
heather@massagebyheather.com Session Rates90 min session - $100
60 min session (general/Swedish) - $75 60 min session Deep Tissue, Muscle Release Technique, Advanced Therapies - $80 45 min session - $65 **Accepting checks and cash only. Sorry, credit cards only available through Pay In Advance online, please.** Massage Office HoursTues - Fri: 10 AM to 7 PM
Saturday: 9 AM to 3 PM Louisville Massage OfficeThe Louisville massage therapy office is located in St. Matthews at 120 Sears Ave Suite 204 (Same building as Equus and Jack's Lounge)..
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