Happy September!

Let's face it, with kids going back to school, your schedules are opening up more. Your children are taken care of, but what about you? Have you been able to take a vacation from your vacation? Majority of us sacrifice our own self care to make sure everything around us is running smoothly, and forget about ourselves. Now's the time. School started, the weather is getting cooler, it's the perfect time to prioritize your health.

You can go see whatever Massage Therapist you wish, but I'd like to take this time to help educate about Deep Pressure vs. Deep Tissue. Many Massage clients go into a session expecting it to hurt. We're raised with the "no pain, no gain" mentality, and that massage isn't affective unless the Therapist is shoving an elbow in your back. In my experience, I have noticed that Therapists tend to approach their clients with Deep Pressure because of the time restraint their under. When a Client is requesting a Full Body Massage in the 50 minute window most Massage chains offer, the Therapist is thinking about the best way to give the client what they want. This is when injuries happen, Therapist burnouts, and the misinformation gets spread. Once you surpass the Medium Pressure threshold, the pain receptors start firing off. This could make the session more hurtful than beneficial.

"Deep Tissue" refers to the different layers of tissues in the body that are being manipulated by the massage. When you hold a stagnant point on the body, the longer you maintain that pressure (regardless of severity) the deeper the tissues get effected. In that respect, you can receive a Full Body Deep Tissue Massage with the slightest pressure. The only issue is that this type of Massage takes time, there is no way that Full Body session could be done in an hour. This is why you will hear me say that I prefer 90 minute and 2 hour sessions because my gradual style can get deep into those tissues without causing pain.

All bodywork is subjective and if you feel that the deeper pressure is working for you, then you do you! Now, this is just an op-ed article, and I would never try to intentionally steal client from a Therapist, I just feel that education is best in order to make informed decisions about your well-being. Massage has come a long way over the years, and progressed further in some states than others. Just remember to have frequent check-ins with your body- not just after the massage, but in the days-weeks following, be honest and transparent with your Therapist, and Stay Hydrated!