How to Get the Most out of Your Massage

Originally published 4/13/2013

You’ve booked a massage.  You’ve blocked time out of your schedule just for you.  If you’re anything like me, you’re eagerly anticipating that “Yay!” moment when you get to leave whatever you’re doing in your day to get to your appointment.  And if you’re anything like me, that appointment flies by way too quickly.  It feels so good to be on the table, having all that stress and tension gently kneaded away, that when your time is up, you are left thinking both “Ahhh,” and “Awww....”

Whether you receive massages on a regular basis, or you are looking forward to your very first one, here are a few ways that you can get the most from your experience and prolong that "Ahhh" feeling.

Come in early.

Coming in 10-15 minutes early for your scheduled appointment gives you time to fill out any necessary paperwork.  If paperwork is not needed, it simply gives you time to settle in, shake off your day, and relax a bit before your appointment starts.  Your massage therapist can also have a brief visit with you to discuss any recent changes to your health and your current state of wellbeing before beginning the appointment on time.

Inform your therapist.

If you’re a new client, you most likely will encounter an extensive medical background form with your intake paperwork.  To some this may come as a surprise, but it is important to know that massage can affect you on a cellular level.  Massage coaxes toxins from tissues, affects blood pressure, increases blood and lymph flow, increases seratonin and dopamine levels, and decreases cortisol levels, to name just a few things.  It’s important for us to know if you are on medications that affect any of these or other conditions, or if you have a history of injury or surgery that would prevent us from working in any area of your body.  We ask these questions with your personal health and safety in mind, so please, don’t take offense: we don’t ask to be invasive, we ask to be thorough.

Breathe.

Once you are in the treatment room, the time is all about you. On the table, the only thing you need to do is breathe deeply.  Many of us go through our days taking very shallow breaths, and our breathing typically becomes even more rapid with the onset of stress.  This robs your muscles of vital oxygen, causing tension and knots.  Your massage therapist can find this tension and help to release it using a variety of techniques, and may even ask you to take a few deep breaths in order to bring oxygen to the affected area and release carbon dioxide from the tissue.  Long, slow, deep breaths will help you relax and release even more tension as your parasympathetic nervous system engages.  You may even feel yourself drift off to sleep.  This is perfectly fine, don’t fight it!

Let us know when you don’t like something.

Again, this time is all about you.  If the table is not warm enough, the pressure is too deep, the music is bothering you, or anything else comes to mind that you find unpleasant or uncomfortable, your therapist is happy to make the necessary adjustments.

Hydrate.

I cannot stress enough the importance of drinking enough water every day.  In particular though, after a massage, I will always hand my client water and tell them to drink plenty of it.  During your treatment, your tissues have released toxins, which are carried away by blood and lymph fluid, eventually making their way out of the body through the kidneys.  Insufficient water intake gives the toxins opportunity to take root elsewhere in the body and cause further tension.  Keep the fluids moving through and out of your body in order to rid yourself of the toxins and the resulting pain.

Rebook.

Chances are, the issues that brought you to the massage therapist took a while to manifest as physical pain.  It stands to reason then, that one massage is not going to resolve everything.  In fact, it may resolve a small part of the problem, and reveal other related issues.  You may find that it takes a few appointments in order to bring the body back into balance, after which is it beneficial to have regular massage appointments for maintenance and general wellbeing.  The frequency of your massage appointments is up to you and your therapist.  I have seen clients as often as once weekly, to every three weeks, six weeks, or even four times a year.  Regular massage appointments are a commitment to maintaining your mind and body health.  The fact that they feel good is just one of many benefits.