Have you ever had a massage that left you feeling almost drunk in your relaxation? Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror after a massage to see indentations on your cheeks and forehead like you just woke up from a good nap? In the massage community, we call that “massage drunk” or “sheet-faced”. When I worked for a spa chain, the front desk regularly commented on the high percentage of clients who left my room looking tipsy, so it felt like a natural choice.

Sorry, it does NOT mean I have a liqour license, so no actual booze included.

This varies a bit based on pressure and how much focus you want on your areas of concern, but my general rule is:

1 Focus Area per 30 Minutes of massage.

Examples of Focus Areas include: Full Body*, Neck and Shoulders, Rotator Cuff, Upper Arms, Lower Arms/Hands, Upper Back, Lower Back, Glutes, Hamstrings, Quads, Calves or Feet.

This is just to get an idea, though. We can easily figure it out together once you are here for your appointment, so don’t worry too much about scheduling the wrong length of time on the first go.

The most important thing I want you, and every client, to understand is that my entire goal while you are here is to help you feel better. I don’t want to hurt you or make you uncomfortable, and I definitely don’t want to work on the wrong areas. So please, speak up. Tell me if the pressure is too much, or not enough. Tell me if the area I’m working doesn’t feel good to you, or if you want me to go back to area that needs more work.

Other than that, a few other things that are good for you to know:

1. When you arrive, there will be a short intake so that I can determine what techniques and pressure levels will be best for you. This is your time to tell me your focus areas and lay out your expectations of the massage. I will also need to know of any relevant injurues, allergies or illnesses that may affect your massage.

2. I perform massage with a sheet and blanket over the client and will only uncover the area I am actively working on. I am trained to keep your private areas appropriately covered at all times. I do ask that you disrobe as much as you are comfortable for your massage, as any area with clothing still on cannot be worked on, as I am not permitted to move it out of my way by law. That said, a lot of people do leave on their underwear to feel more comfortable, and that does not generally get in the way. (Long boxers can obstruct the thighs, so make sure to pull them up if you want work on quads or hamstrings).

3. I will leave the room to allow you to get disrobed and onto the table. I will give you a few minutes to get settled and I will knock before re-entering. The chair and table in the corner, as well as the hooks on the wall, are for you to place your things.

4. After the massage, I will leave the room again for you to get up and dressed. I will wait outside for you to open the door and then come in to talk about the massage, recieve payment, and rebook, if you’d like.

This is a hard question to answer, because it is different for everyone, but here are my guidelines:

1. The first thing you need to consider is what the goal of the massage is for you. If you are coming in for pure relaxation, once a month may be plenty. However, if you have an acute issue, such as severe headaches caused by tightness in the neck and shoulders or a low back pain that just won’t go away, once a week (or up to twice a week) may be warranted until it is resolved. If you are coming in for regular maintenance of chronic problems, every two to three weeks seems to be the sweet spot.

2. The next thing to consider is soreness. If you are someone who gets sore for several days after a massage, I would not recommend coming in any more frequently than once a week. It is important that we listen to what your body needs and not just go plowing through. Massage can damage you if it is overdone.

3. Finally, and maybe most importantly, just do what makes you happy, because that’s what this life is all about.

If you are looking for therapeutic relief, deep tissue may be a good choice for you. However, if you don’t understand what to expect, you may end up extremely sore and a little bruised.

In massage school, we talked about a spectrum of pressure, from 1-10, where the ideal deep tissue pressure was at 7.5.

1 - 2 - 3 - 4 - 5 - 6 - 7 - 8 - 9 - 10

too light relaxing medium deep tissue too deep

The 7.5 mark is also called “hurts so good” which essentially means that, at this pressure, there is a slight pain to the massage but it feels like it is being released and the muscle is relaxing, so it is still a good feeling. Above an 8, the massage begins to feel more and more painful, and in all likelihood, your body will begin tensing and pulling away, which then damages the tissue.

I tell you all of this to illustrate the importance of not “toughing it out” and getting deeper pressure than you can handle. A lot of people think deep tissue is supposed to be painful, and they aren’t completely wrong, but it is a dangerous assumption without all of the facts. Only you know how much pressure you can handle, so it is very important that you speak up when it gets to be too much.

Okay, now, I’ll get off my soap box. Other important info you may want to know includes that you will likely be sore the next day(s) after deep tissue. It should not exceed the soreness you get from a good workout, but that does not mean it’ll be fun. Heat will be your friend, and anti-inflammatory substances (which I am not prescribing) can help. You will also want to make sure you keep moving to keep your muscles warm throughout the day to keep the work from reversing. Last, but not least, WATER. Drink a ton of it. Massage is dehydrating, since its a method of creating heat in the tissues of the body, so to avoid dehydration issues, it is important to drink lots of water after a massage, and especially a deep tissue one.