If you haven’t had massage therapy before, or you’re trying out a new therapist, there are questions it can be useful to ask before you make an appointment. Here are some of the top questions to ask before you dive in, and the answers you’ll get if you ask me!

1. What oil or lotion do you use?

You’ll want to be sure you’re not being massaged with anything to which you’re allergic or sensitive. If you’re coming in still wearing your nice work clothes, you’ll also want to be sure your therapist is either using something non-staining, or else you can plan ahead and have casual clothes to change into when you go home.

I use only pure jojoba oil. It’s a premium botanical oil that mimics the chemical composition of the healthy moisturizing oil in our skin. It doesn’t clog pores or leave us feeling greasy, and while anything is possible, I’ve not yet heard of anyone being allergic to it. The only thing I’ve ever seen it stain is paper so your clothes should be safe, *and* I still recommend bringing comfortable casual clothing for afterward all the same.

2. What styles of massage and bodywork do you offer?

If you’re not especially familiar with the broad variety of styles out there, you might be looking for something that’s familiar to you, or you might be interested in trying a new approach. Keep in mind that massage therapy is both art and science, so everyone’s touch and presence is different – you’ll never have the exact same experience twice. Nevertheless, some elements are very characteristic of one general style or another. Knowing what your therapist draws on can help you get more of what you want in your sessions.

Unless there’s a specific request, like exclusively craniosacral therapy or traditional Hawaiian lomilomi techniques, I’ll generally draw on a variety of styles, including Esalen, Hawaiian lomilomi, and craniosacral.

3. Are you comfortable doing deep/subtle work?

With training and experience, most therapists can accommodate a variety of preferences and needs for more or less pressure. Some may have a strong tendency towards one end of the spectrum or the other, however, so checking in about this in the beginning is a good idea.

After nearly 1000 clock hours of classroom training and almost 20 years in practice, I’m pretty versatile. I can go deep with my touch where needed – some people who were doubtful initially that they’d get the deep pressure they were looking for at my office have been surprised! Nevertheless my tendency when I started training was more toward a lighter touch, and I’m still a smart choice for people with high sensitivity. I have multiple references from people who have finally found the sensitive, mindful touch their bodies really needed in working with me!

4. What music do you play during sessions?

We all have our likes and dislikes, and some of us have strong associations with particular types of music. Particularly if there’s some kind of music that would get in the way of your ability to enjoy your session, it’s a good idea to say something!

Unless I’m doing a craniosacral therapy session, I generally use a playlist featuring mellow music by indigenous Hawaiian and Native North American artists, and contemporary acoustic guitar pieces. Most clients have told me it sets a perfect mood for relaxing and feeling good…but if any of that doesn’t sound like a fit for you, let me know. I’ve got easy access to other music – I just need to know your preference.

…sometimes the little things make a big difference, so please feel free to ask questions about any aspect of your massage therapy experience. Asking questions before you book helps your therapist prepare to offer you the personally tailored care you deserve!

Early humans lived in hostile environments, full of predators and life-threatening problems around every turn. If our ancestors hadn’t been nervous wrecks with a huge negativity bias, they wouldn’t have lived long enough to become our ancestors. The anxiety to which we are heirs occasionally still serves us…but for the most part, it just makes us miserable.

A massage is a great time to remind your nervous system that you don’t have to run from any giant prehistoric cats – at worst you might have a 10 pound tabby pouncing on your toes under the blankets at night. The last thing you want is for the ancient, risk-averse circuitry of your brain to cause you unnecessary anxiety while you’re being massaged. Here is an incomplete, but hopefully informative and entertaining, list of things you don’t have to worry about when you’re getting massaged.

1. Falling asleep, snoring, or drooling.

The massage therapist who inspired my own career used to say, “I consider snoring applause, and drooling a standing ovation.” I am on the same page! If you are so relaxed you’re napping on my table, or your facial muscles have gone slack enough for you to drool, that tells me the session is going well. And don’t forget, I have to abide by HIPAA standards – I can’t even legally tell anybody I’ve worked with you without your permission, so you can snore in confidence and anonymity. Nobody is going to report you to anybody!

2. Digestive noises.

A lot of people are embarrassed by their digestive tracts making noise during a session – little throat gurgles, stomach growls, or the occasional unplanned gas release. Similar to falling asleep on the table, these are all good signs – the parasympathetic (relaxing) portion of the nervous system stimulates digestive and eliminatory processes. I do not think any less of you for having a working digestive system…I’ve got one, too!

3. Not having shaved.

That’s okay – a lot of people never shave at all, and that’s all good, too. (I mean, what the heck – we’re in Santa Cruz!) If it’s friction you’re worried about, don’t be. Jojoba oil keeps my work smooth, even if you haven’t touched a razor in a while…and the chemical composition is so similar to the natural moisturizers in our skin that it won’t leave you feeling oily.

4. Needing a bio-break.

Need a tissue? Water? A bathroom break mid-session? Just say the word! Being uncomfortable and distracted is the opposite of what I want for you during your session. There’s no need to worry about breaking the flow of my work with you – I’ll pick up where I left off just fine!

5. Telling me what you need.

As of this writing I have been in practice as a massage therapist for nearly 20 years. I’m pretty intuitive and there’s a lot that I easily figure out on my own, but you are the world’s top authority on you. If you have information about your needs that I don’t, by all means, please tell me! Ask for more or less support under your ankles or knees, tell me you need another blanket, let me know if the pressure I’m using is more or less than you want…and do it with impunity! You are the person of the hour while you’re on my table, so think of yourself as a VIP.

Massage therapy is a wonderful way to relieve stress, promote relaxation and general well-being, and aid in injury recovery. But how often should you get a massage? The answer depends on various factors, including individual needs and goals.

Once a Month Often Helps…

For people looking for stress relief and general wellness maintenance, receiving a massage about once a month can be very beneficial. This allows for consistent relaxation and helps prevent the buildup of tension in the body. There are many circumstances, however, in which you may need more frequent sessions to get the benefit you’re seeking.

Hard Working Bodies May Need More…

People with physically demanding jobs or pastimes often need some extra care to feel their best. Nurses, caregivers, and avid athletes often come to me twice a month, sometimes even weekly. I’m a great example myself. I’m not just a massage therapist – I’m also a swimmer, a musician and artist with hard-working hands, and a very tall person living in a world set up for people noticeably shorter than myself. It’s a great life, but it can be challenging on my body! Seeing my own massage therapist once a month was good, but it seemed like we always had some new acute discomfort to address. Coming in a little more frequently lets me stay ahead of the game – I get to ease the tight spots before they lead to significant discomfort.

Injuries and Chronic Conditions

If you’re recovering from an injury or dealing with chronic pain, that’s often another situation where more frequent sessions are a good idea. Some people find that they need massage therapy more frequently when they first come in, and after a while they can decrease the frequency when it’s for general maintenance. Others discover that the ease of movement and pain relief they gain through relatively frequent sessions is beneficial enough to make weekly massage therapy a health care priority.

It’s important to listen to your body and communicate with your massage therapist about any specific concerns or goals you may have. We can provide personalized recommendations based on our expertise and understanding of your unique circumstances.

Don’t Let What You Can’t Do Stop You from Doing What You Can!

Finally, if you’re struggling with a limited budget or a very hectic schedule, and you don’t think you can get massages as often as would likely be best for you, doing what you can is by far better than not coming in at all! Too often perfectionism causes people to give up on pursuing something we feel would be good for us, because we don’t think we can devote the resources to doing it as much as we should…but the weekly run you go on is more helpful than the daily run you give up on. The extra serving of fresh veggies you incorporate into your Thursday night meal matters more than the ideal meal plan you think you ought to do but just don’t find sustainable. And if you’re sure you need weekly massages but you know you can’t do it right now…come on in as you can! I’m glad for the opportunity to help, and I’ll do everything I can to help you gain the maximum benefit from our time together.

Sometimes clients ask me, “what is that stubborn knot in there, anyway?” 

That knot you feel in your muscle is most likely an adhesion. That’s a place where it was strained or overused, and a tiny tear opened up in the muscle. Lactic acid, a waste product from muscle activity, made the surface of the muscle sticky. In combination with collagen that the body applied at the site of the micro injury to protect it, you developed a tough little band of tissue between the muscles that wasn’t there before. 

Is That Common?

Yes – almost universal. In my 18 years in practice, I can count on one hand those clients who haven’t had noticeable muscle adhesions. It’s a lot like having a scar on your skin – almost everyone has at least one somewhere.

Why Does it Happen?

Your body was in a hurry to protect the injured place, so it generated tough tissue quickly. Again, it’s like a scar on your skin. Priority was placed on closing the wound off quickly rather than covering it with the same kind of tissue it had before. That protected it from further damage and infection, but the scar tissue isn’t as pliable and functional as the skin that used to be there. Muscle adhesions can reduce your flexibility and your ability to move freely in that same way, and sometimes they’re downright painful. Ouch!

Can Massage Help?

Absolutely! One benefit I provide as a massage therapist is helping break up adhesions to restore your comfort and freedom of movement. By stimulating the site of the old injury, I’m reactivating the body’s healing response so that it can pick back up on the repair work it started when the injury was new. 

A muscle adhesion can also limit circulation, slowing down healing progress. Massage therapy increases circulation in the affected area, so that resources for rebuilding tissue can arrive more quickly, and waste products that cause pain can be disposed of more efficiently.

How Soon Will I Feel Better?

It can take a while for these repairs to progress, just like a cut or scrape on your skin takes time to heal completely. I can’t get rid of your adhesions in one session, but I can do a lot to reduce your pain and improve your movement the first time I work with you. As we continue to work together, I’ll help you maximize your body’s potential to circle back and heal old wounds. Let’s not allow the knots of the past to keep you tied up!

It’s a very rare person who doesn’t complain of stress and anxiety. Everybody has their own reasons, but the result is the same – an excess of anxiety compromises our mental and physical health, and limits our ability to enjoy the good things in our lives.

Happily, there are as many ways to reduce stress and anxiety as there are reasons to feel stressed. Massage therapy is a great tool for easing our nervous systems and restoring balance to busy, complex lives.

Reducing muscular tension is of course a primary goal of massage therapy. This is not only for the direct benefit of the muscle tissue itself, but because when muscles relax, the stress response is interrupted. We have a body-mind, inextricably entwined – the body and mind aren’t the neatly separate things we may often imagine. Relaxing at the physical level helps to calm the emotions and mental processes. That’s because we can’t be led simultaneously by the sympathetic nervous system (the body’s “fight or flight” state) and the parasympathetic (the “rest and digest” response as we relax). Even the most dedicated and best-practiced stress response won’t stay in the lead for long once our muscles start to relax in the hands of a practitioner we trust.

Massage can also help to address the physical effects and manifestations of stress and anxiety. I’ve relieved many headaches, painfully tight muscles, and digestive issues, and plenty of insomnia sufferers have gotten a head start catching up on their sleep while still on my table!

With regular massage sessions you may also get relief from nagging aches and pains, because the body has an opportunity to release the tension that causes ineffective movement patterns. Many people experience a vicious cycle of mental and emotional stress, tight muscles, poor movement, increased physical stress on muscles and joints, and physical pain that leads to more stress. Massage helps reverse this for many clients. An hour’s relaxation leading to pain relief gives an opportunity to move more effectively – the body-mind can re-examine its habits, and remember how to function in the world with greater comfort and ease. The knowledge that you have a regular resource to tap into, someone whose work can help you get back on track when feeling good becomes challenging, also fosters a sense of optimism and trust. Daily life certainly presents difficulties, but it also offers opportunities to restore ourselves…and we don’t have to go it alone!