After the Session

I don’t want to leave you with the impression that deep tissue massage is an unpleasant and painful process.   Most of the time, it is a deeply relieving experience.

Touch therapy of just about any kind, and especially deep tissue massage, will stimulate an increase of endorphins in the body.  Endorphins are hormones that are the body’s natural pain-killers, some say stronger than morphine.  They are released naturally during injury and exercise and other strenuous events. The manipulation of massage encourages endorphin production.   Many clients leave the massage session with a bit of a “high.”  You might also feel a bit sleepy from the endorphins, especially with the first few sessions when toxins of all kinds also are being released.  Drinking sufficient water is recommended to flush these out.

The therapist also prefers that the client take it easy the rest of the day.  Deep tissue massage “rearranges the furniture,” so to speak.  Give your body time to adjust to its new alignment.  Enjoy the break!

The therapist should discuss a treatment plan with you, if necessary.  Sometimes, one session can do the trick.  Maybe you woke up that day with a stiff neck, and voila!  It vanished during the session.

More likely, you will have layers of “stuff” to untangle.  A series of treatments will deliver deeper and more long-lasting results.

Often, we are so used to feeling sub-par that we don’t know how good we can  feel until a massage.  It’s pretty amazing and gratifying, even after all these years as a therapist, for me to see the reactions of new clients after their initial treatments.   They may not have felt that good in years.

Massage is not new . . . it is an ancient art of touch that has been used in many lands and cultures for centuries.  Modern Europeans are quite fond of regular massage and value it as a normal part of ongoing health care.  In India, infant massage is quite common, and massage in general is quite traditional.

The celebrity Bob Hope got a massage practically every day of his adult life, and look how long he lived.  Ask around . . . you will be surprised at the people you know who have tried massage therapy.