Having a massage is great. Better than great. Amazing. So, can it really be any better? Yes!! Here are the top 5 things to remember to make the most of your next treatment.

1. Be on time

Ok, this might sound like a no brainer, but it’s top of the list for a good reason. Aiming to be around 5 minutes early for your appointment can make a massive difference to how you receive your massage. When you are rushing in traffic, stuck at traffic lights or just anxiously watching the time tick closer to your appointment time, while you still feel like you are still far, far away, your cortisol (aka stress hormone) levels are likely to increase.  While massage helps reduce these stress hormones and helps increase your happy calm feelings with an increase of dopamine and serotonin levels, the effect will be faster if we don’t have to undo the oh-help-last-minute-I’m-never-going-to-get-there-on-time rush.  Life happens and sometimes you will be late no matter how much planning you do.  The sooner you can let us know, the better. We can’t always extend your finish time if there are other appointments after yours, but will do whatever we can for you to get the maximum benefit of your treatment.

2. Let’s talk honesty

Be honest. Be honest with your therapist about your medical history. It might not seem relevant but past and current medical history (including any current medication) can play an important role in what is happening to you today. There are many medical conditions that are perfectly safe to still receive a massage and for which massage can be beneficial. Some medical conditions might require referring you to see a specialised massage therapist. And yes, paracetamol and ibuprofen do count as medication. Please let your massage therapist know if you have recently taken any pain killers along with all other medications you are on.

Be honest with yourself too! Be realistic about what you are hoping to achieve.  If you have had a sore neck for 10 years, a sore back for 5 years and a new issue with your knees, we aren’t going to solve all of these things in 1 little session.  Yes, massage might very well be able to help all these things, but they won’t happen instantly.  I’m qualified and talented, but not quite that magical.

3. Communication is key

If you want to chat through your treatment, ok, let’s chat. If quiet time is more your thing, all good, we can keep it quiet. But please, please, please speak up when you need to. We will discuss what we are going to do with your treatment before it happens, but if you change your mind part way through, no worries! We’ll very simply and without a fuss change up what we are doing.  Your body will also handle different levels of pressure in different places. Please speak up so it stays at just the right amount of pressure for you. Feeling a little bit cool? Speak up and we can pop an extra towel over you. Although if it’s winter and in my clinic, you should be toasty warm from the electric blanket on the table and the heater pumping. But I digress. Your massage is for YOU and YOUR body, so if it’s not working for YOU, then it needs to change. I’m pretty good at reading body language but speaking up is so much more reliable. I’m here to treat you. I’m not offended by you telling me what’s working and what’s not. It actually helps me with the art of tailoring your treatment just for you.

4. Drink some water

Drinking water to stay hydrated is good for you. If you’ve heard it once, you’ve heard it a million times, right? Our body is made up of a super high percentage of water (although exact percentages seem to vary depending on which expert you cite). Yeah, yeah, yeah, I know. You’ve heard it all before. OK! I’ve also read a few science articles debating the pros and cons of drinking water after a massage and the science experts are not being entirely conclusive or in agreement with each other. BUT, in my experience, when people drink a couple of glasses after a treatment, they feel better. When they don’t, they often feel a bit “blah” or “heavy”. (I’m going with Blah and Heavy as technical terms today.)  Many people tend to be mildly dehydrated on a good day. I can also say with certainty I’m personally a bit more uncomfortable and sore after receiving a deep massage if I don’t drink water and feel much more on top of the world by staying hydrated.  You’ve heard it here again folks; have a glass or 2 of water.

5. After your massage

Remember  how amazing you felt after your last good massage? Do you remember how you felt so relaxed and you could move so much more freely? And how you didn’t hurt so much anymore? That feeling unfortunately does not last forever. Sigh. But you can make it last longer!  Truly!! Following your personalised recommendations for home care or stretching / strengthening an area will make a difference. For example, if you are given some stretches to do it will help your muscles stay in the new lengthened state for longer. Strengthening a specific area will help your body stay in its new position more easily and reduce strain on those opposing sore spots. Don’t feel guilty about missing a day. It’s hard to build new habits and every day you do remember does make a difference. And of course, booking in for your next massage appointment will guarantee that post massage feeling all over again after your next treatment. ?