What would a massage session involve?
Our first contact will probably be by phone. I will gather a few background details of the reason for your treatment, a brief medical history (including any previous operations) and whether you have any condition for which you are under GP's supervision. Any information I am given will remain confidential.
At he first session we shall begin with a 15/20 minute detailed consultation to include the nature of the problem, how long you have had it, what might aggravate or ease it so we can start to establish on what areas we need to focus. It is important to have this process so that any contraindications come to light e.g. a particular area should be excluded or a particular movement.
After the consultation you will be asked to undress (in privacy) and to get on the couch. During the massage you will be covered by a towel and only the part being worked on will be undraped.
I will use a variety of techniques (see Range of Techniques Employed) to work on the areas identified in the consultation process. I will aim to perform a full body massage in order to be holistic, but emphasis will be given to the problem areas. The massage is thereby specifically tailored for you.
Some techniques require no medium, but where there is a need for a medium I use a small amount of massage wax rather than oil, as this allows a better contact with the muscles being worked on.
Working on injuries/pain conditions will inevitably involve some discomfort but if the pain exceeds a certain level the muscles will lock to protect the damaged area and the massage will not achieve the desired result. A "no pain - no gain" attitude should be avoided.
To be most effective repeat sessions are recommended. Initially it would be ideal to have weekly sessions for the first 6 weeks to see a difference, subsequently seeking to increase the periods between massages up to monthly. I advocate regular massages as a preventative/maintenance measure. In the case of massage for relaxation purposes the weekly frequency of sessions, whilst beneficial, may not be necessary.
