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relaxation and stress relief

What can I expect during a massage session?

  • Your massage therapist will ask preliminary questions to determine your overall health and your health and wellness goals.

  • Before your massage, you’ll be asked to remove clothing to your level of comfort.

  • The massage therapist will leave the room while you undress. Take off only as much as you are comfortable removing.

  • You will lie down on the massage table, underneath the provided sheet and blanket, which will cover your body except for the part being massaged.

  • Music and ambient sound might be played. If you find music distracting, tell your massage therapist. 

  • Warm wraps, essential oils, and hot towels may be used during your session.

  • Your massage therapist will check on pressure and comfort throughout your appointment. If you're uncomfortable at any time, tell your massage therapist.

  • The massage table is padded and may have extra attachments or cushions, such as a face cradle, which allows you to lie facedown without turning your head or neck.

  • Massage therapists often use oil or lotion. If you're allergic to oils or lotions, tell your massage therapist beforehand.

  • Depending on your needs, the massage therapist will massage either the full body (except private areas) or only specific areas that need attention, such as the neck and shoulders.

  • After your massage, the massage therapist will allow you to slowly get up and get dressed in privacy.                                                            

How often should I get a massage?

Taking part in this form of regularly scheduled self-care can play a huge part in how healthy you’ll be and how youthful you’ll remain with each passing year. Budgeting time and money for bodywork at consistent intervals is truly an investment in your health. Consider massage appointments a necessary piece of your health and wellness plan, and work with your practitioner to establish a treatment schedule that best meets your needs.

What is Integrative Reflexology, and how is it different

from traditional Reflexology?

Integrative Reflexology is a foot and hand reflexology training designed by Clair Marie Miller specifically for massage therapists and bodyworkers. It is a "whole hand technique" using strokes and methods that are relaxing and enjoyable for both client and practitioner. In traditional Reflexology, the practitioner uses specific pressure using only the thumbs or fingers. The concept is the same for both; pressure and stimulation is applied to reflex points on the hands and feet that correspond to the different organs and structures of the body.

What is Cupping Therapy?

If you watched the 2016 Olympics, you probably saw the curious round marks on swimmer Michael Phelps' shoulders. These are cupping marks.

Simply put, a glass or plastic cup is placed on an area and the skin is drawn into the cup using suction by creating a vacuum in the cup over the targeted area. The vacuum can be created either by the heating and subsequent cooling of the air in the cup, or via a mechanical pump. The cup is usually left in place for somewhere between five and fifteen minutes. Cupping Therapy is believed to help treat pain, break up deep scar tissue, and release adhesions in the muscles.  In addition, it has a sedative effect on the nervous system; so often clients report a deep state of relaxation.

 

What kind of cups will be used

in my session?

In my practice, I use plastic cups with a handheld pump.

 

Does cupping therapy hurt?

What does it feel like?

NO! Cupping should never hurt. You may experience a warm, pulling or stretching sensation on the skin, but not pain.

 

What about the marks? Are they bruises? How long do they last?

Cupping marks are not bruises. Because the marks are created by suction and not contusion to the skin, they are more close to a "hickey" than a bruise. The clinical term for the mark is ecchymosis.

Depending on a variety of factors, the marks can last anywhere from 2 to 10 days on average.

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