FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Massage and Herbalism are the oldest forms of medicine. You find it from ancient Egyptian tomb paintings of pharaohs being massaged to ancient Chinese medicinal texts. Today, you can find it in my massage room and it is accessible to everyone.

It’s commonly known that massage can ease tension and muscle pain, increase range of motion, and ease headache and migraine pain, but massage has also been proven to provide a wide range of benefits even if you don’t have muscle pain. Massage lowers blood pressure; increases circulation, reduces depression, stress and anxiety; boosts immunity; promotes tissue regeneration; and more.

That depends on the condition of your muscles and connective tissue. Unfortunately, sore muscles hurt when they are massaged, but you are in control of how much it hurts. Communicate with your therapist. Everyone is different, from wanting as little pain as possible to "no-pain no-gain" people wanting it as hard as possible. Most people think I know how much it hurts. I can feel the tension and knots, but I can't feel the pain. Everyone is different. Even though I work at a depth that feels right with your tissue, some spots will be more painful than others even if they don't feel different to me. If you don't tell me I'm too deep for your tolerance, I can't know. I use a number system. If you use it, I can fine tune my depth to get the maximum benefit within your tolerance. You can find my pain scale here: Getting the Most Out of Your Massage.

There are a few possible reasons why you may hurt after a massage.

▶ If you feel tender to the touch, like you are bruised:
The facia (lining) of your cells and muscle fibers are supposed to be like jello so everything glides smoothly. When particular muscle fibers are stressed they can tighten up or recruit other muscle fibers into helping relieve the work load. The facia often becomes more like glue and the fibers stick together. When a massage therapist performs deep tissue massage to break up adhesions in the muscle and relax and lengthen the muscle, micro tears can develop in the tissue, bringing in blood and healing. Also, if you are not properly hydrated the tissue is not as pliable and will hurt more. The result is that you are tender to the touch like you are bruised for a period of time. Drink plenty of water and don't poke yourself.

▶ Achy or Flu-like:
You were not properly hydrated before and/or after the massage. Metabolic waste builds up in tight muscles, and massage increases blood flow and releases this waste into your blood stream. If you are not properly hydrated, you could feel achy, or even flu-like, after your massage. Drink plenty of water before the massage so the muscles are more pliable and better able to take the pressure of a deep tissue massage, and drink twice the water that you usually would after the massage to flush the released wastes.

▶ I hurt places I didn't used to hurt:
There are a couple things this can be:

➊ Your brain tends to focus on whatever hurts the most. If we have relieved your major source of pain, your brain is free to alert you to other pain that it previously ignored. Next time you have a headache, have someone stomp on your toe and you will see that you will forget your headache for a while. Go ahead, try it.

➋ Your body is amazing. Imagine you are pulling a really heavy load and are getting really sore and tired. You ask your neighbors to help and they grab ropes, attach them, and begin pulling. Pretty soon, you're taking it easy while your neighbors are doing all the work. You don't hurt at all. Now, someone comes by and releases all their ropes and suddenly you are feeling the full force of pain from having to use those sore muscles again. When your muscle fibers are straining, other muscle fibers will chip in to take the tension off and relieve your pain. Along comes your massage therapist and releases the general tension from these helping fibers and you are suddenly very aware of at least one of your core issues. Your therapist didn't cause this pain, she/he revealed it. Don't worry, those muscles will tense up and relieve the pain again.

▶ The muscles worked on actually hurt more, and not just tender to the touch:
Your massage therapist may have worked the muscle too hard, too fast. If you are tightening the muscle your therapist is working on, your therapist needs to lighten up. Sometimes neither you nor your therapist will realize that you are actively tightening the muscle because it is such a chronic habit with you or you are anticipating pain. To the therapist, it feels like a really tight or spasmed muscle that needs work because it was that tight when she first touched it (did not tighten due to her pressure). I have had a client insist his arm was relaxed and when I let it go he was still holding it up. I also often have clients whose heads feel very light until I tell them to relax and take deep breaths. Communicate with your therapist and let him/her know if the pressure is beyond your tolerance. If you are tightening the muscle being worked on, it is beyond an acceptable tolerance.

Many things affect how often you need to return and how long it will take to get a desired result. How long you've let the problem build, your daily activity and stress level, self care at home, hydration and other personal factors all affect how you respond to massage.

In General, I suggest the following:

• For maintenance, usually monthly. Depending on your work and stress level, you may need weekly maintenance sessions.
• You have an issue that you need relief from, but it does not interfere in your life: Weekly
• You have an issue that interferes in your life (can't turn your head to drive, conentrate at work...): Twice a Week

Listen to your body. If the plan is for you to come in weekly, and you feel the pain returning/escalating after 4 days, make an appointment and come in early. If you've made progress and feel you no longer need to come in weekly then plan to come in two weeks, but if you feel the pain returning sooner, make an appointment and come in.

You do not have to sign a contract. You can cancel at any time by telling your therapist or emailing. I do recommend emailing to ensure the message gets to who it needs to. If you have banked massages when you cancel, you can still use those massages, and you can share your membership with any member in your household. For more information on the club, go to Stellar Massage Club Information Page

You could get a relaxation massage every day if you like. For a deep tissue massage, you should not return until you no longer feel tender to the touch.

That depends on the situation.

▶ Massage before going to the Chiropractor:
Tight muscles pull at your spine and fight against it being moved. By receiving a massage prior to getting adjusted, you relax those tense muscles and allow for an easier adjustment that will last longer.

▶ Massage before going on vacation:
Massage has a snowball effect. The increased blood flow you get from receiving a massage brings healing and relaxation to tense muscles. As the muscle relaxes, the blood flow increases even more and you get even more healing and relaxation. Unfortunately, most of us go back to whatever stress or activity caused the tension in the first place and we stop that snowball effect before it can even begin rolling. By receiving a massage prior to your vacation, you give your body a chance to heal for a time before going back to whatever caused it in the first place.

▶ No massage on a day you are working those muscles out:
Consider having deep tissue work done on your shoulders a substitution for working your shoulders or get the massage on a day you are working your legs and don't work the shoulders.

▶ My ________ hurts:
You don't need to run to a massage therapist every time your shoulders ache a little, but if it continues for more than a few days, receiving a massage before it becomes a chronic issue is best. The longer you've been carrying tension, the longer it takes to release it.

▶ It hurts to move:
This is a no brainer, but I figured I should include it. Do keep in mind that massage is contra indicated for inflammation, so if you just sprained your ankle and it's swollen, wait until the swelling is gone to get it massaged. Any time your pain is due to an injury that has had you under a doctor's care, it's a good idea to ask the doctor if receiving a massage is OK.

▶ Prior to surgery for nerve compression issues:
I will never suggest that someone should not receive a surgery suggested by their doctor, but I do suggest that you try massage first. I have had a client come in with tingling fingers after 2 surgeries did not help. I found trigger points in her armpit area that relieved the tingling. I had a client who had disks in his neck fused and was told he'd have immediate relief; he did not, it actually hurt worse. He felt immediate relief in his neck and shoulder after the first massage and more relief with each subsequent massage. These are not our only stories. Keep in mind that people don't come to us when their surgery works, so once again, I want to stress that I am not saying that you should ignore your doctor, I am only suggesting you try massage first.

You get a full 60 minutes from the time I knock on the door of the room after you have had time to disrobe. I allow 10 minutes for your intake and undressing and 5 minutes for redressing and payment in addition to your reserved time. The 10 minutes for intake is usually adequate to absorb a few minutes of tardiness as well, but if you are more than a few minutes late your massage may have to be shortened. I try very hard not to shorten anyone's massage.

We work by appointment only. We are available broad hours so that we can accommodate people's schedules, but we do not hang out at the office hoping someone comes in. Unless we are in session when you call, we require at least two hours notice prior to a massage so that we have adequate time to finish what we are doing and get there. Booking on-line ALWAYS requires two hours notice.

You can leave on any clothing you do not feel comfortable removing. Do keep in mind though that leaving on your bra will affect the quality of the massage on your upper back and shoulders, and leaving on your underwear will affect the quality of the massage on your lower back, hips and upper legs.

Alabama law requires that you be draped during your massage. If the draping is too heavy or too light, let me know and I'll switch to a lighter drape or add a blanket. I can also turn the heating pad up or down.

We use unscented cream. If one of our therapists has a scented cream, they may offer it to you, but you can tell them you prefer unscented.

Most of us use a cream unless you ask for lotion or oil. Only oil should leave a residue on your body. If the cream on your feet wasn't completely rubbed in, it's easily wiped off with your sheet or a towel which you will find next to the hydrocollator (heat pack warmer).

The more body hair you have, the more cream I use. You shouldn't feel it pull, but if you do, just let me know and I'll add more cream to that area.

Upper back/shoulders, lower back/glutes, back of legs, feet, front of legs, arms, hands, upper chest, neck, head, face. I usually do not work the supperior part of adductors (high inner thighs) or the abdomen unless requested or permission is granted.

For me, the difference between deep tissue and relaxation massage is not the pressure, it's the attention paid to the knots and tension. I can use the same pressure in a firm relaxation as a deep tissue, the difference is that I'm not going to stop and poke and prod. Deep tissue literally means that we are working on deeper layers of tissue. The pressure we use will be determined not only by the feel of your tissue, but by your feedback and your pain tolerance. The pressures noted below are the beginning of our conversation about what you are looking for. Some areas I may be able to work DEEP and others light. I can list my general concept of each, but the application depends on you. All pressure and depth is based on communication from you throughout the massage.

☛ Please note that pressure does not equal pain. Happy muscles can take DEEP without hitting a 6 on my pain scale and a very unhappy muscle may hit an 8 with light pressure.

Relaxation Massage

• Light = Light pressure, meant to relax and destress you while avoiding causing pain from sore muscles.
• Firm = Firm pressure, meant to relax and destress you and relax your muscles. If your muscles are sore, this may cause some discomfort but we do not linger or poke and prod the sore areas.

Deep Tissue Massage

• Light = I use targeted techniques, but not a lot of pressure. Examples are light friction, quick superficial warming strokes and vibration. This is usually for those with extremely sore muscles that can't take much pressure or those with sore muscles who want the muscles worked with the minimum amount of discomfort.
• Moderate = I use more pressure but do not lean into it. Examples are moderate friction and compression and jostling.
• Firm = I use firm pressure, leaning into it, but stay off my elbow. Examples are firm friction and compression, stripping, and jostling.
• Deep = I use my forearm and elbow, which places more of my body weight on the area. Examples are the same as firm, only deeper.
• DEEP = I adjust myself to maximize the effect of my body mechanics and my weight.

A relaxation massage is a massage meant to relax your muscles and destress you without using the more painful targeted deep techniques. If you ask for a relaxation massage, I will not work sore muscles unless you ask me to, and then I will use more superficial methods, such as rapid warming strokes and vibration. Let me know if you want a "light" (I don't want it to hurt at all if possible) or a "firm" (don't go prodding me, but my muscles hurt and I need them worked) relaxation massage.

Deep tissue massage refers to techniques that probe deep into the tissue and/or that target specific problems in order to break up adhesions and relax and lengthen a muscle. Really sore and tight muscles may be able to take only light pressure, but I would apply it to your pain tolerance level to maximize the benefit from the massage. My goal is not to see how much pain you can take. For the most effective therapeutic work, it's best to work at a 6-8 on my pain scale.

We are the only ones that I know of that offer this as a menu item. The reason it's so hard to get a good really DEEP deep tissue massage is because some therapists just can't go that deep and also the pressure required puts a lot of strain on a therapist's joints. All that pressure is also being pushed INTO our joints, causing inflammation and damaging the bursa that pads the joints and eventually leads to arthritis. We charge $10 more per half hour because we have to rest longer between massages so we can recover and give the next client our best effort and we also need that extra time to proactively ice, stretch, and rub the overworked muscles and joints.

So why are we willing to do this? Because we enjoy the challenge these massages offer and we want to give you the massage you need. I'm not trying to discourage you from getting them, but I want you to understand why we are charging more. I've told my therapists that if you don't sign up for it, don't hurt themselves doing it. They need to stop wearing themselves out.

I previously said this was needed by people with thick dense musculature, and this is true, but we also have quite a few clients who are chronically tight and want and need this kind of pressure. If you sign up for DEEP deep tissue the extra recovery time will automatically be scheduled and you will be charged the fee for DEEP massage even if you end up not wanting that kind of pressure. If you are unsure, schedule a regular deep tissue massage. We don't call it a DEEP massage if we don't sustain that pressure for long and you will be able to judge if you want more of that kind of pressure the next time.

Swedish Massage is a specific style of massage that uses effleurage (smooth strokes), petrissage (kneading), tapotement (percussion), friction (superficial tissue rubbed against deeper tissue, usually in a short or circular motion), vibration and sometimes joint movement. It is commonly considered to be the same as relaxation massage, but is not. If you ask for a Swedish Massage I will clarify if you want a relaxation massage and if you want it limited to those strokes or if you just wanted to make sure all those strokes were also included. Swedish does not include common relaxation massage techniques such as skin rolling, traction, myofacial release, occipital release, gentle stretching, or hair pulling (hair tugging? hair traction? not sure if it has an official term but people who don't mind their hair being messed with love it.)

Also known as "Trigger Point Therapy". When a muscle impinges on a nerve it sends confusing messages to the brain. It can result in feelings such as pain, burning, tingling, or numbness in a remote area which is served by that nerve because if your brain thinks your fingers are tingling, they tingle. In Neuromuscular Therapy, pressure is applied to the spot on a muscle that is impinging on the nerve in order to relieve that pressure and also usually involves a protocol to work the entire muscle or area to releave tension that contributes to it. I have charts on the wall representing the most common areas of referred sensation and the point in the muscle that causes that sensation. We can use these charts to help determine which areas need to be focused on.

The methods themselves are the same as deep tissue, but as the name "Neuro" and "Muscular" indicate, the focus is on problem solving the cause of the remote sensation and not just working painful areas. If you feel a stabbing sensation in your shoulder blade, rubbing the shoulder blade won't help if the problem is an impinged nerve in your neck.

Fascia is connective tissue that lines your skin, muscles, nerves, organs, and every cell of your body. Fascia runs uninterrupted from the top of your head to the tip of your toes, and like a sweater caught by a nail, tension on one area of fascia can affect areas seemingly unconnected in a more remote area of your body. Ever feel a crunchiness when you rub a sore area? That is most likely fascia, which instead of being in a gel like state that allows everything to move smoothly has become more glue-like and is sticking.

Myofacial release concentrates on relieving pain by releasing restrictions in the connective tissue using various techniques. Depending on how bad your tissue is stuck, it can be painful. Skin rolling can feel amazing to healthy tissue and very painful if the facia is stuck. Cupping is a myofacial technique that can also be painful, but very effective. Not all techniques hold the risk of pain, localized traction is gentle.

You sit in a massage chair (not the vibrating kind, the kind you straddle and lean forward against a sternum cushion and rest your face in a face rest). You remain clothed during the massage. This kind of massage is usually shorter than a table massage and performed in a public place.

Call me as soon as possible so I can cancel the gift certificate and issue a new one. If the gift certificate is redeemed prior to you informing me, then you're out of luck.

Gift certificates you purchase are good for 5 years.

I originally answered this: "Tips are appreciated, but are not required." That's the politic answer. It doesn't really answer your question though, does it? Searching the internet will bring you conflicting results. My personal experience is that most people tip $10 to $20 for a 60 minute massage, some tip more, some don't tip at all. My personal feeling is that I feel good about a massage when a client expresses appreciation for an exceptional massage even if it is verbally with no tip.