Best of Washington 2012

Woohoo!!!

My Apologies

My job revolves around making people feel better. Clients tell me they look forward to seeing me all day, all week in fact! There is no way anyone can get upset with me..... Of course there is! 1. Some new clients get lost and they do not call to ask where I am until they are already over half an hour late for their appt. They get upset when I do not answer at that point or when I cannot give them the full session time. 2. I don't go deep enough. In my pain series I discussed about pain perception and when nothing is deep enough. 3. People get annoyed when their pain or discomfort is not 100% eradicated after 1 60 minute massage. 4. Sometimes clients schedule an appt. then place it on the wrong day in their digital device. They then get annoyed at me when I do not have an opening for over a week to come back in. The list goes on, but the reactions from clients range from deep sighs to out right yelling at me. Perhaps I am not a good match for them....

Hours

My schedule is pretty set in stone. My husband and I do not use daycare so my working schedule is dictated by my "other life". I understand everyone is busy so I do offer a variety of options for appointments. I have 2 evenings a week where I work until 9pm. Saturdays are a good weekend day to get work done and I also see appts. on ThursDAYS or FriDAYS. I have every time/day combo out there. We just have to match up our schedules. If you are too busy and nothing works, I am sorry.

Never Say This to Your Massage Therapist....

Clients occasionally say things that make me cringe. I am sure they hit home with other MT's as well.

1. "That was a nice and relaxing massage." (with an obvious fake tone)
2. "You don't look strong enough to give me a deep tissue massage."
3. "I hurt here and here. I want you to work on just my traps b/c that is where it is coming from."
4. "Rub the muscle like this...." Then procede to show me on my arm.
5. "Why am I still in pain." With an accusatory tone.
6. "Since I couldn't get in immediately I went to Massage Envy instead."
7. "I have never received a professional massage, but I am sure it is just like when my spouse rubs my shoulders."
8. "I usually do not like getting massages from women because they are not strong enough, but I had no other option
right now." (This is worse when it comes from a woman)
9. "You worked on the wrong area. I told you I hurt here and you worked around the area." (with anger)
10."I usually have so-and-so walk on back. But for some reason it did not help this time."
11. "Your room is real nice, but I would like it better if you had a fountain. I recently saw one tha matches your
leaf dish for $150. Do you want the link?" (Note: I purchased the leaf dish at Kohl's for about 5 bucks)
12. "I know my gift certificate expired over a year ago, but I want you to accept it anyways." (which I do b/c DC
has a 5year GC law)
13. "Can you please go deeper. I can't feel it." (While I apply all 135lbs. of my weight into my elbow while using
my other arm to push off the wall for more force).
14. "You're so young, you'll understand some day." Some people think I am in my early 20's

Thankfully I enjoy a good challange and each time I hear one of the above, the client leaves happy after I explain some things.

Helpful Hint: Not a good idea to insult your massage therapist before the session.

Hello?

In this day and age one would think it would be easy to get in touch with anyone! We all have a landline, cell phone, multipl emails, Facebook, etc. So why can you not get ahold of me to ask questions to make an appointment? I am busy. :) Simple as that. My job requires me to be unplugged while I am working as to not disturb the client. Also, when I am not working as a massage therapist , I am working at my other job which is being a mom. I despise talking "talking" to people on the phone while they are really tlakign to and dealing with their kids. I think it is quite unprofessional to be talking to a client while my 2year old is asking me why he cannot color on the table instead of paper. It is rude to you. If you want to speak to me, leave me a message and I will call you between 1-4 and after 8 when I can give you my complete undivided attention. You can also email me and I will certainly get back to you much quicker. My website, www.dcdeeptissuemassage.com is quite thorough. So for basic questions, please reference that source.

Pain Series: Part 6

We all have limits. Some clients, for a variety of reasons, do not have pain/pressure limits. There have been instances when I have told a client that I will not go any deeper. There have been a handful of clients where I am working on trigger points with my thumbs, then knuckles, then forarms, then elbows, and finally my TP tool. Then with my 100 and some pounds of weight and force behind the work it is still not enough. I try to decipher why asking questions about pain medication, an acute injury etc. I will sometimes not go deeper because it will exacerbate a current injury, or damage tissue because the client is not perceiving the pressure correctly. Then here are instances where there is simply no reason for the pressure perceptions to be off and I simply do not have the strength to go any deeper. They usally do nto come back and that is alright. In that instance I would suggest going to a Trager or Shiatsu Therapist.

Pain Series: Part 5 of 6

We have clearly established that a deep tissue massage can be painful. There are reasons why a massage can be perceived as being more or less painful then reality. Reasons why a massage may not feel deep enough when I am working quite deep: 1. You are taking pain medication. Of course if you are on pain medication, your nociceptors are not going to communicate the pain/pressure sensation as well. 2. Acute Inflamamtion: You had a massage a few weeks ago from someone and it hurt a lot but you felt great afterwards. You come to me and you're worried because it does not feel as deep. Is it still helpful? You betchya! When you originally went in your pain was most likley acute. Any moderate pressure would have probably caused you discomfort. Now, you come to me after you are feeling better, the area is not as inflammed nor senstive. Hence, the pressure does not seem as deep. 3. Technique. Every massage therapist has their own technique. Even those that went to class together end up giving totally different massages. My technique involves thorough warming up of the muscle. Just like you wouldn't go in the gym and immediately start weight lifting, I do not immediately start "digging in". Warming the muscles up longer makes the fibers more pliable. I can go deeper into the muscle tissue and you will have a longer lasting affect. This may make you perceive the massage as softer than a previous therapist, but I guarentee you are still getting an amazing massage! ;) 4. Speed of Massage Strokes: If I am only working on one muscle group for an hour or so, I have a lot of time to troubleshoot your issue. No need to rush. I can slowly work on stretching the myofascial layers and getting in real deep to the knots and trigger points. Again, the massage will be more thorough and gentle, yet deep and effective. The slowness feels liek the pressure is not always as deep, but it certainly is the exact same level pressure.

Pain Series: Part 4 of 6

Sometimes one can feel sore a day or two after a massage. Sometimes I get sore after a massage. There are a few reasons for this: 1. Did you drink the extra water like I had suggested? It is so important to stay well hydrated after you receive a massage. Reasoning? That's another post.... 2. Massage can be like a workout and it does release some lactic acid. Just like you can be sore after a good workout, you can be sore after a good deep tissue massage. For the record, I do skip my workouts the day I get a massage. :) 3. When our muscles are tight,the fibers are shorter as there are parts of the muscle held in contracture. That muscle cannot function at it's full potential. It is weaker and other surrounding muscles have to pick up the slack. When you get a massage and loosen the muscles, they all have to go back to fucntional normally again. In that reorganizing period, you can experience some soreness or discomfort.

Pain Series: Part 3 of 6

It does not have to hurt to help! There is a perception out there that the deeper and more painful a massage, the more good it will do. Of course if I can give a thorough deepER massage, I can accomplish more in your muscles. I am here to help you and not to hurt you. If the pressure is simply too much, your muscles will tighten up in response to guard your body. When this happens I accomplish nothing. Also, if the pressure is too deep for your body, you have an increased risk of being sore the following day from the massage itself. I am here soley for you. So tell me it is too much and I can adjust my pressure and technique to make sure you comfortable as well as receiving a good deep tissue massage.

Pain Series: Part 2 of 6

Is it normal to feel pain during a massage? Yes and no. You have all heard me talk about "Exquisite Pain". This is when I am working out a trigger point and it hurts, but feels really good at the same time. You know that after a moment or 2 of discomfort the muscle will loosen and you will feel much better. During a deep tissue massage and working on trouble shooting specific muscular issues you will experience a certain level of discomfort. It is up to you to let me know if it is too much. You need to listen to your body and then tell me when the pressure is too deep, or of course, not deep enough. On occasion, certain positions while laying on the table can be uncomfortbale. You should not be in pain from simply laying there because of the table set up. Let me know immediately so I can adjust the face cradle, bolster, etc.

Pain Series: Part 1 of 6

The majority of my clients make an appointment because of pain; chronic pain, acute pain, injury pain, stress pain, or life pain. Why is massage an effective pain management tool? Because massage is directly getting at the source of the pain. You complain of arm pain and slight shoulder tightness. I work on your shoulder muscles to alleviate the restriction on the nerves and blood vessels going down to your arm effecting those muscles. Sure pain medication helps A LOT, but it is simply masking the pain not getting at the root of it. Am I against popping a pill to get thru the day or to sleep well? Of course not! It is just not a permanent fix. There are thousands of studies that have proven massage is a useful tool in dealing with pain in all walks of life and health.

When Do I Stretch?

There are many different forms of stretching that work for different body types. Studies show that it is imperative to warm up prior to working out, but not necessarily stretching. Though I know many people that are in pain the next day if they do not stretch between the warm up and the workout. There are those that stretch all throughout the workout. Then there are those, like me, that just stretch at the end of the workout. You need to figure out or work with a professional to figure out what is best for your body and workout regimine.

Is Yoga Enough?

Many clients assume because they are taking Yoga classes they do not have to stretch any other time. Yoga is a wonderful stretching session, but mostly it is a strengthening workout. It does not replace the daily stretching we all need to maintain our busy and physical lifestyles. You can take those poses wher eyou feel a good stretch and apply that to your daily routine.

Are you stretching enough?

Every client that walks thru my door gets asked how often they stretch. It is usually not enough, if at all. If you think of every prolonged activity as a workout, youc an then set those same standards. If you are going to be sitting at your desk for 9 hours, warm up your upper body and take multiple breaks a day to stretch your upper body. Nothing serious and long, simply a few minutes here and few minutes here. Standing on your feet all day? Take a brisk walk or do some jumping jacks. Take a break, lift your feet up and then stretch your low back, hips and legs. Can't find the time or get lost in your work? Set your appointment reminder son your computer so you don't have to remember.

I surrender!

For those that know me, know that I heartily dislike running.  If you can do it safely, wonderful.  Good for you!   But I cannot do it.  I don't like it and I never felt good about it.  If I am running it is b/c there is a ball being kicked in front of me, or a masked gunman is chasing me thru the park.  It was nighttime after a long stressful day and I had my workout looming ahead of me.  I had the urge to just go somewhere, anywhere.  So I decided to put on my sneakers and hightail it outta there at 9pm.  I jogged on and off for about 30 minutes.  I felt amazing for about 10 minutes, then I felt old and hurt all over the rest of the night.  I was so confused:  How come I can do Insanity and P90X just fine and not this? 

The next day I woke up and felt amazing.  You know that chronic back pain I told you about last week?   It was 100% gone the next day.  There is no way it can be from running.  So I tried it again a few days later.  I did not feel like I drank half a bottle of red wine afterwards and the next day my back felt amazing! 

There are 2 reasons for this:
1. Since I am not used to this type of workout, I am sure I am stretching a lot more afterwards than I usually do.
2. I think the running motion is actually stretching and loosening up some of those hard to reach back muscles.

I will continue to try running here and there for the above reasons and let's face it, We could all use a little more aerobic activity.  Here's to trying something new!!

I Get It.

All my clients think I float thru life without an ache nor pain.  That I simply could not understand what they are going thru.  But I do.  I don't usually like to talk about it as I thought it was bad for business.  Though now I think it is important that you know that I do understand how you feel and do know what it is like.  I tore muscular attachments and sprained some muscles 2 years ago, all in the lower back area.  With raising a bigger child and the work I do, there is simply no time to rest.  I do all of the important core exercises, stretch whenever I can and of course utilize proper body mechanics as much as possible.  There are some days it is just not enough or.... I forget.  Yes, even I sometimes forget these things as well. 

So you buck up, do your acute anti-inflammatory regime and move on.  I just wanted you to know that I do understand where you are coming from and hopefully that comes across in my delivery of advice.

Spa Wages

I recently found out that some spas pay their massage therapist an hourly wage.  Some may think this is a good idea, as there are slow days where a comission based pay would leave the MT empty handed.  An hourly wage is very uncommon in the massage industry.  It is because it is a service based industry.  You get paid for the actual service you provide.  There are 2 things wrong with this.  The most obvious one is total income.  An hourly pay is good if the MT has a slow day and hardly works.  They at least know they are getting something for their time.  What happens when they have a busy day and provide 5 massages at over a $100 each?  Then the MT is working quite hard and making small fraction of what the spa is receiving.  The other problem is quality.  if a MT is not getting paid for the service they provide, they don't need to work as hard, as well nor worry about retention.  If they are not getting paid for what they do, why do it well?  So not only are they not getting paid fairly, but the type of MT's drawn to this structure are interns, those right out of school, or slackers (every profession has them).  There are exceptions to the rule.  There are some MT's that work in spas that are decent and some spas pay alright, just know what you are actually paying for.  An expensive massage at a spa is most likely a swedish massage but with a nice robe, tea, munchies, and a beautiful lounge to wait in.  It's the ambiance you are paying for, not the quality of massage work.