Clients often ask me what they can do after their massage to help maintain the work that was done during our session – stretches or exercises that can be done at home, using heat or cold, and so on. Self-care after your massage is important, especially when you’re recovering from an injury. But it’s also helpful to do a few things before your appointment to help your mind and body get in the right place to receive. I love to tell clients a massage is very much like a vacation: Sometimes the anticipation is almost as important as the event itself.
Here are a few simple things you can do in advance to make sure your massage is the best experience possible:
- Give yourself an adequate time-buffer before your appointment. We all live busy lives but try if you can to not schedule so much on the day of your massage that you’re rushed to get to there on time. If you’re stressed out walking in the door, having just fought traffic or the CTA, that’s more work your brain and body has to do to ease into a relaxed mindset.
- Massage is very much like exercise in that you have a better experience if you’ve been mindful of what you’ve been taking into your body in the hours (and even day) before. Be well-hydrated when you come in for your session. Have a light snack beforehand so that your appetite is sated, but you’re not overly full.
- Have in mind what specifically you would like to address in your session. Has work stress caused a flair up of back pain? Has driving long hours put your hips and legs in a state of disarray? Or would you benefit most from simply a session that addresses the full-body, and allows your mind and body to unwind? Many of us have social anxiety, with an extra stress of feeling like we have to be “on” for others. Having thought about what you want to see before having arrived for your session can help offset that anxiety.
- To further the previous point… I’ve been thinking off and on for a while about how to put this out there, and maybe it’s best to say it as plainly as possible: If you find yourself having a rough mental health day on the day of your session, and just don’t want to be “on”, feel free to text me in advance and say so. It’ll relieve you of the pressure to make any extra, unnecessary small talk, and I’ll know to keep discussion to a minimum. I do my best to read folks and follow their social cues, but if it’s helpful to give me a little extra heads up, please feel free to do so.
- One last, weird thing: If you wear contact lenses, and your eyes are sensitive, dry out easy, etc., consider wearing your glasses on the day of your session. Lying face down sometimes has the effect of drying your eyes out, leading to some mild discomfort after your session.
Thanks for reading. I hope this was helpful, and I look forward to seeing you at our next session.
Warm Regards,
Dennis
P.S. The holidays are soon upon us. Keep an eye out for gift certificate specials in the upcoming weeks.