MASSAGE
Why Massage?
The benefits of massage are numerous! Whether you are looking to induce a coma like sense of relaxation, a way to relieve tension and stress that has accumulated in the body or to assist in the healing of a clinical condition or injury, MASSAGE CAN HELP!!
By manipulating the soft tissues and joints of the body, massage will help to increase your range of motion, aide in increasing your flexibility, promote the movement of lymph through the body, as well as increase your circulation.
But the thing massage is most known for is inducing a deep and almost sedative state of relaxation. And we could all use a bit more of that in our lives!! Massage does this by stimulating our parasympathetic nervous system (see what we did there! ) which controls our rest and digest cycle. This allows us to slip into a calm state of rest and relaxation. It is during this state that our body does its best work - returning our body back to its natural balance and down regulating our “fight or flight response.” This allows us to combat the frustrations and stress of modern living, to step away from the noise and the chaos, and allows us to focus on shoring up our mental and physical faculties, while bolstering our immune system.
This is the type of massage, we at Pair of Sympathetic Hands are known for. We like to specialize in combating the stress of modern living, the guilt of not being everything to everyone and shoring up our mental health by focusing on self care, tension release and quiet contemplation.
Why don’t you come see what our two hands can do!!
***** While massage can of course help with many ailments and injuries, ALWAYS seek medical care from a licensed physician for any new or worsening symptoms and/or unknown conditions.
What Massage is NOT…
Massage in a clinical setting such as ours is NOT sexual in nature. That type of ‘personal massage’ is best suited to the confines of your own home with the significant other in your life. And as such both you, as the client, and your therapist, as a clinician, should be able to expect a session free of suggestive inuendo, inappropriate comments and especially, inappropriate touch. All physical contact within the clinic space should be therapeutic in nature - whether that therapeutic goal is rehabilitation, pain relief or relaxation.
If a therapist is required to treat an area that may be deemed sensitive in nature, they must discuss it with you prior to beginning treatment This includes providing the clinical reasoning for treating that area, explaining the exact nature of the treatment in that area, and getting your written consent - prior to even beginning treating the area.
If at any time you feel uncomforatble with the nature of your treatment, please speak up. Stop the session immediately and ask the therapist for clarification. If addressing your concerns with the therapist is too intimidating, please speak to the clinic owner. Hopefully the situation is one of an easily resolvable misunderstanding but please rest assured inappropriate behaviour on the part of a therapist or a client will not be tolerated. We will absolutely report any and all harassing, abusive or solicitous behaviour whether by the client or therapist to the appropriate authorities for investigation and if necessary to pursue legal action.
Massage Protocols
Schedule Your Appointment
Before
Please note: all sessions are by appointment only and same day availability is rare, so please book accordingly. When you book your appointment, be sure to give us your preferred method of contact so we can send you appointment reminders! We will send that reminder the day before your appointment. When choosing an appointment time, try to pick at a date and time where you will not have to rush out and head back to work or other obligations. This would be counter productive to our primary goal - which is of course relaxation!
The day of your appointment, please arrive 5 minutes prior to your appointment. While we understand life and traffic sometimes gets in the way, unfortunately appointments are often booked back to back so end times are rarely flexible.
Typically most clients prefer to undress to some extent for their appointment and scientific studies have shown that skin to skin contact is the most effective way to receive massage, however, you can still also wear form fitting sports bras, bike shorts or the like - if that will make you more comfortable. We will discuss these things in your initial visit. And of course, no need to be shy, we have seen bodies in all shapes, sizes, ages and various states of health.
Please be prepared to tell us about your health history or any changes to it since our last visit, however small, as this information may impact the safety of your session.
Please do not come to the session if you are ill or experiencing symptoms of a contagious illness such as the flu, cold or rash etc.
If you have any infections, open sores, broken or dislocated bones or uncontrolled medical conditions, please contact us prior to your appointment to ensure it is safe to treat you.
Try not to eat a heavy meal or fill up on caffeine prior to your appointment. Depending on the length of your session you may want to use the washroom facilities prior to beginning the session, so leave appropriate time.
Client Receiving a Massage
During
Upon your arrival we will take or review your health history and complete any physical assessments we deem necessary. (We understand that you are excited to get started with your massage but a thorough review and assessment is critical to a safe and effective treatment, especially in initial visits. ) We will then discuss your goals for the day’s session and review any pertinent allergy information.
We will then discuss with you in detail our intended course of treatment, including positioning, pillowing and undressing instructions. We will discuss your right to give (and withdraw) consent to all aspects of the treatment - at any time, as well as your rights regarding respect and privacy.
The room will be prepared in a manner that makes it both hygenic and aesthetically pleasing. This will include sanitizing all high contact areas between clients and may include things like low lighting, music, pillows and table warmers. We rarely use highly scented fragrances but if you have an allergy or intolerance, please let us know before arrival. Our goal is to ensure that you are comfortable and able to relax so that you may receive the full benefits of the massage.
Each massage is as unique as the individual receiving it but there are a couple of things we can address here.
First - An effective massage does not require deep pressure and in fact, many times it may be counter productive. Our bodies are designed to instinctively guard against pain so any pressure that your body recognizes as too intense (whether you believe it to be or not) will cause it to tense up and resist the work we are doing. Thereby making it counterproductive. For this reason it is CRITICAL that you are honest about how your massage is feeling with regards to pressure and/or pain. We will accomplish nothing if we are “trying to swim upstream.”
Secondly - Each massage will be reflective of the areas your body requires work on. It is all well and fine to set a treatment plan for a session that works your neck, shoulders and back but if there are mutliple deep rooted trigger points (often spoken of as “knots”) in let’s say your traps, the amount of time it takes to relieve those issues may not leave enough time to work on all the other areas we were hoping to target. Alternately, if the areas we designated for treatment are quick to release their tension, we may be able to incorprate additional aeas into the session. Treatment plans and goals are guide posts not absolutess and therefor we may need to be more fluid in our sessions, as sadly our time is not infinte. Rest assured though we can and will tackle any unresolves issues at future sessions.
Stretching and Water are Always Advisable!
After
After the session we encourage you to drink some water. Most people do not drink enough water and are often in a state of dehydration. This will help with that. We also advise avoiding heavy meals, and alcohol immediately after the session as we don’t want to hamper all that we have acheived by taxing the body with extra work to rebalance. We also encourage you to do some light exercise / gentle movement after your session. Now this doesn’t mean run to the gym for some hard core weight training or aerobics! Some light stretching, yoga or tai chi or even a slow walk around the block or house is more than sufficient. This helps to keep our bodies from tightening backup and keeps the circulation going! All of which will bolster the effects of the massage treatment!
Some common and normal side effects you may experience after your massage include redness in the area of the massage, tenderness, possibly even some slight swelling, all of which should dissipate within 24hrs. If you experience heavy bruising, excessive pain or pain that lasts more than 24-48hrs, please notify me so that way we can adjust our treatment plan for future sessions as these effects are excessive. Adverse effects such as sudden intense headaches, blurred vision, dizziness or numbness are rare but should be investigated by your health care practioner immediately. Generally how a massage affects you is as dependent on you as it is on the treatment. Some people feel sedated and sleepy, others revitalized and energized. Both are entirely normal.
I will send a follow up message within 48 hrs post session to see how you are feeling and to collect information for your file with regards to post session benefits, side effects and general impressions. This will allow us to determine what, if anything, needs to be changed, eliminated or added to your next appointment.
You can of course choose any time frame during which to receive your next session; however, it is not recommended to receive sessions within 48 hrs of one another as your body needs time to heal and rebalance. For maintenance of chronic conditions (diabetes, fibromyalgia, recurring headaches, anxiety or stress,) it is recommended to seek monthly sessions. For more acute injuries - thrown backs, pulled muscles, slips and falls, or accidents - you may require visits every 2-3 wks. Of course weekly self care is important and we will in all likelihood recommend some home care self care for you. Please make an effort to complete any recommended self care as your health is in your hands as much as it is mine!