Frequently Asked Questions

A Medical Massage Practitioner (MMP) has advanced training in using massage to work on common medical conditions such as Sciatica, Whiplash, Frozen Shoulder, Post Surgical and Post Injury recovery, and a myriad of other conditions where soft tissue, joints, and connective tissues cause pain or disfunction. Massage is now one of the most prescribed complimentary treatments by medical doctors.  MMP's can work independently or hand in hand with your doctor, chiropractor, or physical therapist.  (Ask your physician for a prescription for massage or manual therapy, and it can be paid for with your HSA or FSA funds) 

The MMP takes the whole body into account not just looking "where it hurts" but rather figures out where the source of the pain actually is.  All MMP's, including myself, can always do the simple Zen style relaxing Swedish massage if that is what you are looking for, however I can go way beyond that to address many aches, pains, and conditions that many people think they "just have to live with."

Absolutely!!  We as human beings are creatures of touch.  In today's world we are plugged in and connected more than ever before, but at the same time have less REAL connection than ever before.  Given the covid situation that is 100 fold more so.  Seeking professional massage is a safe and effective way to get one of the most basic needs of human kind ... human touch.  A recent study by the Mayo Clinic showed that just one hour of massage reduced the fight or flight stress hormone Cortisol by 30% and increased the feel good hormone Serotonin by 28%; all without the side effects of anxiety and mood drugs handed out like candy these days.  Touch is not only a psychological need, it is central to our health and wellbeing.  

When you develop a relationship with an independent therapist both are able to work together to come up with a long range plan to improve your health, range of motion, and integrated bodily function.  Unfortunately, many clients never experience more than what the commercial spas offer.  

The little secret that the commercial spas don't want you to know is that you end up paying the same if not more for the same amount of time, however the spa pockets the majority of that and the person actually laying hands on you is making on average $15 to $20 an hour at best.  Then that same person is doing back to back sessions all day long with only 5 to 10 minutes between and little if any history, so you're basically starting over every time.  Don't get me wrong, there are many dedicated, well meaning therapists in the commercial spas but are often relatively new and gaining experience to one day open their own practice.

Then there is what is called scope.  Commercial Spas live and die on volume, so they severely restrict what their therapists are allowed to do in a session.  If you have significant issues like hip pain or chronic low back pain the therapist will need to dig into the region and other supporting areas, but "house rules" in the commercial spas don't even allow their therapists to "go there" literally and figuratively.  Glutes and hip flexors are often "off limits" but are critical for actually resolving the problem.  You may get off the table "relaxed" over all and sense pain relief but it's like putting air in a tire that has a nail ... you'll quickly end up right back where you started. 

Basically think Fast Food vs Gourmet Restaurant 

A day doesn't go by on various professional discussion groups that a client doesn't pop in and ask the question "is what my Massage Therapist did normal".  

If anyone tells you you will need "X number of sessions" over the phone without ever seeing or examining you please politely hang up and find a different provider.  I have had people come in after a significant car accident and found that they are doing remarkably well.  I have also had people come in for simple relaxation and found extensive trigger points and them admitting that they had chronic pain that they thought they "just had to live with."

As a general rule, if you are looking into integrating massage into your over all health regimen, and have never had regular massage; I would generally advise to book weekly or bi-weekly appointments (about 4 to 6 times) to allow your therapist to learn the terrain of your body, identify problem areas, and establish a plan to deal with those areas and bring you into balance and a condition of homeostasis.  After that, depending on your activity level and stress factors, you could start a maintenance schedule of bi-weekly or monthly. 

There is a quote from one of the pioneers of body work Ida Rolf that says "Where it hurts, it ain't".  Modern medicine wraps it self up in treating symptoms (where it hurts) rather than figuring out and dealing with the actual cause which can be completely in another area.  Although this applies to the body as a whole, I used the question above for the example, because it's part of one of the most common problems we see day in and day out ... Upper Crossed Syndrome.  This comes from hours hunched over a computer, extended driving, or all day curled forward with your head down looking at your phone.  It often manifests itself as "upper back / shoulder pain" but is actually an entire body system that is out of wack.  In keeping with the example ... we work the pecs (chest) because when we are hunched forward all day the chest muscles become shortened and tight, creating a tug of war with our back (a little more complicated than that), typically the back looses that tug of war, and Viola ... you have back pain.  Once we soften and loosen the pecs it allows the shoulders to roll back like their supposed to, the shoulder blades to fall back into place (pec minor pulls them up and over), and allows the back muscles to relax and release the knots that are creating pain.  You can apply this to any part of the body, it's a wonderfully balanced machine ... until it isn't. 

Don't be confused by what you commonly see in the commercial spas with pricing sheets and marketing schemes that "Up-charge" for all manner of gimmicks.  In my practice I use Swedish, Trigger Point, Deep Tissue, Asian Cupping, Myoskeletal Alignment, Hot Stone, a bit of Thai Stretching and many other's depending on what your needs are.  As a true therapist my main concern is moving your body and health in a better direction, and each of those "up-sell" modalities are just tools in my tool box to help me accomplish that goal.  No "custom upgrades" here, as everything about our time together is custom from start to finish.

No you don't have to get undressed for your massage, however for the quality of massage it's kind of like playing the piano with mittens on.  A massage therapist relies heavily on palpation, or being able to feel subtle differences in muscle tissue to detect things such as trigger points (knots), hypertensive muscles, and muscle groups that have strayed from their proper alignment.

Through the practice of draping, being covered with a sheet or towel, only the area that the therapist is working on is exposed.  Understand that a massage therapist is not looking at your "butt cheek", but rather sees the Gluteus Maximus, Gluteus Medius, Gluteus Minimus and the external hip rotators such as the Piriformis that lie underneath, all of which can be major contributors to lower back and hip pain.  

Absolutely not ... but ... there are some legitimate therapeutic techniques that might cause pain.  

I have clients that are simply "touch starved" that only want nurturing touch, commonly called "Effleurage" in professional massage lingo. This is gentle rhythmic sweeping massage strokes which the best simple way to describe is how you would commonly pet a cat. It can be extremely relaxing. Many therapists are so accustom to mostly doing deeper therapeutic work that it's important you specifically ask for this type of massage if that is what you want.

Often times a therapist will start out with Effleurage to relax the client, and at the same time they are palpating / scanning looking for tight problem areas commonly called trigger points.  Muscle is a collection of sliding filaments that contract when we need movement or strength, and are supposed to relax back into their resting length. These filaments can become locked up which is a common source for pain and disfunction.  The typical manner to "release" these knots or trigger points is direct force.  This force can be as gentle as heat, or as targeted as focused myo-facial release techniques depending on the location and condition of the trigger point.  Often times the "trigger point" may be located in a muscle that is multiple layers deep and the therapist will have to work through those layers to get the trigger point to release.  On a pain scale of 1 to 10, the therapist will use about a 6 or a 7 when working directly to release the knot or trigger point.  Your therapist should first discuss with you about how important it is for the two of you to communicate during this so that you can give feed back so the therapist stays in this therapeutic zone. 

Lastly on this topic there are some therapists, and many more clients that are of the mind set of "No Pain No Gain".  Although a good aggressive massage may leave you sore the next day similar to the day after a good workout, and yes some techniques might cause a wince or two, overall, a good therapist can back off on pressure to stay in your comfort level and simply take more time to accomplish your therapeutic goals.

Basically because the law requires it.  Massage of the female breast is legal in the State of Texas, and most states, when done by a Licensed Massage Therapist.  The only requirement by law is that it is included in the intake form, and that it is agreed to in writing prior to the beginning of each session.  

This is a bit of a hold over due to cultural over sexualization of the breast.  There are many legitimate health reasons for the practice, most of which can be done at home, but also by a therapist.  The following are just some examples ...

• Breasts have extensive Lymphatic drainage just like all parts of the body, and that system requires either bodily motion or manual manipulation to move waste products along and out of the area as the lymphatic system does not have a "pulse" like the circulatory system.  When the breasts are held constricted & motionless in a bra for 3/4 of the day those waste systems are held stagnant and waste products build up causing problems such as cystic breasts particularly during certain portions of a woman's cycle and even potentially cancer long term if the build up leads to toxicity.

• Many women have breast implants either from personal choice, or reconstruction after something like breast cancer related mastectomy.  Massage can greatly assist in the recovery and maintenance from such a procedure.  One of the areas that Massage is very good is in scar tissue management which can minimize build up and soften scarred areas to return the skin to pliability so there is no restriction in movement. 

• Skin is much like muscle in that it responds to challenging stimulation to encourage growth and resilience.  Again our cultural norm of encasing the breast in a bra for the majority of the day actually weakens the breast and skin tissue often causing more sagging.  Massage and "dry brushing" can stimulate collagen production and actually bring back youthful resilience to the breasts.  It's a catch 22 in that the use of bras centers around a "culturally perfect shape" but actually weakens the skin and connective tissues which make that shape naturally.

• Just like any other area of the body the breast can become constricted in blood flow, and can affect surrounding muscle systems and movement.  The breast is made up almost entirely of Fascia which is a major target of massage throughout the body where trigger points are released to open up blood flow and free range of movement.

These are just a few examples ... whether you do this yourself at home, or choose to have a Licensed Massage Therapist make it a part of your regular treatment is up to you, but don't miss out on this important part of a healthy body routine.  

Here is a great web site by a breast expert / advocate Cheryl Chapman to get you started at home, she has a brochure done in a light hearted manner but the information is solid ... It's titled "Phluff the Girls"

I do not bill insurance.  You will find extremely few Massage Therapists that bill insurance.  Although massage is now one of the most recommended complementary treatments by the medical community, the insurance companies haven't caught up and will actually fight tooth and nail to deny claims.  The best bet to try to get body work on your insurance is to work with a Chiropractor or Physical Therapist with an imbedded Massage Therapist as they can often bill in such a way to get it covered however that will only be in 15 minute increments and targeted treatment only, not general relaxation.