If you’ve never had a massage before, we want to assure you that we always aim to provide patients with an excellent experience at every session. Our massages are all custom-tailored to meet the unique needs of each person. When you arrive, we’ll have you fill out a case history form and massage consent form.
Meeting Your Therapist
After completing the paperwork, your massage therapist will greet you. Once you’re in a private treatment room, they’ll ask if you have any conditions on the health history form that would affect your massage.
The massage therapist will then guide you through the process of how the massage works, how you will need to get undressed to your comfort level, and how the draping is used. During most sessions, a person will be under the covers primarily undressed with shirt and pants off, depending on the areas being massaged. Rest assured that you will be appropriately draped at all times. For optimal results, skin-on-skin contact is best.
The Massage
You would be instructed to cover up with a sheet or blanket, and either lie face down or face up depending on the area being addressed. Your therapist will step out of the room to give you time to get undressed, and will knock before entering the room.
Again, you will be draped throughout your massage. Only the areas that will be worked on will be exposed. Some patients will need to turn onto their back after the first portion of the massage. If this is required, the massage therapist will hold the sheet up to allow you to turn over.
Home Care Instructions
When your session is over, you will be given time to dress in private. The therapist will return to the room when you’re done.
Next, you will be given home care instructions. These include drinking plenty of water and taking a warm bath or shower to help rehydrate the muscles after a massage. Why is this important? Lactic acid is released from the muscles during a massage. It’s essential to flush that out, as soreness and muscle tension may result from the lactic acid release. A warm shower or bath flushes it out of the system.
We will give you exercises to help keep the muscles loose, rather than letting them tighten up between massage sessions. Most people carry tension daily. We will also give you some stretches to do and let you know how to recover from delayed onset muscle soreness following your massage. This soreness will happen less frequently as you receive regular massage therapy.
It’s also a good idea to rest after your massage.
Book a Session
The final step is to book your next appointment according to your therapist recommended treatment plan. Pre-booking your next appointment will ensure you get a date and time that works for your schedule and allows the RMT to build on the progress made during the first session. Contact us today to schedule a convenient session with one of our massage therapists!