How Can I Make the Most of My Massage?

So, you’ve scheduled a massage therapy appointment at Listening Hand Therapeutic Massage because your body is in pain or you have an injury that’s stopping you from doing the things you want to do. Or, perhaps you are just looking to relax and de-stress or simply take care of your body and improve your health. All of these are good reasons to get a massage, and there are some tips to help you make the most of your massage.

And so the question arises: How can I make the most of my massage? This is a good question that I often receive from my massage clients. Let’s look at 5 tips to make the most of your massage.

1. Hydration

Our bodies contain up to 60% water. That means our bodies are more than half water…no wonder hydration is so important! And when it comes to massage, it is very important in allowing you to get the most of your massage.

When we are dehydrated at any level, it is difficult for the muscles to relax. In fact, spasm in muscles can often relate to not drinking enough water.

Now you have to ask: How do I properly hydrate myself? Well, first thing, DON’T drink a whole lot of water just before your massage because you won’t get hydrated that way, and you’ll just have to get up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the massage.

The key to Hydration

Drink plenty of water the day before!

Drink plenty of water the day before! That’s the key. This will give your body the time it needs to properly hydrate. Then your muscles will be good and ready to receive the massage work.

If you would like to take a deeper look at water and hydration, read my blog Hydration: What is in the Cup of Water by Your Bed?

2. Stretch

Another important action that you can take the morning of the day of your massage is to do some light stretching. And, if you do this light stretching before you massage, your muscles will already be partly warmed up and released so that your therapist can spend more time working out the real issues rather than preparing the tissue to be released. You’ll already be ready!

3. Arrive a few minutes early

Everyone knows that when you are rushing to get somewhere you can get a little, or a lot, stressed out. And if you are like me, when you get stressed out, it takes a little time to unwind.

Do you really want to spend the first part of your massage, unwinding from just trying to make the appointment on time?

So, leave an extra 5 or 10 minutes early. This will make sure that when you show up, there is not rush and you can relax into the massage time that you have set aside for yourself. I cannot emphasize the importance of this enough. And, if you happen to be late, try not to worry. If you are already late, no sense in making it worse by worrying about it.

4. Focus on your breath

So, you are hydrated from the day before. You’ve stretched that morning. You have shown up to your massage appointment a few minutes early and are happy to be there. And now it’s time to do something that can help make the most of your massage session.

Breath

To those clients who have worked with me before, you know we will spend a little time talking before the massage so that we can get clear on your therapeutic goal for the session. And once you are on the table, it’s time to relax, breath, and let go of the tension in your body.

It is as simple as that: focus on your breath.

When we focus on our breath many good things happen: our minds tend to become quiet, our muscles relax, and we are more open to healing. All of these are necessary to make the most of your massage appointment.

5. Schedule ahead

How many times have you had pain in your body, or you are feeling stress, and you think: I need to schedule a massage…and then you forget? Or the time you have available doesn’t work with your therapist? Or you have to find a new therapist, which can be a stressful trial and error process? All of this produces stress and is not conducive to making the most of your massage.

Now consider this scenario: Your body is in pain, or you are feeling stressed, and you think to yourself, “Awesome! I have a massage scheduled for next week!” And then you take a sigh of relief and go on with your day.

Sound better?

Research shows that when people have regular massage appointments scheduled, they actually get more out of their massage because they don’t have the added life stress of having to schedule yet another appointment.

Whether you schedule a massage once a week, once every 2 weeks, monthly, every 3 months or even once a year, having a massage on the schedule will help you get the most from your massage. At Listening Hand Therapeutic Massage, my clients can reschedule their appointment up to 24 hrs in advance without charge…so when you schedule ahead at Listening Hand Therapeutic Massage, you are really doing something that is best for you, at no risk.

Closing thoughts

I’ve given you 5 actions that you can take to make the most of your massage appointment. Whether you use all 5 or even just one, you will be doing a service to yourself. Book Now at the link below and begin applying today what you’ve learned in this blog!