FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

What’s the difference between a Swedish and deep tissue massage?

Swedish is a very relaxing massage, perfect for those stressful days and to help promote rest and sleep.

Swedish uses long, soothing sweeps of the tissue, increasing circulation and restoring balance to the systems of the body.

Deep Tissue is great for releasing tense, knotted muscles. Typically, a full-body deep tissue massage is 90-minutes, with a majority of that time focused on the affected area. (Usually an hour on the back, with 5 minutes spent on each limb and head.) Hot stones are the ideal add-on to this massage as the heat relaxes the muscles on contact and allows the therapist to work deeper with less discomfort to the client.

Should I feel any pain during my massage?

Nope. If you are experiencing any pain during a massage, even a deep tissue massage, something is wrong. The muscle “guards” itself when blunt trauma is imminent by involuntary contracting (called “muscle guarding), and thereby knitting the fibers together to form a wall of protection. This is not conducive to breaking those fibers apart to relax the surface muscles in order to get to the trouble-makers a few layers deep.

An experienced massage therapist knows this, and thoroughly warms up and gently stretches the muscles first before going deep enough to cause any pain or discomfort. The back has seven layers of muscle and deep tissue requires relaxation of the outermost layers first in order to access the deeper layers where most clients’ culprits lie. There’s no such thing as too deep, just too soon.

I use a variety of stretching and relaxing techniques with slow, broad-surface, deep pressure to minimize any discomfort. Clients report minimal soreness the next day with much looser muscles and no pain.

What is Reiki?

Reiki is energy healing. “Rei” (Divine) “Ki” (or “Chi,” Energy) is infused into the client to create a feeling of peace and well-being. Clients have reported feelings of deep internal peace and relaxation as a result of a Reiki session. Other benefits of a Reiki session are blockage removal and cord cutting, ideal for removing that significant other after break-ups or cleansing the body from negative attachments and addictions.

Reiki can help with anxiety, insomnia, and depression. Clients can request a brief 30-minute session, or “tune up” for their overall mood, or ask that I remove a person or experience from their being. If clients require simply a divine infusion of peace and love, that can be arranged as well without removing anything.

What do hot stones do?

Hot stones relax the muscles on contact. Tense muscles can feel like they are in a constant state of contraction making them feel "knotted" and "ropey." The heat from the stones increases circulation so that blood can flow through the muscle to loosen the tightness. By relaxing the surface layer muscles, hot stones allow a therapist to work deeper to reach the layers underneath where most clients experience pain. Hot stones are the perfect accompaniment to a deep tissue massage.

What does cupping do?

Like hot stones, cups increase circulation to the muscles. Cups lift the surface layer of muscle and fascia tissue, pulling blood up through that layer and help to release toxins and lactic acid stored in the muscle tissue. We use silicone cups instead of the glass ones used in fire cupping, so there is less of a chance to cause bruising.

Please email us with a question that is not listed here and we will be happy to answer!