How to get the most out of your massage experience

 
Day before the massage: 

1. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Drink lots of water and take some electrolytes. 
2. Eat whole anti-inflammatory foods.
3. Get a good night’s sleep 

Day of massage: 

1. Continue to hydrate but stop a couple of hours before the massage so it isn’t interrupted with a potty break.
2. Leave your house in plenty of time to arrive on time or even a little early. When you arrived rushed it takes longer to relax. 
3. Be sure to tell your therapist everything that you would like addressed and everything that is going on with your body. Don’t leave anything out. The details are important. 

During your massage: 

1. As you wait for your massage therapist to enter the room take long, slow, deep breaths. This allows your mind to move out of fight and flight mode and into rest and digest mode. Now your mind is relaxed and ready for the massage.
2. Communicate with your therapist about pressure. We really want to know if the pressure is good for you. We wish we were psychic but sadly we are not. And every person is different, so we won’t know if the pressure is right for you unless you tell us. 
3. If your therapist finds a particularly tight spot and starts to work into it, take deep breaths and imagine the area melting like butter in a microwave. If you find you are tensing up against the pressure or are holding your breath, ask your therapist to lighten up. 
4. Don’t worry if you doze off. We consider it a compliment if you do. 

After your massage:

1. Book your next massage. Once a month is an ideal maintenance schedule for most people, but those in high stress situations or with acute injuries benefit from more frequent massages. 
2. Hydrate, hydrate, hydrate. Electrolytes
3. Avoid strenuous exercise, driving long distances or any form of hard labor. 
4. If you own a bathtub an Epsom salt bath is ideal after a massage. If you don’t, a hot shower or even a heat pack are great ways to keep your muscles relaxed. 
5. If your therapist has made any self-care recommendations, follow them. Sometimes the littlest things can make the biggest differences.

Enjoy feeling relaxed and renewed