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Do Massage Therapists have a dress code?

July 16, 2019 admin Leave a comment Opinion

Dressing Like a Massage Therapist

Some things to think about if you’re going to give a massage:

Wear short sleeves if you massage with your forearms
Wear sleeves that won’t expose your underarm in case of sweating
Stretchy pants or leggings
Leggings are best for including Thai and Ashiatsu work bc excess pant fabric won’t get in your way
Watch your neckline when you lean over
Socks for keeping your feet clean if you’ll do Ashiatsu
No socks so you can have more grip on the floor
Some people like to hear gentle sounds as you move around, or dangly fabric that adds to the sensation of the massage

Apparently this is a hot topic in the massage community. I don’t care what other massage therapists wear, and if they have a problem with me being barefoot or wearing leggings, I’d say they need a hobby. I’ve been massaging since 2003 and know what I need to wear to do my work effectively. The guidelines above are how I decide what to wear, in regards to the work itself and not about presenting yourself as a business owner or other roles massage therapists play.

Smashing the Toxins Myth

July 13, 2019 admin Leave a comment Myths

Smashing the "Toxins" Myth

Maybe you’ve just come back from a vacation where you had your fair share of wine and delicious food. Should you detox with a juice cleanse? Or perhaps a massage will flush these toxins from your body?

Many health-minded people are seeking new ways to benefit their health and to undo some of the prior damage that poor diets, air pollutants, and bad habits can do to their bodies. With the general rise of health consciousness, there’s also been an increase in the idea of “detoxing,” or removing toxins from their bodies with diets, cleanses, and even foot pads that pull the toxins out from the soles of the feet. Some massage therapists claim that massage can help flush toxins from your body.

But what exactly are these toxins? And do these detox methods really work? In truth, there’s little scientific evidence to prove that detoxes of any kind work, and that goes for massages as well.

While there are plenty of health benefits to massage, it’s not because of its ability to rid your body of toxins. We’re here to debunk the myth of toxins, and get down to the nitty gritty of what actually makes massage so good for you.

What are “Toxins?”

Before we jump into whether or not massages release toxins, let’s take a look at what “toxins” really are. They sound scary— definitely like something that you should try to avoid or get rid of at all costs. But toxins are just a normal part of life, and, like anything else, in small doses they are perfectly fine.

Perhaps what it is that people truly fear is not “toxins” but “poisons,” which are two very different things. Poisons are any harmful substances, but it’s important to remember here that many things in too-large doses can then be considered poison, even your daily multivitamin.

Toxins are a kind of subset of poisons; they are poisons produced by living things. Technically, drinking scotch, getting a massage, and hard exercise all produce toxins, but these toxins are just part of how our bodies metabolize, rebuild, and process on a daily basis. In moderation and with careful attention, all are completely harmless.

Your doctor wouldn’t recommend that you give up your exercise routine to avoid toxins, and any toxins created by massage certainly aren’t harmful either.

What most people hope to cleanse from their bodies during a massage aren’t poisons, and they aren’t toxins (which naturally occur in our bodies as part of how they function), but rather pollutants. This can be anything from smog particles and other air pollutants that we inhale, to lead, to pesticides, which are definitely harmful to our bodies when we get too much exposure. These aren’t things that we can “detox,” but they are things to avoid when you can.

No, Massages Don’t Cleanse Your Body of Toxins. And They’re Totally Safe

In truth? Your body does a pretty great job of flushing toxins all on its own. If you are in good health, your kidneys, liver, and intestines should already be doing a great job of removing toxins. Except for very rare occasions like overconsumption of drugs or alcohol, your body doesn’t need extra help detoxing. It just needs time to do what it does best.

Massage “detoxes” and other kinds of detoxes— like juice cleanses— don’t really do much to release toxins from your body. This is just a myth. In fact, many of these juice cleanses are actually just crash diets with major caloric deficits that can leave you feeling weak, sluggish, and tired.

On the other hand, some people might fear that getting a massage, especially a deep tissue massage, might actually be toxic; that the toxins released can be harmful to your body. There is some truth to this – kind of.

If you’ve experienced an intense, deep-tissue massage that has left you feeling sore, tired, or disoriented, what you’ve actually experienced is post-massage soreness and malaise (PMSM). Excessive pressure like this can cause rhabdomyolysis, or “rhabdo,” which is the poisoning by proteins liberated from an injured muscle. This is only dangerous for extremely vulnerable patients, like the elderly or those with other health issues, especially renal issues.

If you work with an experienced, knowledgeable massage therapist, this should never be an issue. PMSM should only cause slight discomfort as a mild side effect of a strong massage, but for most of us, there’s no need to fear these kinds of natural toxins leaving your muscles.

The Water-Toxin Myth

You may have heard that it’s necessary to drink water after a massage because some massage therapists claim that getting a massage releases toxins directly into the bloodstream, and that the best way to flush them out is to drink plenty of water to encourage your kidneys and the rest of your digestive system to process these and remove them from your body.

It never hurts to drink plenty of water, so it can’t hurt to rehydrate after a massage session. But massages don’t flush toxins into the bloodstream, and water wouldn’t help if it did.

There are a lot of scientific reasons why this is the case, but know that massage doesn’t liberate these environmental pollutants from cells or “squish” them into your bloodstream or excretory systems to be expelled. Again, that’s what your kidneys and digestive system are designed to do.

The Lactic Acid Myth

Another myth about massages? That massage is a great way to release lactic acid in the muscles after a long run or hard workout. The soreness and stiffness you experience after your first run of the season actually isn’t from lactic acid building up in your muscles, it’s what’s called Delayed Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS).

When you work out, it’s like pulling on a long rope – some of the fibers in your muscles may break during the workout, in what are essentially tiny microtears. Unlike pulling on a rope that loses some of its strength though, your muscles rebuild themselves and become larger and stronger.

Your muscles do create lactic acid, but this is something they do all the time, even when your body is at rest. So the idea that your muscles are sore from lactic acid buildup is false. When you exercise, your body needs fuel, and breaks down some of its stored energy to get this, becoming acidic. Lactate is just a by-product of this process that is created all the time.

That doesn’t mean you should give up your post-run massage! There are still plenty of benefits to a good sports massage. Your massage therapist can reduce the pain and stiffness after a hard workout, which moves blood and fluid around your body, helping to heal microtrauma from your workout.

When you heavily work out a muscle group, it loses some of its flexibility and tenses up, making it easier to tear. A thorough sports massage eases this tension. It also reduces inflammation and swelling, and lessens fatigue, gearing you up to conquer your next race, conditioning class, or sweat session.

Other Benefits to Massage Therapy

Don’t worry. There are still plenty of reasons for regular massages, and benefits to even the occasional massage. Each massage is a great way to reduce stress and pamper yourself, sure, but there are major health perks as well. With massage, you can:

Reduce stress hormones like cortisol
Improve joint function and reduce pain for those with osteoarthritis
Lessen muscle soreness after a hard workout
Speed healing of overworked, sore muscles
Reduce inflammation and helping the muscles’ repair process
Lessen fibromyalgia-related pain
Help with anxiety and insomnia
Lessen the effects of temporomandibular joint pain (TMJ)

Massage has countless health benefits, but flushing toxins isn’t one of them. If you’re looking to remove pollutants and poisons from your life, there’s no quick fix: you have to do so with conscious lifestyle changes. Once you let go of the “myth of toxins,” though, you can let go. Enjoy your massage and relish in the many other benefits you’re receiving from your time on the table.

natural body lauren scott massage therapists erin hennessy

My Massage with Lauren at Natural Body

July 8, 2019 admin Leave a comment Massage Review

My Massage at Natural Body

July 2019

Overall Experience

Lauren provided a really great massage – especially on the legs – but I was not pleased with the spa itself. I would get a massage from Lauren again if I could, outside of the spa.

 3.2/5

Making the Appointment

It’s important to me who my therapist is, what their strengths are, and style. Their website didn’t have any therapist bios. It also takes you in many circles to get to the booking site. Furthermore, their paper brochure lists more services than their website, and in order to book the “dry brushing” I had to add a note to the appointment.

 2.1/5

Parking & Arrival Instructions

I don’t recall the spa sending me any information regarding parking. When I arrived, I initially parked on the street, where there was a sign that said there was a 2 hour limit. However, when I went to pay for the parking spot, ParkMobile informed me there was a 1 hour limit. I had to find a different parking spot, which ultimately made me 10 minutes late for my appointment.

 1.6/5

The Pre-Massage Interview

Lauren retrieved me from the waiting area and showed me to the treatment room, which didn’t have much space around the table and didn’t create an inviting atmosphere for talking to your therapist.

Lauren was friendly and I appreciate that she confirmed what I had signed up for. I had forgotten that I had only paid for 60 minutes, not 90.

 4/5

The Massage

I was most impressed with Lauren’s leg and neck work. I also appreciated the heating pad she placed on my shoulders while she worked on my legs, and the eye pillow when I was face-up.

However, I have to knock it down a star because of the dry brush. It cost $30 and was supposed to last 15 minutes. It only took about 5 minutes – she just did a couple quick strokes down each side. Then I was expected to take the big brush home. The music was also very boring.

 3.7/5

I would love to receive another massage from Lauren outside of Natural Body, but unfortunately I didn’t get her full name and she’s no longer at Natural Body. Click here for the Natural Body Spa in Decatur.

Why your massage therapist asks health questions

July 7, 2019 admin Leave a comment Client Relations

Why Your Massage Therapist Asks All Those Health Questions

Before your first massage, I’m going to ask you about your medical history.

I’ve got an intake form that will ask about what medications and medical conditions you have, and a whole host of questions about your health history.

So why is this? Am I being nosy? Why do I need to know such detailed, personal information about you that you may only otherwise share with your doctor?

While it may seem like a hassle or invasion of your privacy to fill out an intake form, there’s a great reason I want to know so much about your health: Knowing your health history not only protects you from potential injury during your massage, but it also means I can better personalize your massage to your needs. This ensures that when you leave the massage table, you feel better than ever.

What is a contraindication, and what does it have to do with my massage?

Every so often, it turns out that for some people in specific health situations, massage could actually be harmful. This is referred to as a contraindication, and there are two different classifications of contraindications:

Relative Contraindication: Relative contraindication means that caution should be used when performing a certain procedure. In the world of massage therapy, this means that a massage therapy session can happen, but that the therapist will need to adjust the techniques and particulars of the session (like positioning, pressure, even massage products used) to stay safe and effective.

Absolute Contraindication: Absolute contraindication is the term used when massage could cause harm, and should not be applied at all. This is pretty rare, but it happens.

While typically relaxing and healing, there are times when a massage can be painful or even dangerous, for various health-related reasons. In most cases, this means we can proceed with the massage, but I’ll ask some follow up questions to keep it safe and effective.

Examples of massage contraindications include:

Varicose veins
Undiagnosed lumps or bumps
Pregnancy
Bruising, cuts, abrasions, and even sunburns
Psoriasis
Eczema
High blood pressure
Cancer
Osteoporosis
Heart problems
Epilepsy

Fear not: Not all of the above listed medical conditions mean you have to give up your regular session with your massage therapist.

In fact, for some of these conditions, massage can have major soothing effects. However, it does mean that your therapist will need to give you specific care. This is one of the main reasons it’s vital your massage therapist knows your medical history.

Also, colds, the flu, skin infections, or the presence of a fever are all reasons to wait to get a massage until you are feeling better. <>

Why does my massage therapist need to know what medications I am taking?

There are some medications that have an effect on your body’s ability to heal and process correctly and I need to be aware of what you’re taking so I can make adjustments.

For example, a firm deep tissue massage could be very dangerous if you are taking blood thinners, or if you’ve been on corticosteroids for a long time, you may have low bone density or thin skin as a result.

Again, in almost all cases, we can make adjustments to keep your massage safe and effective, the key is to keep me fully informed.

In a nutshell, even if you think a detail may be irrelevant, it’s smart to complete my intake form entirely and honestly. That helps me create the best and safest massage, just for you.