After more than 20 years of giving massage treatments as well as receiving them, we have some thoughts to share about how to make the most out of your session.

1. Don’t rush 

Take sufficient time to come for your appointment. Think of the time you need to get there, park, and sit in the waiting area for a few minutes to unwind, have some water or tea, and think about what would you like to accomplish during your session. If this is your first treatment at the centre, plan for additional time to find the clinic and fill in the intake form.

2. Avoid stimulants before the treatment

Please try not to drink coffee, black tea, very sweet things or alcohol before the treatment. Stimulants will make it more difficult for you to relax. 

3. Explain what you want

Explain to your therapist what you hope to get out of the session – for example, I would like to relax and de-stress, I would like to relieve my neck pain, I would like to release tension in my lower back  etc. When you explain to your therapist what you would like to accomplish, you create an initial connection with the therapist and open a space where you can meet. 

4. Be present 

It is easy, as soon as the treatment starts, to start thinking about what you need to do next in the day, or to reflect on something that happened that it bothered you or that you liked, or perhaps to have thoughts about the therapist and the way he or she is working. If this is happening to you, that’s fine. Be aware of the thoughts, allow them to arise, and let them pass. Be with everything that is happening and don’t judge it. Enjoy, breathe, relax and allow things to unfold.

5. Breathe deeply

Breathing is very important! Breathe!! Breathing will help you to be present and will relax your mind. You will be oxygenating and nourishing your body tissues and helping them to heal and open. You will enjoy your treatment much more, and you will also be having greater communication with your therapist through your breathing, helping him or her to go deeper in certain areas.

6. Communicate

Tell your therapist – if you would like more or less pressure, if you would like more work in a specific area, if you feel it’s cold in the room, or maybe the music is distracting you. It is important to communicate what you might want to change while keeping an open mind about what is new and out of your comfort zone.

7. Silence is sacred and healing

Small talk, although it sometimes helps to break the ice between the therapist and the client, has a tendency to take you out of what is happening in the moment. If you would like to go deeper, keep any talk related to what is actually happening in your body – but do feel free to share what your experience is at any given moment.

8. Be open

In a single massage session you can experience bliss, release, and relaxation, as well as uncomfortable sensations, emotions that you may have suppressed or avoided, or strange or subconscious thoughts. Sometimes less than pleasurable sensations open something new and good in you. Sometimes the therapy is very different to what you might have experienced before. We invite you to not jump to conclusions about the  things that move in your body, to breathe and let them move and stay open. Results and understandings might come later. 

9. Leave some time free after the treatment

It is beneficial to not rush to your next task or event in the day. Leave some time to contemplate what just happened. Give some time for the body to integrate the well-being and relaxation you have achieved. Maybe you can stay a few minutes in the waiting area to have some tea and read a book. Maybe you can go for a short walk before entering your car, or go home and have a hot bath. Enjoy the nourishment! It is good for you and for whatever comes next!

10. Give us feedback

Let us know how was it for you. Everyone is different and will experience the treatment in an individual way. We learn so much from your feedback. You can always email us or talk with your therapist: info@integratedtherapies.ca