In part one of this two-part blog series, we went over some of the factors you should be considering as you search for an ideal massage therapist. Whether you’re new to massage therapy and hoping to learn more about the benefits or someone who has significant massage experience and is looking for a new therapist, there are some basic approaches you should follow to find the ideal professional.
At Body Balance Massage and Float, we’re happy to offer numerous massage therapy services from our team of massage therapists, ranging from trigger point therapy to deep tissue massage, sports massage and many other types. In today’s part two of our series, we’ll go over several additional themes for identifying an ideal massage therapist and building a working relationship with them in healthy ways.
Whether during initial consultation or a try-out massage session, one of the single most important factors during your search will be comfort with the massage therapist and surroundings. Massage is only truly effective if the client is able to fully relax and be comfortable, and much of this relates to a therapist who knows how to promote these themes.
Does the therapist engage in the type and tone of conversation you enjoy during a massage? Is the massage table and surrounding room comfortable and inviting to you? Do you leave initial sessions feeling more relaxed and pain-free than before? Consider these and any other areas that are important to you when it comes to basic comfort and happiness with a given therapist.
Another very important area to evaluate early in a relationship with a new therapist is how they respond to your input and requests. You want a therapist with the right balance between flexibility and expertise – there may be certain areas where they make recommendations based on their training that you should follow, but also plenty where you have some control over techniques or adjustments made. This should be a realm you’re comfortable with, and one where the push and pull here is healthy rather than disruptive.
One important additional area: Many massage therapy patients will benefit greatly from various aftercare techniques or methods, and you want a therapist with a strong eye for this sort of thing as well. Maybe your specific pain condition will benefit significantly from an at-home stretching program in between massages, for instance, or perhaps your therapist recommends you stay away from certain activities for a few days based on something they noticed during a session. You need a therapist who will be responsive and proactive with these needs.
For more on finding a great massage therapist, or to learn about any of our massage therapy or float therapy services, speak to the staff at Body Balance Massage and Float today.