What to Expect from Your First Massage?

Massage therapy is very important and offers a lot of benefits, including stress relief. Generally, this is an act of rubbing and pressuring the body by means of hands. A person who offers these services is referred to as a massage therapist. There so many myths and misconceptions out there that can detriment your overall view of massage. We call them myths because they are not true. Some people may just tell how bad or unnecessary this art is, while others may tell you a lot of negative things based on their experiences. But like in many aspects of life, choices have consequences. What do we mean this? Well, most of the people are always unprepared for their very first massage therapy. Before you try something new in life, it is always good to look for preliminary information, or at least learn about it in advance before making decisions. Many who have had bad massage experiences at least ignored one aspect of this guiding principle: make advance preparation before you attempt something new.

So then the question is: how can you prepare for your first massage? Well, we are here to better your experience. To help you, this blog will exclusively deal with what you should expect from your massage. We will cover the expectations you should have prior to the session, during the session and after the session. It is our hope that you will find this discussion helpful and gain more confidence to try out this beneficial practice. Now let us begin…

What to expect before a massage

Since this is your very first time, you need to be aware of the preliminary information as well as matters to do with your privacy. This is a very important aspect that requires your full attention. The following points will prove helpful:

• The therapist will demand your response from preliminary questions in order to determine your general health status and your wellness targets
• The information provided will determine will you will have the massage session. This information relates to your medical history, your body physical condition, your way of life, stress levels, current medication, and specific body parts with physical pain. This information often determines the outcome of the therapy. Still, if you are approved for the therapy, its this information that will be used to design your therapy plan and help to tailor the massage to your wellness objectives.
• Before the session, you may be required to undress, depending on the type of the therapy (we look at this later). Nevertheless, you will undress only to the degree comfortable for you. If you choose not to undress, then make sure you put on something thin that will permit the therapist access to muscles. This may, however, hinder some other aspects such as application of the oil to the affected parts during the therapy. A full-body massage may be critical in this regard. If you are concerned so much about your privacy, consider My Home Therapy and let professional massage therapist visit your home for the session.

Evidently, these are very important things and may determine your overall experience of the therapy. But there is more…

What to Expect During the Session

After making the decision in favor of the therapy, there is a number of things that you should expect in the course of the therapy. Here are the basic ones:

• You will be required to lay on the padded massage table. Make sure the table has additional attachments like face cradle which will ensure you are comfortable laying face down but without rotating the head.
• In the course of the session, oils and lotions will be used. Are you sensitive to them? If yes, then inform the therapist early enough.
• You may need to be massaged the full body or just within the parts that require attention. This will, however, be dictated by your condition. Important to note, a full body massage does not involve the private parts.
• It is also important to know the length of the session. It often takes 30 to 90 minutes. Will you be comfortable with that?
• In some centers, music is always played during the session. Will you be comfortable with this, or you find music disrupting? Let the therapist know your approach to this beforehand. In addition, talking may also happen and if you are also sensitive to that, speak out.
• Your pressure is likely to vary in the course of the session and your therapist will constantly check it. If you feel uncomfortable at any point, do not hesitate to inform your therapist.

The practical aspect of the massage is very important as well. Please pay attention to the aforementioned factors. Also, your choice of the therapist is key. Now the session has come to an end, what next? Well, this leads us to the last part of our discussion here.

What to Expect After the Session

Immediately the session is complete, you may feel dizzy. Therefore, take time to get up and leave the table. Generally, successful massage therapy gives a relaxing sensation. However, what to expect after the session is the side effects. Let us discuss other things you should expect in general:

• You will be required to pay right after the session is complete.
• Soreness. You may sore during the session or the day after. If you sore a day after the session, it should last for a maximum of two days. Since this is your first massage, your body isn’t accustomed to manipulation. For this reason, expect soreness.
• Fatigue. This is a common condition because of the overstimulation of the nerves.

In most cases, the experience after the therapy depends on the experience of the practitioner. So again, make the right choice.

The Bottom Line

Now you have a clear of everything regarding the massage therapy. If you pay attention to the things we have discussed here, you are more likely to have a fantastic experience. We also want to mention that some individuals have over-relied on massage therapy to the extent of ignoring medical treatments. May this never happen to you. Massage therapy is not a substitute for any medical treatment.