How to Get a Massage

Everyone keeps telling you to get a massage, and you want to give it a try but where do you start?

1. First, make sure your Massage Therapist is licensed. Don’t worry, all the therapists here at Massage Hope are licensed but some places are not. Knowing that your therapist has the appropriate schooling and training will help to put your mind at ease. Check out our massage therapist bios here!

2. Make the massage appointment.  Call us (703-858-2323) and a member of our wonderfully sweet front desk staff will be happy to help you. If you have questions about how long your session should be or which therapist to see, ask them - they know their stuff. You can also see our bios, other information about massage and schedule online at MassageHope.com

3. On the day of your appointment please arrive 15 minutes early so you can fill out the intake form. To save some time, you can also fill out the massage intake form online through our web page. The massage intake form tells us about any preexisting health conditions, surgeries, recent injuries and medications. All these things can affect the massage so it is important for us to know. It also tells us what you are coming in for and helps us start the conversation about how to best tailor the massage for your needs.

4. Here comes the part everyone seems most nervous about - “What do I need to take off?” This is entirely up to you, actually. Nothing will be exposed that should not be, but if it makes you feel more comfortable to leave something on, that is perfectly normal too. Necklaces, watches, and bracelets should be taken off so they don’t get in way and we don’t get lotion or oil on them. So whether you are most comfortable in your birthday suite, snow suite, or somewhere in-between, your massage therapist will do their best to help you with your massage needs.

5. Speak up!! You decide what you want for pressure and if an area gets worked on. If you don’t want us to touch your feet or face or left earlobe, just let your therapist know and they’ll skip it. If something hurts tell us, if you want more work in a tender spot let us know. Please, please, please do not suffer in silence if you are uncomfortable. 

6. Take a deep breath and enjoy the massage. Know that the next 30, 60, 90 or 120 minutes are your time. You took a step towards being healthier, so be present and take in the experience. You can talk to us, ask questions about massage, lay there quietly, fall asleep, even snore if you want to. You’re in good hands here! Literally.

7. Re-book your next session because massages are awesome!!

Stress and Massage Therapy

Stress and Massage Therapy

You know how it goes… work, kids, bills, the gym, the guilt over not actually going to the gym, and so on. Stress is life nowadays, it’s unavoidable, right? Maybe, and maybe not.

You see there’s good stress, that helps us achieve new goals and take on challenges. Then there is bad stress which actually begins to have an effect our health in negative ways such as: burnout, repetitive strain, sleep deprivation, lack of focus and mental clarity to name a few.

Me. Tuesday morning. Looks like I need a massage too! 

The cool thing is that as little as one massage a month can help to manage these symptoms. A few posts back I wrote about the relaxation response, which include decrease in muscle tension, decreased anxiety, improved sleep quality, increased positive mental health and feelings of general well-being, decreased blood pressure, and decreased metabolic rate, meaning you use energy more efficiently (Benjamin, Tappan’s Handbook of Healing Massage Techniques, 2010). Additional studies have found that a one hour Swedish massage can lower levels of cortisol (aka the stress hormone) in the blood stream for 30 days, and leave you feeling as restored as you would after 7 to 8 hours of quality sleep!

Massage is not just a luxury, it is a vital tool to reducing stress and improving health and wellness. So if you’re over worked, over trained or just plain want a good massage, get in here.  

If you have questions about massage therapy feel free to call us 703-858-2323 or email me at Karlee@MassageHope.com.  

Tips to surviving in a world of Massage Therapists

Written by Kirsten Fleming, Office Manager at Massage Hope

Since beginning to work at Massage Hope, I’ve learned the ins and outs of what it takes to be a Massage Therapist, what they have to go through on a daily basis, and most of all the dos and don’ts. I put together this list of tips to hopefully help others understand the interesting minds of massage therapist, and to ensure you don’t end up saying or doing something you shouldn’t.

1. Always call them Massage Therapist, NOT a masseuse

The biggest no-no in massage therapy land is referring to your therapist as a masseuse. A masseuse has a lot of negative connotations, mostly associated with the ‘hollywood’ standard of the word massage. The first thing any massage therapist will tell you as soon as that word stumbles out of your mouth, is that they are the furthest thing from a masseuse. The title of massage therapist is indicative of their skill and what they do on a day to day basis; they are geniuses in terms of knowing all about the body and our muscle system, as well as miracle-workers in terms of using their skill to clinically help those in pain. So be aware as to the correct title of your therapist.

2. Laugh at their jokes

-One thing you’ll notice about massage therapists, especially the ones here at Massage Hope, is they have a goofy sense of humor. They are affectionately seen as dorks, and they’re ok with it. Some days they will make a joke that you have no idea what it means, or maybe just didn’t speak to you on a comical level; laugh anyways. They pride themselves on said jokes and most of the time they are funny, just only in the minds of the therapists. So giggle, laugh with them, and all will be dandy. You’ll only have to look up the meaning of the joke every once in awhile.

3. No their hands don’t hurt them

-Don’t, I repeat, DON’T ask them if their hands hurt. Yes, it’s understandable that would be a logical question for someone who works with their hands, but it doesn’t apply to massage therapists. Not only are they using lotion and/or oils during massages, effectively giving their own hands a mini massage, they also aren’t punching you or a wall to the point that their hands would feel sore, or be in pain. I know it’s a question they get asked on the daily, and one they do not enjoy receiving. So as curious as you may be, just know the answer is no, their hands do not hurt them in the slightest.

4. If you tip, tip with cash

Simple as that.

5. Remind them you are a normal human

A lot of the times you will find yourself in a conversation with your massage therapist about things going on in your body, and you will have no idea what they are saying. They’ll be throwing words and terms at you that you had no idea even existed. Lymphs, and erector spinae muscles. If this occurs, kindly stop them and remind them that you don’t know these fancy technical terms, and they’ll need to simplify it for you. Most of the time, they get so excited to have pinpointed a problem or found a solution, that they forget our brains are not as advanced as theirs. They just need a little reminder!

6. Enjoy their company

Another thing you’ll notice, especially about those that work here at Massage Hope, is that they are genuinely amazing people. They care about you and making sure you’re doing ok, not only on a day to day basis but if you’re dealing with chronic issues or pain of which they’ve worked on before. They are the sweetest, most lovable, goofy, and generous people I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing. So embrace them, and take the time to get to know them; they’ll appreciate it more than you know.

Why am I sore the day after my massage?

People often wonder why they are sore the day after a massage, or a difficult workout. It is not uncommon to be more sore on the 2nd or even 3rd day after. The answer to both of these questions is a phenomenon called Delayed-Onset Muscle Soreness (DOMS). This soreness will often start to develop 6-8 hours post massage/workout and peak at 48-72 hours. When your muscles are worked, via deep tissue massage or exercise, they are experiencing microscopic tears and various ions and chemicals used to repair, build, and strengthen muscles start to build up. With exercise, the tears allow for muscle tissue to then repair themselves to stronger versions. The fluids buildup as the blood and lymph fluid bring to oxygen and food to the tissue to allow them to accomplish this. With a deep tissue massage the same type of thing is happening. Adhesions and trigger points are being broken up, lymph and built up lactic acid and various waste products are being cleared out of the tissue so repair can begin to take place. This can lead to soreness, especially if you haven’t been receiving body work regularly or the work was deeper than usual.  

In both cases the soreness can be a good sign that the body is working to heal itself. Stretching and staying hydrated can help to reduce the symptoms. Light exercise, such as walking, yoga, light jogging, can help after a day of intense exercise to keep everything moving.

A knowledgeable sports massage therapist can help with your recovery 2-3 days after a race or event and ease the symptoms of soreness. They will be able to help alleviate built up adhesions (knots) from stressed and strained muscles, tendons and fascia.

If you are often sore after massages, don’t let it stop you from getting massage, simply tell your sports massage therapist. They will be happy to adjust the pressure and style while suggesting tips for managing soreness in the future.

As always if you have any questions, feel free to call our office, or you can email me at karlee@massagehope.com 

Want more science? Here's a study from the Brittish Journal of Medicine on Massage and DOMS .

How many massage treatments do I need?

Often times, a client will ask us: Can you get this knot out today? The short answer is No, it took a long time for your body to develop that knot, via repetitive motion, posture, or many even an injury. While we’d love for that to be the case, one session is typically not enough, and the number of sessions will vary from person to person. For example, a stiff neck from recent traveling or sleeping on it wrong the night before may be significantly relieved in 1 or 2 sessions, while hip pain and tight hamstrings from years of running may require regular monthly sessions, sometimes biweekly, weekly if training or recovering from a recent event. Once healthy again, regularly scheduled maintenance sessions can help keep aches, knots and stress that come from everyday life in check, like timely oil changes keep a car’s engine running smoothly. The more regularly you receive massage the longer the benefits will last.

As always if you have any questions, feel free to call our office, or you can email them to Karlee@massagehope.com