Thinking of getting a professional massage for the first time? You may have questions before you make the appointment.

Maybe you’re self-conscious about getting undressed in front of a stranger. Or you’re worried that the massage will hurt. Or you’re hoping it will cure a backache you’ve had for years.

To help put you at ease before your first massage, here are frequently asked questions and answers about massage. So stop fretting and just relax — that’s the whole point of getting a massage.

What type of massage should I get?
There are many different styles of massage. The most common is the Swedish massage, which is a whole-body therapeutic massage designed to relax the muscles and joints. Other popular types include deep tissue, shiatsu, hot stone, reflexology, and Thai massage. You may want to choose a specialty, like sports massage or pregnancy massage, if that suits your needs.

When should I schedule a massage?
Think about your day’s schedule before you set up your massage. For example, don’t eat right before or exercise immediately after your massage.

Will I be naked?

You only need to take off only as much clothing as you’re comfortable removing. You can leave your undergarments on if you choose, as massage can be done through clothing. The massage therapist will give you privacy while you undress or leave the room. During the massage, the therapist will use a sheet or towel to drape the parts of your body that are not being massaged. Is the massage going to hurt?

It shouldn’t hurt, but you should keep the lines of communication open. If a therapist is pressing too deeply in an area, you should tell them.

Should I talk during the massage?

It’s up to you. Some people like to remain quiet and listen to music during the massage. Others like to make light conversation. Tell your massage therapist your preference.

What if I fall asleep?

You may get drowsy during the massage, so don’t worry if you fall asleep. Your massage therapist will wake you up at the end of the massage.

How will I feel after the massage?

You should feel some relief after a massage. Sometimes you may experience 24-48 hours of soreness.

After a massage, you should feel relaxed and mellow, a little bit like you’ve had a glass of wine. That has to do with the changes in neurochemicals like serotonin and endorphins.

How adding massage to your exercise regimen can help you stay pain free… and help improve your results!

Massage isn’t just for super relaxation – it can also help that scale move! For many people, one of their New Year’s resolutions is to get healthier and shed a few pounds. Taking on the gym, though, can have a huge effect on your body (sometimes in ways that don’t feel all that great).

Here’s why massage is going to help your body do more than relax:

It can help the pain of sore muscles! Nobody likes that day after a really hard workout where it feels like you can’t move. Your muscles are super tense, and every movement feels like some form of torture. Getting a massage as some post-workout care means your muscles get a chance to loosen up, allowing you to recover more easily (and less painfully!).

It helps you get in the right mindset! Getting all amped up on pre-workout and protein is great and all… until you’re ready to crash from the exhaustion. Constantly pushing yourself to the max (no matter what anyone says) is NOT good for your health. Your mental health ties in directly to your physical health and receiving calming massages can help you relieve the stress build-up.

It’ll help with flexibility! Keeping your muscles workable is crucial for your workouts. For many people, as you do more and more workouts, you have to build on your flexibility to be able to do more extensive workouts.

Whether you use massage as a way to unwind after an intense workout, or to boost flexibility for future exercising, knowing what your body needs to flourish is important. Every body is different in what it needs, and you know your body best. If you’d like to set up a massage with one of our experienced massage therapists, please call 417-886-1131.

Massage is important for many reasons, including detoxification and stress relief. But one of the best reasons if you’re the type who is wired to push yourself is that regular therapeutic massage helps you get into better shape faster with less stiffness and soreness, allowing you to push your body harder. Perhaps most important is that massage helps prevent the injuries that will set you back.

We all know the benefits of regular exercise and moving the body. Anyone who routinely pushes their physical limits through any movement, sports, strength training and aerobics can benefit from massage. Whether you are a weekend warrior that fits in workouts between work and family or a serious athlete, massage is an important part of any sports regimen.

Both professional and college athletic teams use massage to heal and prevent the wear-and-tear and minor injuries that naturally occur with strenuous movement. The added physiological and psychological benefits of massage also add to the reasons to do it.

Heavily exercised muscles may also lose their capacity to relax, causing chronically tight (hypertonic) muscles, and loss of flexibility. Lack of flexibility is often linked to muscle soreness, and predisposes you to injuries, especially muscle pulls and tears. Blood flow through tight muscles is poor (ischemia), which also causes pain.

Massage helps the body recover from the stresses of strenuous exercise, and facilitates the rebuilding phase of conditioning. The physiological benefits of massage include improved blood and lymph circulation and muscle and general relaxation. These, in turn, lead to removal of waste products and better cell nutrition, normalization and greater elasticity of tissues, deactivation of trigger points, and faster healing of injuries. It all adds up to relief from soreness and stiffness, better flexibility, and less potential for future injury.

With regular massage for maintenance our massage therapists can zero in on particular muscle groups and work specific tissues. We can help maintain or improve range of motion and muscle flexibility. The overall objective of a maintenance program is to help you reach optimal performance through injury-free training.

Regular massage also gives our therapists a chance to find your unique trouble spots, perhaps from past injuries. They can pay special attention to these areas, monitor them for developing problems, and help keep them in good condition. Our experienced massage therapists can also complement treatment received from other health care professionals for various injuries. Massage for injuries can speed healing and reduce discomfort during the rehabilitation process. Deep tissue and trigger point massage breaks up the tissues in the muscle to speed recovery.

So to sum it up, make massage part of your wellness and fitness routine. You’ll get all the benefits of relaxation and if you’re that more intense personality, remember, you can push yourself a little harder with less injuries and get in shape a little faster.

With warmer weather just around the corner, people are starting to get more active which can include being more disciplined about running or training for a 5K. Getting back into the swing of things comes with some additional aches and pains, so we thought we’d discuss the best types of massage therapy for runners.

Swedish massage is perhaps the most well known of the common massage modalities and is often associated with relaxation and pampering. However, Swedish massage can also benefit runners, especially before big competitions.

Swedish massage utilizes long, flowing strokes of various pressure, although usually light, to release muscle tension and increase blood flow.

Swedish massage is best used in the days before big competitions or as a recovery tool after hard workouts. The lighter, relaxing strokes help relieve stress and muscle tension without damaging the muscles, which is important if you have a big race on the horizon. A Swedish massage before a race, especially if you’re coming off a hard week of training, can help you re-energize, relax, and get your legs back under you.

Most runners are familiar with deep tissue massage, which is often confused with deep pressure (e.g., when you tell the therapist to “go harder”). Deep tissue massage targets both the superficial and deep layers of muscles and fascia and are often quite intense as a result of the deliberate, focused work.

Deep tissue massages typically focus on a few specific problem areas and, unlike trigger point therapy, work the entire muscle. Because runners often have tight spots and interconnected issues when volume and intensity are high, deep tissue massage is often the modality of choice during hard training segments.

The frequency at which you get massage work done is completely up to you and depends on how much you like massage, how hard you’re training, and your budget.

If you’re able to afford it, getting a monthly or weekly massage can help prevent injuries by catching tight areas before they become problematic. If it isn’t possible to fit a recurring massage into your schedule (or budget), consider getting one or two during your hardest training block or if you’re doing a lot of speed work, which tends to elicit injuries that can be treated by massage, like tight hamstrings or hips.

It takes time to recover and not feel lethargic after a hard massage. If your legs feel a little dead the next day, that’s OK. This is why it’s important to schedule at least one easy day between a hard massage and a hard workout.

Runners love to get a massage. Not only does it feel great, but it can also help speed recovery, reduce muscles soreness and facilitate injury healing. If you’ve laced up those running shoes and want to get the full benefit of getting in better shape, remember to consider a regular massage as an important part of taking better care of yourself.