New to Massage or to Working with me?
Thank you for considering working with me! Below is some hopefully helpful information to answer any questions you might have about your first appointment as a new client. And what to expect if you are intending to receive a massage for the first time.
Your First Appointment
Your first appointment will include a brief review of your medical history. Prior to your session you will fill out a few forms related to your health history and presenting issues. When you arrive to your appointment, please arrive 5-10 minutes before your scheduled appointment time to complete the paperwork. That way, we can start on time and you will get the most hands-on time as possible.
New to Massage
If you’re a new client, not just to me, but to massage in general, there’s a few things you should know before your first appointment.
First, I will take some time before the treatment to ask you questions regarding your health before we begin session. This helps me understand your current situation and helps me determine the best therapeutic approach to working with you. For example, I will ask questions regarding injuries, areas that are painful, where you hold stress, etc. After the session, I will share any suggestions I might have as far as home care and continuing with regular sessions.
Second, for massage treatments you will disrobe to your level of comfort. You will do so once I leave the treatment room. As a licensed massage therapist, I use professional draping techniques that allow me to work on specific areas of the body (e.g. your back) while the rest of your body is properly draped and covered.
Finally, and most importantly, you may not receive the level of relief you desire from your first session. For starters, you will most likely be slightly nervous for your first session. This happens for most people because you are meeting someone new and putting yourself in a vulnerable position with a complete stranger! This is both a brave thing to do and quite naturally causes most people a little bit of stress. In summary, you will have quite a bit of anticipation, expectation, and stress just getting to your first appointment. It takes time for all of this to settle.
Long Over Due
In addition, most people schedule massage appointments long after their issues have developed. Meaning your body is way past due for bodywork at the time you are finally getting a treatment. Thus it will take more than 50-60 minutes of massage to change the patterning of your stress.
The more patience and trust that you have with the process, the better your results will be.
It is somewhat common for new clients to experience some discomfort and/or tension after their first appointment. The tension and/or discomfort is an indicator that the muscles and tissues were very tight and stiff to begin with. For most clients, it takes roughly 3-6 sessions for the tension to subside and to prevent the stiffness from settling back in.
Fees + Policies
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One of the best massages I’ve ever had. I’ve gone back a few times since and always great. Clearly knowledgeable and passionate about her art.”
L.D., Tucson, AZ
