MassageFreek

How to get Best results from your Massage LMP

Thursday, March 20th, 2008 | Deep Tissue, Featured, Massage, Seattle Events | No Comments

The best way to get the greatest massage from a great Licensed Massage Practitioner is to book well in advance.

I have always performed the best massages when my clients book in advance. It’s not easy to explain, but having an idea of who I’m massaging in a month from now seems comforting somehow.

For me, I have my own reasons why booking in advance are my favorite ways to manage my schedule. For other LMP’s - they have other reasons for wanting advance booking but I have found that it’s a common preference.

I have a Business Support Group for LMP’s once in a while. The last one I did (besides today) was in November. I posted it about 2 months before it was going to happen.

I had great attendance. Today’s group was posted 3 weeks ago… something like that. And no one showed up :(!

I should have known. Massage therapist’s need lots of time to sort out their schedules in order to make time for things like a group meeting thing.

Ah! My fellow massage therapists! We’re often such an archaic and loopy bunch!

But we are good at what we do! Most people I know are very glad there are people crazy enough to call themselves Massage Therapists and do this massage work. I’m glad too. I love getting massages and I know to book in advance. Same day appointments are silly… if you get them, you’re either paying too little for bad massage, you’re very lucky and God said you needed a massage today or you’re paying a metric ton of cash for a damn good rub and a massage artist to make time for your butt (literally) TODAY.

You get what you pay for.

Massage is like working out! It is deeply healthy for you!

Monday, March 17th, 2008 | Deep Tissue, Featured, Massage, healthly living, injury treatment, stress | No Comments

I often find my clients having a hard time carving time out of their busy schedule for massage.

I know for me, that over the past 7 years of massage practice, it can still be a challenge to carve time in my own schedule. The rational and “workaholic” section of my brain argues that “Surely we could be doing something more productive! This is just pampering!”

Yes, even my mind is kinda narrow minded about the subject. But of course, by now, I ignore the voices in my head that argue against something that is good for me.

The truth is, massage is one of the most special and unique ways to do something really healthy for yourself. When you put yourself in someone else’s hands, there’s a deep letting go of responsibility and stress. Most of us really need to get our stress down anyway. Massage gives you one of the few passive ways to achieve this goal.

Massage is really healing! Especially if you come to me - a deep tissue or injury treatment specialist - you have a chance to permanently alter your body for the better so that the activities of your life do not cause the pain and aches they have in the past. Scar tissue and adhesions get reduced and you leave the massage table feeling more open, free and relaxed in your body.

Massage can feel so good that I think people often think of it only as a luxury. YES! It feels Great! But that is not where the benefits stop. The combination of feeling like your pampering yourself as well as really taking care of the miracle that is your amazing body gives you such an empowered feeling that life doesn’t seem so hard.

Your work becomes easier. Your body moves freely. Your mind is more open to possibilities, kindness to yourself and others and creating more of a life that you love instead of one that is the constant “go-go-go” that breaks your body, mind and heart down.

Do yourself a favor and see massage as healing. See massage as a necessary part of your health and healing regiment. All the other ways to heal yourself can seem like chores: eating veggies, working out and taking vitamins, but massage is the healing thing you do for yourself that makes you feel good - and it’s so much easier to be happy doing it than eating veggies.

Carve out the time! Get a massage. It feels good and it’s deeply good for your body, mind and heart!

Thoracic outlet syndrome - often confused with Carpal Tunnel syndrome

Friday, March 14th, 2008 | Deep Tissue, Featured, Massage, Myofascial Release, healthly living, injury treatment | No Comments

symptoms:
1. hands go numb in the pinky, ring and half of middle fingers
2. “fat” or full tight feeling in the forearm
3. in severe cases - whole arm is swollen and numb and some poor fucker needs to visit the ER

often confused with:
Carpal tunnel syndrome - the symptoms of which are primarily in the hand proper and numbness usually in the thumb, index middle finger and palm.

THe difference between these two sydromes is this:
carpal tunnel syndrome is IN the carpel tunnel - ie - too much scar tissue in the space just proximal to the *wrist* - often due to too much masturbation, video game playing and computer/mouse use

Thoracic outlet syndrome is the impingement of the ulnar nerve at the *shoulder area*, clavical or (sometimes but not often) the neck muscles where the brachial plexus comes out or at misalignment at the cervical vertebral bones.

Often Doctors are stupid.

They operate in the wrist for something that’s all fucked up in the shoulder.

Regardless of which disorder you may have - don’t trust your doctor unless your doctor tells you to get massage therapy treatment for either one. They are both better treated with massage than surgery.

Funny thing I’ve found…
People often have a bit of both and mostly… people have the shoulder issues and symptoms in the hands.

Key areas to massage in the case of Thoracic outlet: rotator cuff, arm, neck and chest
Best stretch: door stretch (a chest opening stretch)

There’s just something about the Sphinx

Monday, March 10th, 2008 | Featured, Uncategorized | No Comments

Beautiful.

Captian’s Log, Stardate, Monday March 3rd, 2008

Tuesday, March 4th, 2008 | Business Insights, Featured, healthly living | No Comments

I’ve taken to writing captain’s logs in a journal I have in my office. I have journaled mostly for personal life but recently I had the bright idea to do the same thing but keep the entries strictly on business.

I figure if it works in my personal life, it just might work in my business life.

I sometimes have › Continue reading