© Martin Dean 2005

Massage for Women ...

What Can I Expect From A Professional Massage?

When you go for professional treatment, it is advisable to avoid eating a heavy meal for 2-3 hours beforehand and to avoid alcohol on the same day. The therapist you choose may have trained in any one of the various schools of massage, but there are certain procedures you can always expect to be followed. In the treatment room, which should be adequately heated, you       

should find a massage couch, covered with clean couch roll, towels, blanket and a place where you can undress in privacy.  Some relaxing music may be playing in the background, to help you unwind.  

Massage is most efficiently performed in direct contact with the skin.   Some practitioners use a towel, so that only the part of the body being worked on is exposed, while others may work without a towel, so as not to break the continuity of  the massage. A suitable lubricant will generally be used, such as an oil, which is usually cold pressed. Treatment  may be extremely localised, with the practitioner working  solely  on your back for example, if you have a back complaint, or you may be given a complete body massage, including head, face and feet.  Length of treatment varies, but a session is normally one hour to one and a half  hours.  If your problem is long-standing, you may need a series of treatments. You will be asked to give a brief outline of your medical history before treatment is commenced.  Each person will be  treated holistically.

Working on chronically stiff muscles is not always comfortable. A sensitive therapist, however, will only work to a level that is tolerable to you.  When deep massage is carried out, you may feel  stiff  in the affected areas the next day, but  this should  pass off the following day.  (Lying in a warm to hot bath for about half an hour, followed by a brisk toweling on the evening   

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