What should I wear?

What ever you feel most comfortable with. You may remain fully clothed, wear undergarments, shorts, or be completely disrobed. The choice is yours. You will be alone in a private room as you change or disrobe and when the therapist enters the room you will be already on the massage table, covered neck to toe by a sheet and/or blanket.

What type of massage therapy is there?

Massage Therapy is a blend of rigorous science and art where every bodyworker brings their own style and "tools" to the table, incorporating experience with many studied modalities.

While many forms of massage therapy exist worldwide, they are all variations of the five basic strokes performed with differing ideas on how to be used. These strokes, more commonly known as "Swedish Massage", are: 

Effleurage: Long, gliding strokes used at the beginning, as a transition to other movements and at the end of a session.

Petrissage: Lifting and kneading the muscles to encourage deep circulation of blood and lymph.

Friction: Firm, deep movements used to go across the grain of the muscle with the goal to broaden muscles tissue and loosen adhesions.

Tapotement: Brisk tapping or percussive movements used to increase tone in the muscle and stimulate the nervous system.

Vibration: Shaking, jostling or rocking that may be very relaxing or very stimulating.

The best services are based on a mutual understanding between the massage therapist and client.
You and your therapist can discuss your goals and which type is best for you.

Does massage therapy hurt?

That depends on the type of massage and the depth of the strokes. In general a muscle that is relaxed will be supple, soft and will not hurt when touched. While receiving a light, relaxing Swedish massage, you should find that it does not probe very deep into the muscles and will not cause discomfort. However, while lighter massage sedates the nervous system, it will not be able to release deep, chronic tension. On the other hand, with Deep Tissue massage you may experience a "good hurt" feeling as the therapist encourages blood flow into muscles that are tight, and in many cases have been chronically tight for a long time. This increased circulation brings fresh oxygen and nutrients to the area, relieving pain.  

Cancellation/Late Policy:

In order to maintain reasonable prices, we request 24 hours notice when canceling appointments. If you cancel with less than proper notice the full fee will be charged.

Please arrive 15 minutes before your session. In fairness to other clients, I will still have to end the session at the scheduled time if you are late.

Payment Options:

We accept cash, check, Visa, Mastercard and Gift Certificates.

Referrals:

We appreciate your confidence in our services. For each new client, we will give you $10.00 off your next session as a thank you for referring friends and family to our office.