From stripping to tipping and “oh no, what if I snore?” your first massage may make you feel a little uncomfortable or even embarrassed but do not worry. We have all the answers to your un asked questions here. These are my top 10 most asked questions and concerns when it comes to getting a massage.

1. What do I wear?

   The guideline that our therapists give clients is “Undress to your comfort level”. That being said, every so often when the therapist re-enters the room the client is still completely dressed because they didn’t want to offend the therapist. Heads up, we have seen it all and rarely get offended. Massage works best on bare skin so the less clothes the better. We have secret ninja ways of draping, or covering, clients so nothing embarrassing is exposed. I often let new clients know that they can leave their bottoms on if we are only working up top but to get comfortable. For me comfort typically means no pants. Underwear on or off is another option for modestly, however, if you are suffering from glute, hip, or low back pain, the glutes need to be addressed and bare glutes are best. Again, we always make sure you are covered and don’t feel exposed in anyway.

As many of you have experienced, we offer several types of massage therapy at Balanced Bodies. You want deep tissue? We’ve got a therapist for that. You want to relax? We have one for that! You want a bit of both? We have a therapist for that too. But what about an Athlete specific massage? WE do that too! It’s called sports massage.

Many people don’t know what that even is much less feel like it is a service they can ask for. Well, here at Balanced Bodies, we specialize with athletes. We work with local gyms, CrossFit boxes, Jiu Jitsu academies, martial arts centers, running clubs, golfers, veterans, weight lifters, body builders, yoga teachers & students, dancers, etc. to not only work out their tension or help them relax but also to help them better perform with Sports Massage.

A sports massage is typically similar to a traditional combination of Swedish (relaxing) and deep tissue massage with a little bit faster pace, and a lot more attention to the bio-mechanics (body movement) of the client. In a sports massage session, we work to prevent injury by finding weak muscles, overworked muscles, and imbalanced muscles to create the most aligned, balanced, and injury-free body we can. By adding stretches, muscle resistance, and myofascial release we are able to change the mechanics of the body over time so that you can compete at your maximum capacity.

Always be prepared.

First rule for a boy scout, Great tip for a massage client.

I tell my clients all the time “This massage can only be as good as you allow it to be.” Typically I am referring to having open communication with them but I have noticed there are several things that can make or break a massage.