A good massage should be painful, right?

NO. Not unless you really want it to.

I’ve been a Massage Therapist for over 12 years. If you know you’re stuff, you don’t stop to think about how others perceive your business. I realised over time that people tend to choose Deep Tissue or Sports Massage to avoid getting a light touch ‘beauty massage’, but this does not mean you have to leave feeling sore for days afterwards! Yes, really.

There’s not either Beauty OR Sports Massage. There are many many techniques in-between.

Sports Massage is generally as it sounds, for athletes, runners, sports-persons, etc. It can be too hard if you are not athletic or sporty.

You should leave a massage feeling relaxed, invigorated and with no tension – but most of all, NOT SORE FOR DAYS AFTER. Of course, if you’re in bad shape from poor posture and a stressful lifestyle, I may need to do some trigger-pointing which can be painful for a few moments – but you definitely won’t be sore for days afterwards.

Remember….

Massage therapists are not mind-readers – what might be hard pressure to one person, is too light for another; we all have different pain thresholds.

It’s your massage, so you are entitled to ask the therapist for:

• More or Less pressure (that’s killing me/is too light for me)
• Adjust the cradle (its hurting my neck)
• Can you spend more time on my shoulders, etc…

As with everyone you give your hard-earned money to – ask for their qualifications, experience, etc. Massage therapists are not all the same. A level 1 or 2 Diploma is fine for a relaxing massage but if you need something more to deal with specific issues you need someone with more knowledge and experience.

As massage therapy is not regulated, as say Physiotherapists are, you can have someone with a Level 1 diploma and little or no knowledge of Anatomy & Physiology, practicing professionally alongside those who’ve studied at a higher level with a good understanding of massage techniques, body systems and structure.

Trust me – I can get at least 70% of your mobility back AND not leave you sore for days, using Intuitive tension release techniques, myofascial trigger pointing, Reflexology and mobilising massage techniques.

What I’m saying is – You don’t need to be squashed to death and elbowed till you shout out, to feel you’ve had a good massage.

Caroline Danby

How can I do this? I’ve studied professionally for 5 continuous years at City of Bristol College and UWE (Level 3 Holistic Therapy and body massage, Foundation Degree in Complementary Therapy specialising in Massage and Reflexology and a BSc in Health Science). I worked for 3 years at The Lido in Clifton.

I’ve researched, continue to take Continuous Professional Development training and practiced for years to find the best ways to treat knots and tension without putting excess pressure on tense muscles.

Muscles that are tense are stretched and therefore prone to damage if stretched further (many clients say “I just reached up to do this/I was just hoovering…and my back went”); but it wasn’t the act they just did, it was the years of poor posture and tension that proceeded it (the straw that broke the camel’s back) – the muscles just couldn’t take any more. For these clients, more gentle techniques work better.

A sort of muscle-whispering I suppose; connecting to your nervous system and showing the muscles what relaxed feels like again – it could be years since they fully relaxed.

No, not me, this cannot be, you say? But I have clients who insist they are not tense – oh, but see your arm is staying up all by itself…. I say.

The body is amazing, it will adapt to whatever you put it through – it adapts so that hunching over a laptop for hours feels normal (and when you sit up straight it feels wrong) – so eventually you don’t even know you are tense, because its become your default (normal) position – your body adjusted to accommodate.

Caroline Danby

Unfortunately, the down-side is that it’s totally forgotten how to let go. If you want to rectify this, I can help your muscles remember what relaxed feels like.

I can gently iron-out all your knots and relieve painful tension, and leave you feeling relaxed and rejuvenated – and not aching for days after.

Trust me – I know what I’m doing. Take a look at my Testimonials – better still, try it yourself.