Over twenty-five years ago, I joined a profession that has been misunderstood for quite some time. First, massage therapy, even though the word “therapy” was in the title, was associated with massage parlours and we RMT’s had to be diligent in promoting the profession appropriately.
However, the next iteration became associated with spas. There’s nothing wrong with consuming esthetic sessions that spas offer, but it did play a part in the overall misconception that booking a Massage Therapy treatment was all about pampering oneself by disrobing, getting under sheets and having oil or lotion applied generally while Enya or whatever spa-like music is playing in the background.
Massage Therapy is not a monolith. We provide many different treatments, to many populations, performed in many different ways, using a variety of techniques, in a myriad of settings, all within our Scope of Practice to achieve desired outcomes…and one of those concepts is having an entire treatment done fully clothed.
Potential clients have expressed their apprehension in booking treatments, from modesty around disrobing to not wanting messy oils or lotions slathered all over them. Having a treatment done fully clothed would remove the barriers around receiving Massage Therapy by addressing a population who has difficulty disrobing due to injuries or arthritic changes over time that reduce range of motion, particularly of shoulders, hands, fingers, knees and hips.
It’s also just easier in general: you get on the table and begin immediately without wasting precious treament time having to get undressed and changed back into clothes that could get stained by oil/lotion, nevermind if your treatment requires you to turn onto your back, stomach or sides.
Then we need to address the other beast: deep vs gentle. I’ve been in this profession for over 25 years, and I have only occasionally worked on patients who really want deep massage. I have educated them by telling them what they may really want is “specific” massage. There could be one small area, made up by small, but significant muscles that can cause pain and dysfunction in a joint. If I specifically focus on those areas, my patients will know that I am “getting in there”, but that I’m actually not pressing that hard. That’s merely one example of “not deep”.
Now we’ll tackled the issue of “gentle”. Gentle doesn’t mean not deep. With a modality like CranioSacral Therapy, I assist you to modulate your autonomic nervous system, by encouraging you go from an erractic sympathetic (fight or flight) to a calm parasympathetic (rest and digest). Because my hands blend and meld with your tissue, I am not illiciting a reflex response that will cause you to flinch or tighten up, which allows for deeper work to be done, with the potential of more profound results.
If this speaks to you, click the button below to book your appointment today. I can’t wait to work with you!
Laura Graffi BA RMT 