A 90 minute session allows a level of completeness that shorter sessions do not. In the longer format, I am afforded time to slow down to a pace where your body is more likely to "open." Whereas in a 60 minute session, a therapist will often, in the interest of time, gloss over the areas most in need of work, the 90 minute session provides me with additional time to search for and treat these areas of concentrated tension, trigger points, scar tissue, and/or adhesions found throughout the entire body. This includes working with muscle groups that are often skipped over in shorter sessions, e.g. abdominals (including illio-psoas), gluteals, adductors, IT band, and pecs.

In a session focussed on pain relief, because of the intensity of the work, we typically wouldn't work for longer that an hour on a particular problem area. However, in a 90 minute session we can tie some of the more intense parts together with relaxing and balancing strokes.

If you're looking for an excellent, truly complete session, you will love the 90 minute session.

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Although the answer to this question varies on a case by case basis, I usually recommend that if we are treating a particular condition or if you are generally holding excessive tension that you receive sessions once a week for four weeks. After that, we will reassess your needs and can usually move to every other week and ultimately, once a month for maintenance.

For those who are generally healthy and active, I usually recommend receiving sessions every three to four weeks.

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The source of constant confusion for many people (including massage therapists) is the term "Deep Tissue." The name implies that it is simply a full-body Swedish massage using "deeper" or firmer pressure, which it is not.

In a Deep Tissue session, just as in a Swedish session the depth of pressure varies according to the tolerance and needs of the client. The difference lies not in the pressure used but rather in the object and focus of the work.

In a Swedish session, regardless of the pressure used, the focus is providing a "complete" and relaxing session. The strokes are designed to be broad and non-specific with a focus on providing a sense of wholeness and balance.

In a Deep Tissue session (as in an NMT session), the focus is on treating a particular injury or pain pattern. Here, we define an area of related and opposing muscles and work just in that area. In this type of session, we thoroughly search each involved muscle from insertion to origin for scar tissue, adhesions, trigger points, and other tissue abnormalities and attempt to normalize the tissue using a variety of techniques. For example, in this type of session, we can spend the entire session on just one shoulder and the muscles that might be involved with it.

If you're considering a Deep Tissue/NMT session, be prepared with a single problem area with which you would like to work. There is sometimes enough time in a session to work more than one area of the body, but the more focussed you are, the more focussed and successful the therapy will be.

>> see massage for pain relief

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Not necessarily. There is no reward for heroism in massage! Ideally, we will work at your tolerance level and not beyond. If the work is too deep, your body will naturally resist and fight back, inhibiting your muscles ability to relax and heal!

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If after the massage, anything comes up for you which you are unsure about, call me at 510.847.1857!

If during your session, we did deep, focussed work, it is not uncommon for you to feel sore after the massage. This is part of the healing process. The most important thing to do if your muscles feel sore after a massage is to ice them, which causes vasoconstriction and decreased temperature resulting in a decrease in swelling, inflammation, and pain.

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Although not necessary, massage therapists generally receive tips on top of the hourly rate. And of course, non-monetary tokens of your appreciation are welcomed as well.

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