Massage Pressure

Requesting the correct pressure of a massage is a regularly misunderstood concept. Knowing how to request a massage session that is right for what ailments you would like to address can make a positive difference in your experience. Deep tissue or the ‘no pain, no gain’ mentality is not the ideal pressure for everyone and can work against relaxing the muscles. A good rule of thumb is as follows:

Light Pressure ~ insomnia, recent emotional distress, nervous system disorders, and just needing to relax. Sometimes muscles that are stubborn to release will benefit from a light pressure massage after sessions of deep tissue have not resolved an issue.

Moderate Pressure ~ post work out, recent injury where swelling and bruising have subsided, a firm massage preference, cramped, stiff muscles, atrophy, pre, and post-travel.

Deep Tissue ~ reconstructive work for an old injury, headache, repetitive motion pain, post-surgery, joint pain, and misaligned muscles from injury.

Deep tissue massage should start out lighter to warm up the tissue so the body can relax and let the therapist sink into the muscles deeper. Intense pressure without warming the tissue can cause pain and soreness for days after the session, where surrounding muscles tense up, reversing the benefit of the treatment. This has been a massage minute; see you on the table soon.

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