Recently, a friend told me about a really dis-appointing Deep Tissue Massage he had at a local Westchester Spa.  I won’t mention the name of the Spa, but I will tell you that it is a common story.  One that my client’s recount over and over.

Anyway, my friend normally gets in-home massage but it was his wife’s birthday, so he went for a couple’s massage with her instead.  He is in his 50’s, plays a lot of tennis, works a stressful job and knew he needed some specific attention to his legs and lower back.  So … he figured, I’m here, why not get a deep tissue massage and work out some of these issues.

Well, he told me he left the spa an hour later greasy from massage lotion and sore from a Deep Tissue Massage and it got me thinking …

There is so much more to a good deep tissue massage then just the depth of the work.  And there is no reason you have to leave the massage table sore after you get one.  And, quite honestly it is not always the therapist’s fault.  It stems from a mis-understanding of what Deep Tissue work is really about.

So, I thought this would be a great time to provide some information about the reality of Deep Tissue Massage.

When you read descriptions from top local Westchester Spas you can see where people get their mis-understanding.  The descriptions tend to be very general or focus on Deep Pressure. They don’t really educate. Take a look at these descriptions …

“Deep penetrating body work. Strong Deep kneading of the muscles, coupled with trigger point therapy relieves muscle tension and eliminates knots”

“Helpful in relaxing tension and range of motion. Special manipulative techniques reduce the chances of muscle and tendon injuries. Excellent for pre/post training.”

These descriptions only tell a small portion of the story.  They drive a mentality that Deep Tissue Massage should hurt. Or, that it may be uncomfortable.  Every therapist knows nothing could be further from the truth.  Good deep tissue work focuses on working with and not on the tissue.  You can’t force muscle to relax!

When you do you end up with unsatisfied clients and injured therapists.

So … the purpose of this piece is to shed a little light on what deep tissue massage is really about.

When you have a better understanding of Deep Tissue Massage.  You will be able to speak the same language as your therapist.  And hopefully this will lead to a great massage experience.

So … here is how it works.

Deep Tissue Massage involves a strategy.  The therapist uses their deep understanding of the many layers of the body.  Including muscle, tendons, and fascia (connective tissue which encapsulates the muscle).  For you foodies you would be familiar with it as the casing on chicken just under the skin.

With this knowledge the therapist develops a strategy focused on soothing, lengthening, relaxing, and releasing holding patterns.  This is all done in a thoughtful and strategic way based on the Therapist’s talent and observation.  It is not necessary for it to be painful and it can actually feel great as holding patterns disappear.

The experience of a good Deep Tissue Massage is different from a flowing and relaxing Swedish Massage.  Not necessarily better but different. And this may take some time to get used to.

The main difference is the focus.  Swedish Massage is focused on flow, relaxation, and pure escapist pleasure for an hour or so.  Deep Tissue, while pleasurable in many ways (in fact it can be down-right addicting) is much more goal and long term oriented.  The focus is on lengthening, balancing, and releasing chronic holding patterns in your muscle.  All of this can significantly reduce pain and leave you feeling great.

How Do You Know You Are Getting a Good Deep Tissue Massage?

The therapist typically will not use much oil.  Just enough to provide a little glide but not enough to eliminate friction.  The strokes are very slow as they probe and work to separate the muscles from one another and from the fascia encasing the muscles.  The movements are deliberate and mindful as the therapist is constantly assessing and adjusting his technique to provide maximum release of tightness and holding.

In addition, it is not uncommon for the therapist to gently grab the muscle lifting it and gently rolling it.  This can also be done with various movable bones, such as the scapula, or bones of the fingers or feet.

This manipulation of the tendons, muscles, and bones is very pronounced in the work on the feet which has 26 bones, 33 joints, and over 100 muscles, bones, and ligaments.  So, if you love foot reflexology you will probably swoon over a deep tissue foot massage.

In many cases the therapist will be moving your body in order to put the muscles into semi-stretch positions.  This aids the muscles to release deeply in-grained holding patterns.  It is common to feel fantastic … and a great sense of relief after a muscle which has been shortened for weeks or months is released.

After experiencing the benefits of good quality deep tissue massage you may find it difficult to go back and enjoy a normal Swedish Massage. It often leaves you wanting more.

So now you know there is so much more to Deep Tissue Massage then just deeper pressure.  Hopefully, you will be able to speak to your therapist in a more meaningful way and let them know what you are looking for… and they will be happy to give it to you.

And, if you have any trouble finding a Quality Deep Tissue Massage you can always find me at WeekendWarriorMassage.Com – Where In-home Massage is always Affordable and Convenient … and Great.