If you have never had a professional massage, the unknowns can be enough to put it off. What do I take off. What do I say. Am I supposed to talk. Is it going to hurt.
None of that is silly and everybody wonders about it, so here is exactly how an appointment at my studio goes from the moment you park.
Before you arrive
You will get a short intake form by email. It asks about injuries, surgeries, medications, pregnancy, and anything that hurts right now. Fill it in honestly, especially the medication part, because some of it genuinely changes how I work.
Eat something light beforehand. Not a big meal, not nothing. Skip the double espresso on the way over if you can, since caffeine tends to work against the part where you relax.
Come a few minutes early rather than exactly on time. Arriving flustered eats into the hour.
The first ten minutes
We sit down and talk. I ask what brought you in, what you do all day, where things hurt, and whether you have had massage before. If you have, I want to know what you liked and what you did not.
This is also when we agree on pressure and on any areas you would rather I left alone. That is a perfectly normal thing to say and you do not owe me a reason.
Undressing, which is the part people worry about
You undress to whatever level you are comfortable with, in private, and get under the sheet. Most people leave underwear on. Some do not. Either is fine.
You are covered the entire time. I fold back the sheet from one area, work on it, and cover it again before moving on. Nothing else is exposed at any point. That is standard practice and it is not negotiable in a professional studio, so if a place ever makes you feel otherwise, leave.
I knock before coming back in.
During the hour
Face down to start, with your face in the padded cradle. We usually turn over about halfway through. I will tell you when.
Talk or do not talk. Genuinely either. Some people chat the whole way through and some fall asleep in the first ten minutes, and both are normal. You will not offend me by going quiet.
Speak up if the pressure is wrong, if you are cold, if the face cradle is at an awkward angle, or if a spot is more tender than you expected. Adjusting takes two seconds. Putting up with it does nothing for either of us.
Afterwards
I will leave the room so you can get dressed. Take your time standing up, because people are often a little floaty.
Drink some water. You may feel slightly tender the next day if we did deeper work, in the way you might after a good stretch. That fades within about twenty-four hours. If it does not, tell me and we will go lighter next time.
Nothing strenuous for the rest of the day if you can help it. The effect holds better that way.
Booking
Sixty minutes is the standard first appointment. Ninety if you want the whole body worked on properly rather than a shortened version of it.
The studio is at 1970 Pinecrest Drive in Morrow. Call 770-961-9556 or use the form on the contact page, and tell me a little about what you are hoping the hour will do.