Massage Therapy is a group of techniques designed to efficiently manipulate the soft tissues of the human body, and includes holding, causing movement, and/or applying pressure with the use of hands, forearms and elbows. These soft tissues include muscles, tendons, ligaments, joints and connective tissues, and the massage can be superficial or deep depending on your personal circumstances.

Massage therapy must be performed by accredited professionals to achieve positive health and well-being in clients including physical, functional and psychological outcomes.

No. Although many physicians refer patients for massage therapy treatments, registered massage therapy professionals are primary health care providers who can assess and treat people independently.

However, it is very important that you inform the practitioner of any health problems or medications you are taking. If you are under a doctor’s care, it is strongly advised that you receive a written recommendation for massage prior to any session. Your massage therapist may require a recommendation or approval from your doctor.

As a health practitioner, we are most interested in your recovery, and in the maintenance of your good health.

And although massage affects the body as a whole, it particularly influences the activity of your musculoskeletal, circulatory, lymphatic, and nervous systems. In a nutshell, a massage session can help managing anxiety and high blood pressure, and alleviate pain, constipation, fatigue, nausea, and depression. Furthermore, it can improve:

1. your quality of sleep
2. the health of the scar tissue
3. the range of movement
4. mental clarity and alertness
5. and ultimately your quality of life

– People with anxiety and stress or discomfort associated with everyday and occupational stress

– People suffering from decreased flexibility and mobility including inflammatory conditions such as arthritis and tendinitis

– Pregnant women with symptoms of anxiety, depression, or need a massage to alleviate the extra pressure on spine and legs, muscle cramps and joint pains, or to maintain a health condition pre and post labor

– Patients during post-injury and post-surgical rehabilitation

– People with circulatory and respiratory problems

– Patients with chronic diseases and terminal illnesses (cancer, multiple sclerosis and HIV)

– People looking for relaxation and improvement of their mood and quality of life

– Amateur or professional athletes with a condition of muscular over-use (spasms, strains and sprains) and chronic pain conditions, or looking for improvement in performance

This is a very common question, and the answer depends on many factors and differs from client to client. The frequency depends on your general health, the reason for getting a massage, the results obtained from your last session, your availability, and of course, your budget.

If you are looking for a massage to promote relaxation or relieve stress, then you can choose the frequency of massages that fit your lifestyle. But if you are pregnant, have a specific medical condition, or is rehabilitating from injury or illness, our therapist will recommend you the frequency of massage sessions.

Athletes training for an event and doing intense workouts often get a massage twice per week to help maintain flexibility, and optimum health condition of their muscles. But during less intense training, the number of sessions can be reduced to once a fortnight depending on your goals.

Remember, each person is unique and you should listen to your body. The amount of stretching you do at home can also affect how quick you recover, and you can increase or diminish the frequency of your massage sessions until you reach a maintenance schedule to help keep you healthy.

A massage therapy shouldn’t hurt. Occasionally there is mild aching when pressured is applied over “knots” and other areas of muscle tension. If the pressure is too firm for you, a comfort scale will be established and our therapist will work to your tolerance level. As a client, you can stop or change the treatment at any time, and we will modify our technique to meet your needs.

Massage therapy is not recommended for people with:

–  infectious skin disease

–  rash or bruises

–  unhealed or open wounds

–  recent fractures

–  tumors

–  abdominal hernia

–  immediately after surgery

–  immediately after chemotherapy or radiation unless recommended by your doctor

Other known contraindications to massage include deep vein thrombosis, bleeding disorders or taking blood thinners such as Warfarin, damaged blood vessels, weakened bones from cancer, osteoporosis, and fever.

That’s why it is necessary that you fill out the Health Questionnaire before you begin your massage session. Our massage therapist will ask general health questions to rule out if you have any contraindications to massage.

If you are in the early and most contagious stage (first 48-72 hours) of a cold or flu, we recommend you to not book a massage session.  We request a 48 hours notice if you wish to cancel or reschedule your appointment, so that we may be able to fill the spot with another client.

We strongly recommend you to contact your health insurance provider and confirm if you are eligible to claim a rebate prior to making your booking. If you are covered by your private health insurance for Remedial Massage, then you may be able to claim a rebate.

When receiving your massage, be aware that toxins that might have been building up in your muscles can be released. In order to fully enjoy the after-effects of your massage and avoid headaches and nausea, please drink plenty of water before and after your massage session.

You can request a massage session or enquiry about our availability from the contact page in our website. Once we receive your details, we will contact you and confirm date and time for your relaxing massage. If you don’t know exactly what massage best suits your condition, we can discuss this over the phone and prior to your session.

The Health Questionnaire takes only few minutes to be filled out, and has been designed to indicate both your massage preferences and your level of health, lifestyle, any medical conditions and injuries you have. Please be honest when filling out this Questionnaire. If you have injuries, have had recent surgeries, are pregnant, have high blood pressure, etc. we need to know in order to give you excellent and safe service.

It is not required that you shower prior to your massage session, but many of our clients have experienced a very relaxing massage when they do so. As for facial massage, you may wish to not wear makeup, simply because it will possibly be smeared by massage oil during your session.

During the massage, oil or lotion will be used on your skin, and for this reason we recommend you to be undressed to your underwear, and remove any jewelry. Towels will be used to cover the other parts of your body, keeping you warm and comfortable and also to respect your until your privacy. It is our policy you must wear your underwear at all times. Once you are undressed and relaxed comfortably, we will then start the massage therapy.

Our therapists are very calm, respectful and professionally trained to provide you a very relaxing massage experience in a timely manner. They will ask what’s the level of pressure you like, so we can establish a massage program that fits your physical needs considering the length of your session. And we will consult with you prior to the treatment as to which parts of your body you give consent to be massaged. After this, we will set up the massage table, and provide clean towels to ensure you are comfortable.

Our therapist will perform a group of massage techniques that best apply to your treatment, while a soft music will be played to help you unwind and focus on the changes occurring in your body. If you prefer, our therapist can perform a silent massage session, so you can relax completely.

For specific massage techniques, our therapist will ask you to move your body accordingly, and you can change it anytime to make yourself more comfortable. While some people prefer closing their eyes during a massage session, others prefer to talk. Because it is your massage, let us know which way suits you better.

The massage can be superficial or deep depending on your personal circumstances, and our therapist will check with you during the massage session if the pressure is firm enough for you. However, at any stage you can request less or more pressure, so the therapist can adjust it to your requirements ensuring you are comfortable and satisfied with the service.