Speak up about pressure and your comfort
July 3rd, 2009 | 
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Undoubtedly, the most common complaint that I hear from new clients is that their previous massage therapist went too deep and even that their sessions were painful. I never want you to experience pain on my massage table, period.
I always aim to avoid pain by listening and responding to your words and to the movements of your breath and body. In my therapeutic massage sessions I guide my clients in effective breathing so that they can get the fullest benefit from their sessions. However, the best indicator a massage therapist ever has of your comfort is your word. Please don’t be shy to speak up about what pressure is right for you. We love that!
Be well,
Joshua Guffey
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I usually want a lot more pressure for my super deep muscle stress from so much dancing, but I worry that my massage therapist might be tired or not as strong as I hoped, so I don’t ask. Funny that more people complain about too much pressure. That is always easy for me to speak up about. Thanks for the tips.
You bring up a great point Bonnie. Often times people resist asking for more pressure for these very same reasons.
I strongly encourage you to ask. Pesonally, I appreciate the request because in asking you assist me in providing you with better service and consequetly you will get much more from your session than you otherwise would.
NOT asking in this situation would likely result Ina client who is never really relaxed on the table because they know exactly what they need and want from their session, it’s present in their mind and they’re not getting it. The client may become accutely aware of what they need and they aren’t able to ask for it.
In my experience thus leads to a massage therapist who is ‘guessing at it’ because as a masagr therapist you must become very aware of a person’s apparent level of relaxation and response to the session. I sometimes notice that a client isn’t really ‘in the flow’ of the session and my brain wants to figure out what’s ‘wrong’. Sometimes I can intuit the change that is needed and other times the noise in my head is too loud and I can’t tell what is needed.
Your honest requests for what you need are always appreciated. If I am unable to give the depth of pressure that you need I am always happy to refer out to another skilled practitioner who can be of benefit to you.
Thank you for your insightful comment Bonnie. You certainly speak for others on this one.