A Personal Viewpoint on Massage

We all have our individual styles and flow.

A group of massage therapists who train together and learn the same anatomy and physiology and practice identical routines in training will, with experience, develop their own individual ways of working.

Which is why every massage therapist will do something different. And each massage clinic you visit will provide you with a new experience.

There is a preferred therapist and style out there for everyone and I encourage you to find that experience that really clicks for you. It’s worth the search!

Bringing my own massage work into the spotlight, it’s not uncommon for clients to feel pleasantly surprised by the end of a session. This is most noticeable during sessions of Sports Massage when a client will arrive with pre-conceived expectations of pain and torture, but in a surprise twist will enjoy the full experience of the treatment.

Did she just say Sports Massage was enjoyable?

Absolutely!

Sports Massage in particular needn’t be traumatic. With an individual style comes an individual application of standard techniques that can be easily manipulated to suit the aims of the session and tailored to the client on the day.

As the client your experience is everything. Feeling good is a priority.

I often liken my massage style to the Sun in Aesop’s fable ‘The North Wind and the Sun’. I remember being told the fable as a child but if you’ve never heard it I’ll give you the jist:

The North Wind and the Sun challenged each other to determine which was the stronger of the two. The opponent? A traveller and his cloak.

The North Wind blew, but no matter how forceful the gale, the traveler kept wrapping his cloak tighter and tighter.

The Sun on the other hand shone brighter and brighter. The traveler had no choice but to remove his cloak to cool down. Despite the wind’ s power and force, it was the persuasive Sun that triumphed in the end.

In massage, there are two main factors at play: brute force and a series of persuasive tactics. Some therapists favour full force; my entire philosophy and practice on the other hand is based around persuasion. A kinder, persuasive force if you will. Slowly problem solving through the issue and easing the body into a solution.

Which one works better? It all depends on finding the style that suits you best. There is no right or wrong answer.

Persuasion is subtle but very, very effective, both in achieving the desired result for you the client and for the experience itself.

In paying for a massage treatment, the aim is to feel better physiologically and often psychologically too. A style that allows you to feel present and aware of the subtle signals from your body during a treatment and have you feeling great in the days following are aspects that I regard highly in any massage treatment I carry out.

If this sounds completely foreign to you then I urge you to book in and experience a session for yourself.

Explore your options. Find your groove and a treatment that works for you.