Give massage another chance

Some people love massage. They talk about how much they look forward to it, how much it helps them, and how great their massage therapist is. They may strongly encourage you to go also. You may be hesitant because of a previous massage experience that was less than stellar.

Have you had a poor experience with massage? One that left you feeling “meh” and thinking it wasn’t worth the time and the money? Did you walk out feeling disappointed instead of feeling great?

Some have had a bad experience with massage. The pressure was either too light, so it wasn’t effective, or too hard, leaving you in pain during the massage and for a day or more afterwards. You think – “I paid to feel worse?”.

Some people get a massage while traveling either as a treat or to help them feel better. Depending on where you go, you can be in for a big surprise with what you get, particularly if you are outside of the country. The techniques may be radically different; the amount of formal training can vary widely, and draping may be minimal or even non-existent, as well as many other factors in a massage experience.

You may be wondering why your friends rave on about how great massage is when you didn’t get much out of it.

Don’t let one bad or unimpressive experience keep you from getting the massage you need.

Your massage is your time. You get to decide on how much pressure is used; on spending extra time on a painful area you have; on the temperature or other factors to make it more enjoyable for you. Although your massage therapist likely has more knowledge of the body than you, it is your body (and time and money). Make your desires known before the massage starts so you can walk out feeling great. Do you tend to be cool or cold? I’ll be happy to turn up the table warmer or pull out a blanket for you.

You also may have run into some unprofessional behavior. Maybe the therapist wasn’t prepared on time, wasn’t attentive to you, or didn’t provide good customer service. Like in any other profession, those people eventually lose their clients and their job or business. It doesn’t mean it is typical of all in the industry.

Think of your favorite food – you know, the one you really look forward to enjoying. Now imagine that the first time you had it, it wasn’t prepared properly. Maybe it was undercooked, or slightly burned. Maybe there was too much salt. Maybe you had it at a restaurant, and while the food was good, the service or atmosphere was not.

Now, think if you never tried it again after one bad episode. Your friends would probably try to convince you to give it another try. Now that you know how good it really is when done properly, how much would you regret it if you never tried it again?

What if the first movie you saw was awful? If you didn’t watch another, you would have missed some outstanding work – performances that you remember for years, that can change the way you think or feel about an issue.

You would also miss some other awful movies – but now you know more about what ones to see and weed out the ones that you don’t think will appeal to you.

Do the same thing with massage. Listen to your friends who get massage. They can tell you things to look for and avoid, and will likely be happy to share their favorite massage therapist with you. Do a little research. Check out the massage therapist and the business online and give them a call with any questions you may have.

Massage is a great way to help you feel good so you can do the things you want to do. Don’t let pain or stress stop you when a solution is available. If you have had an unsatisfactory massage experience, do some checking and give it another try.

Barry is a licensed Massage Therapist at Main Street Massage in Hudson, Ohio. Find out more about him, his business, and massage at www.HudsonMassageTherapy.com