How to Choose a Good Massage Therapist Near You 💆

As long-time massage consumers we can take for granted our understanding of good, great or terrible massages. After 13 years of being in practice as a massage therapist, I still meet people who never had a massage in their life. Not often, but I do. And the questions they ask are: How to choose a massage therapist? Where to go to get a massage? So here are some answers to some of those questions I’ve given to people.

The best way to go about choosing a massage therapist you first need to determine why you are shopping for a massage.

Is it for a health reason? Are you injured? Experiencing pains and aches? Or, you’d like to get a massage for relaxation purposes? Or maybe you just would like to get a massage to try it out to see if you like it or not. It might be hard to believe, but there are people who don’t like to be touched, so they don’t get massages. Not me of course. I love massages, obsessed. I don’t know what I love more Mediterranean food or deep tissue massage therapy. 😂

Another question to ask is if you’d like to get a massage at your home or you want to go out to get a session. Massages help with stress a great deal. So if you have a place near home you could go to and the commute is not too stressful, that’s great. But if you’ll be stressed out coming back home it might be a good idea to get a session at home. But please make sure you get someone recommended and read his or her reviews before inviting a stranger to your house. Can’t be too careful.

Massage therapy is amazing for relaxation. It can enhance your mood and your general disposition. Getting a massage at the end of the day on daily basis is a dream for many massage junkies. ☺ But the reality is, that it‘s the reality for rich and famous, those who live the luxuries lifestyle. Nevertheless weekly, biweekly or monthly massages are affordable and available to an average person.

Massages are not just a great remedy for stress, relaxation and they also feel amazing, but in addition, they help key functions of the body. Massage therapy helps to enhance circulation, thus it aids the cardiovascular function of the body. Massage helps to get rid of chronic tension, muscle soreness, helps with neck pain, frozen shoulder, lower back pain, sciatica, headaches, and migraines.

So once again, before choosing a massage therapist figure out what do you need the massage for?

When you know what do you want the massage for you can choose the massage therapist that will deliver the results you need or want.

There are many different kinds of massages. So it’s a good idea before getting your appointment scheduled to read about types of massages so you can ask that right questions about your session. Here are some of them:

• Swedish massage
• Hot stone massage
• Aromatherapy massage
• Deep tissue massage
• Clinical/Medical Massage
• Sports massage
• Trigger point massage
• Reflexology
• Shiatsu massage
• Couples massage

These are just a few. There are lots of massage types and each therapist has their own spin of them, their own style. I’m writing an article on types of massages, will post in a few days make sure to check it out. But generally when you’re just starting with massage therapy Swedish massage is a good starting point. Swedish massage also known as spa massage is gentler and won’t leave you sore as deep tissue would.

So with all of this being said, how to choose a good massage therapist?

Well, the first thing I recommend to do is ask for recommendations from your doctor, your physical therapist, chiropractor, personal trainer and of course friends and family. I find that people wouldn’t ever recommend the unprofessional or unqualified provider. Social capital goes a long way. Healthcare professionals tend to get massages regularly so they usually know who’s who in the area. And we always recommend patients to each other to make sure our patients get the best care possible.

So what if your healthcare providers don’t know anyone in the area, what do you do then?

Well thankfully we have Google and the search kings take very seriously their recommendations as well. So do a Google search with keywords that interest you. Become familiar with massage therapists in your area and read their reviews on Google, Yelp, and Facebook. I recommend reading reviews on different platforms to compare and see if they’re genuine reviews or friends and family boosts. Serious providers usually have over 20 reviews and you can see the specific things they helped their clients with.

After reading the reviews go on to their website and read some of the blog posts they make to get familiar with their thinking process. Serious massage therapists write at least a few articles a year. After you did all that call in and talk to the person, and ask some questions.

• What style and techniques are their specialties?
• What is the philosophy of care that they provide?
• How many years they have been in practice?
• Specialty areas and experience in regard to particular conditions?
• What lengths of sessions are available and what is the fee for each? Typically, the therapist will offer you a number of options, generally 30, 45, 60, 75 or 90 minutes. Ask if the rate is for hands-on time or if the intake is included in the time.
• Are there any additional fees or taxes?
• Do they offer any special or discounted package rates?
• How far in advance do you generally need to make an appointment?
• What does the scheduled time mean-when you should arrive or when you should be ready to start the massage?
• What is the cancellation policy? (generally 24 hours)
• Do you need to bring clothes to better experience clinical therapies? For example, should you bring a bathing suit, gym shorts, or work out bra to wear during the massage? Should you bring clothes to change. 
• Finally, to arrive more relaxed, get clear directions and learn about parking options.

Also:

• Shop around! Expect to go through several massage therapists before you find the one for you.
• Always express your preferences, and quickly move on from therapists who don’t respond respectfully.
• Look for therapists with credentials. It doesn’t guarantee anything, but it improves the odds.
• Medical or clinical massage on talk is usually a good sign. Sports massage is also usually a better bet.
• Continue therapy only if it goes well: you should see some kind of progress within 3-5 appointments in most cases.
• Beware of massage therapists who trash talk mainstream medicine.

THE RED FLAG:

If upon arrival for your first massage you are not asked to fill out a brief health survey, that’s not the place to get a massage. Trust me. Therapists need to know what is going on with you and if they need to provide special accommodations to serve you better. Keep this in mind. NO HEALTH FORM, NO MASSAGE.

So shop around, try different massage therapists. And when you find a good one stick with them. Because great massage therapists aren’t that easy to find.

Hope this article was helpful for you.

Get a massage this week end, its one of the best things you can do for your body, mind, and soul…

Thanks for reading,

Bye,

💪😎🤙