My Experience

I was stressed out from work and life. My muscles were extremely tight and I felt slow and vaguely sick a lot of the time. I scheduled a massage with a massage therapist who does deep tissue massage and structural integration work (giving the body space to realign itself).

The massage therapist introduced herself and asked me to fill out some forms. The forms asked me about my medical history and current complaints. She then took me into the massage room and asked me to get undressed and lie on my back under a sheet on the massage table. She left the room while I did this.

She knocked to see if I was ready and then began the massage. Her deep tissue technique involved moving my body in stretches and strong massage of the muscles and fascia tissue. She told me to tell her if I needed her to use less pressure. I really like a lot of pressure — I like to feel my massage — so I was very happy. She did my entire body, at one point asking me to turn on my side and then lay on my stomach. During the one-hour massage, we talked about how the body is structured and she gave me some tips about how to hold my body to minimize tightness and constriction. When the massage was over she showed my how to stand to maximize the alignment of my spine and pelvis.

Afterward, I felt great. For the first time in awhile, I felt deeply relaxed and tension-free. Several hours after the massage I felt tired and the next day a little sore, like I had a work out. Overall, my body felt in better shape.