What should I expect from my first massage?

Jet Rupar, LMT BCTMB

Massage therapy encompasses so many things to so many different people.  Some seek it out for a nice relaxing gift to themselves. Others seek it out to get their body out of pain.  Another group of people all together will not get a massage due to a variety of reasons, whether that’s they don’t like being touched, have body dysmorphia issues or other reasons that are kept to themselves.   

As a massage therapist, it is not my job to judge your reasons or beg you to come see me.  I am simply here as a guide to help you achieve your session goals, whatever those goals look like from day to day.  Every session is unique in its own way.

There are things, however, that I don’t know when you first come to see me.  So this is where we start after you book your massage with me..  We get to know you better.

The Intake Process

The intake process is where we do just that: get to know you better.  You will have a form to fill out, just like when you go to any medical professional.  We don’t present these questions to just be nosy.  The questions are there because we want to meet your goals without doing harm.

Your answers give your massage therapist a starting point…. a general idea of what your body has gone through in the past, and an idea of what’s happening in the present as well.  

This also allows me to get to know what your goals for massage can be, where you may be feeling tension, and what you do or don’t want worked on. Massage therapy is whole-body intervention and affects the entire body.  That’s exactly why your health history matters.

But wait, lets go back a moment.  Why did I mention the word harm?    Your body already has a bunch of things going on that can affect how massage affects your body.  Let’s look more into our intake questions and why we ask what we ask.

Your body is an interconnected system. What affects one part can influence another completely different part.  A detailed health history helps your massage therapist adjust pressure, techniques, and session goals safely.

Medications and Massage: What You Should Know

Did you know that medications can sometimes change how your body responds to massage therapy—and massage may affect how certain medications are experienced?

Massage can temporarily influence circulation, blood pressure, heart rate, and how relaxed or alert you feel. Because some medications affect these same systems, it’s important for your massage therapist to know what medications you’re taking.

For example, certain medications may make you more sensitive to pressure, affect blood clotting, change your blood pressure, or alter how your body perceives pain and sensation.

That’s why:

Massage can increase dizziness if you’re on certain medications

Alcohol can also increase dizziness if you drink before a massage

Muscle relaxers may alter your perception of pressure or discomfort, making it harder to recognize when pressure is too intense.

Harder pressure may not be appropriate if you’re taking blood thinners

Massage techniques may need to be modified during chemotherapy or other cancer treatments depending on factors such as fatigue, blood counts, treatment side effects, surgical history, bone health, and your overall condition.

Sharing your prescriptions and recent treatments allows your therapist to modify techniques appropriately.

Medical Conditions, Injuries, and Pain, oh my!

One of the foundational principles of healthcare is simple: first, do no harm.

Your health intake form isn’t paperwork for paperwork’s sake. It’s a safety tool. It allows your massage therapist to individualize your session based on chronic pain, medications, injuries, cancer treatment, cardiovascular conditions, or other medical concerns.

Why Being Honest About Your Health Improves Your Massage Experience

Sharing your health history isn’t about judgment. It’s about precision.  When your massage therapist understands your medical background, we can:

• Avoid contraindicated techniques
• Adjust pressure safely
• Support chronic pain management
• Improve circulation without overstimulation
• Provide a better, safer therapeutic massage

Massage therapy is powerful because it affects the whole system. And anything powerful deserves thoughtful handling.  Your body is adaptive, intelligent, and sometimes a little stubborn. It responds to injury, illness, and pain in many different ways, often changing how you move, rest, and use your energy. The more we understand what your body is dealing with right now, the better we can adapt your massage to support you.

Massage Time!!!

Next comes what we’ve all been waiting for: massage time! But before the massage begins, let’s talk about getting on the table. What is appropriate for getting on the table? What do I leave on, what do I take off? Or what if you don’t feel comfortable with being undressed?  What do I need to know??

Well, we have you covered! We use what is called draping (not to be confused with the drapes you use on your windows, though it’s kind of the same thought process). We use sheets and blankets to cover you while you are on the table and only uncover the part of the body we are working on. If we’re working on your left leg, that is the only area uncovered at that time.

With that being said, if you do not feel comfortable being unclothed, please feel free to keep your clothes on. Many people will leave undergarments on, as that still allows the therapist to get to all appropriate areas with ease and yet still allows the client to feel covered. Because I would much rather have you clothed and comfortable than undressed and anxious. Also know that your massage therapist will be leaving the room to allow you to undress and get on the table. There are things they also need to do to make sure they are fully ready to give you the best massage ever!

So wear your coziest clothes into our office, and be prepared for the best hour of your day! Massage Hour!

Once you are on the table, the relaxing can commence!! The space will be quiet so that you can focus on decompressing and healing. If you choose to talk, that is up to you, but this is *your* time. So, if you’d like, you can allow the music and rhythm of the massage to help you settle into the experience and simply enjoy some time in your own body.

Let’s talk about pressure

Different pressures are used in massage.  Some pressure is light, some can be very hard.  But is there pressure that is best?? 

Pressure preferences are very personal and subjective.  It can vary from person to person, and even then…  it can vary moment to moment and day by day for each person. 

Pressure used is something that should be discussed between you and your massage therapist for many reasons.  Not getting enough pressure can make a person feel like they are not getting what they need or what they feel they have paid for.

But too much pressure can be just as problematic. How so, you ask?

First and foremost, too much pressure can make you tense up. Yes, this can be, if not bad, at least not a great thing. One goal of massage is often to help your body reduce unnecessary tension, and the more tense your body is, the less effective our work is. We want your body to relax to receive the utmost benefit of what it is we are doing. Tensing up during a massage will not allow us to reach deeper muscles that may need work. Too much pressure can also cause things like more pain and even bruising.

More pressure is not always recommended as in chronic illness, cancer or a recent injury. Lighter pressure during massage, in these cases, will not tax the body nearly as much, and will still benefit a person.

Learning how to communicate with your therapist is always a great idea. Only you really know what you can and can’t handle in regards to pressure. You and your therapist will both be thankful you spoke up!

What Happens After My Massage?

After your massage is finished, your therapist will leave the room to allow you to get off the table and get dressed. We will check in on how you are feeling after your massage, and answer any questions you may have.  I encourage my clients to continue their normal hydration after a massage. Drinking enough water is important for your overall health, and checking in with your body’s needs after a session is always a good idea. Gentle movement or stretching can also feel good after a session and can help you notice how your body feels afterward.

“What about tips?”, you may ask. Ask your therapist.  Every place is different.  Tipping is left to your discretion.

In the end, your massage is going to be very unique to you, because we all have different massage goals.  You will, however, feel relaxed!

One more thing before we go. I always encourage my clients to do this one thing during their massage sessions, whether it is their first or fiftieth massage.

I want my clients to speak up

I start each of my sessions telling every client that they need to talk to me.

Now, I know what you’re probably thinking. But it’s my session, and I don’t want to talk just to keep you amused. But that’s not what I’m saying at all……

Each person who comes to see me has different views on what massage can be. They have different pressure needs and sensitivities, different goals. Some people’s ideal massage is having the deepest pressure that the therapist can provide. Others can only handle the slightest of pressures. Most will vary somewhere in the middle of these two ideas.

And there are plenty of people who think they can’t be specific about what they are needing when they are on the massage table.

What I am encouraging you to do when I tell you to talk to me is to keep me informed as to how things are feeling in your body. That is the only way I will know what you need. I know lots of things: muscles, bones, nerves, and different techniques to help achieve a variety of goals—from “Please help me relax” to “Please help me with this pain right here.” There is an art to putting all of that together.

But I don’t know how you are feeling that pressure at any one moment.

Please read that again.

Yes, there are signs that my pressure may be too hard. If your body is tensing up against what I am doing, I am going to be backing off. At that point, if your body is bracing or tensing significantly against what I’m doing, and negating everything we are working towards (which is not what we really want). However, I do understand that there are times that a spot needs some pressure to get it to release.

Which of course, assumes a person knows the difference between good pain and bad pain. In the end, each of those is determined by each and every one of us separately.  Because what a person can tolerate one day they may not be able to tolerate the next day. Our bodies change, our needs change. Which is why I tell even my regular clients to keep me informed each time they come to see me.