The gift of relaxation

Holy balls, are you supposed to be sore after a massage?  LOL  Actually with as knotted up as I was, she had to go deep.  (That's what he said)

I walked in to the room and she looked over my information sheet I had to fill out as a new client.  I noted that my face (sinuses and TMJ issues from clenching my jaw for over 3 months), neck and shoulders were bunged up as well as a knot in my lower back.  I pulled it two weeks ago after doing what I considered a pretty benign set of Russian twists but my back didn't agree.  She answered any questions I had and said I could pick a different CD if the one she had in wasn't what I preferred and told me to disrobe to my comfort level though she'd need access to my  back so unhook the bra if I wanted to keep it on.  She said to get under the blanket on the heated table when I was ready and left the room to wash up.  She was pretty quick and I had just gotten under when she knocked.

I told her that I was going to do it around the holidays but I got sick.  She said it's actually best not to get a massage when you're sick because it can recirculate the illness and prolong it.  So she said I did myself a favor and didn't even know it.

She started with my scalp and I'll be honest, I didn't care for that.  I think it must've been part of the face massage or something but I was glad that was over.  Then she did my face, sinuses and all of the muscles under my cheekbones into the joint where the jaw connects and moves.  She said I was super tight and I likely clench in my sleep as well as when I'm awake.  She said just being aware of it is the first step in helping to relieve constant pressure.  I don't know if I'm the only one who does that or not but I'm going to incorporate some of her techniques over the next few weeks to try to keep those muscles from being so locked down.

Then it was on to the neck.  I'm so used to the way the Mr (and most of us) massages me.  Sit or stand behind and squeeze the shoulders then the neck.  She had me lay face up and pretty much massaged completely from underneath...kneading, stretching and working over my left side which was pretty tight.  She could feel it before I even mentioned where.  She did the same on the right side.  Then she did this thing when she had me arch my back a bit and slid both hands to my lower back and ran her fingers along the side of my spine with pressure.  She called it "making me taller" and man did it feel good!  Then she got to my head and lifted it and pulled gently to complete the stretch and repeated it.

Then it was time to flip for the lower back.  As I flipped my spine did all kinds of crackety crackin'.  She got in there good and even up further and explained when I told her "there too!" that it was where the muscle attached further up.  She felt the hip muscle was pulling too and worked my left glute to release it so the lower back would eventually release.  She got the other side as well and it was more sore than I realized but not quite as bad as the left.

It was almost time to finish up and she said she wanted to get my face again since I'd been compressed laying face down.  She left so I could get dressed and she waited for me with a bottle of water to start drinking.  I gave her a tip and told her I would likely be back.

I did enjoy my experience and I would do it again.  I just wish it wasn't so pricey.  ($70 with tip)  I wish our insurance covered it like my mom's does.  She gets 12 massages per year on them so wah wahhh for me.  But I can see once or twice a year indulging in it especially with her.  She was super nice, talkative to my liking (about 25% talking and 75% silence) and I felt totally comfortable with her.

So, thanks Mr for the gift!  And no, this doesn't mean you get out of massaging my neck and shoulders unless you want to pay $150 a week.  ;-)

If you get massages, what areas are your trouble spots?

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