Image Credit: MB Consulting
What’s nearly universal when it comes to people who show up on my table is they carry their tension in their neck and shoulders.
Way back in late 2009 or early 2010, a woman and her brother came to Diamante Day Spa where I was working. I had the woman for a deep tissue. I was about six months into my first year as a licensed massage therapist and not altogether confident in my deep tissue skills.
Within the first few seconds of the massage, she practically yelled at me, “This is not deep tissue.”
“I’m just applying the oil,” I said.
Even after I began going deeper, layer by layer, she complained that the pressure wasn’t deep enough. By time I got to her back and shoulders, we were both exasperated.
Image Credit: Illustration 84738473 © Vladislav Lukyanov | Dreamstime.com
She pointed to a spot between her scapulae. “Just work there.”
So I dug in, applying static pressure with my elbow.
“That just hurts!” she yelled loud and clear. Even being face down in the face cradle couldn’t muffle her annoyance.
When it was over, I was pulled in two different directions internally: humiliated and furious.
As a massage therapist, it’s my business to know how to do an effective deep tissue massage, so I was humiliated.
As a human being with an ego, I was furious that anyone would talk to me that way.
Once I was safe back home at the end of the day, I hunted online for a DVD on deep tissue for the shoulders. I found one that was a perfect match. I watched that DVD and practiced on a peer until I memorized it.
Photo 168409844 © David Burke | Dreamstime.com
There was no shortage of deep tissue clients with neck and shoulder problems, so I got my money’s worth out of that course. By extension, my clients got their money’s worth out of their sessions. In no time, my clients expressed astonishment at how much better they felt and how well I knew my craft.
Not only do I still incorporate those techniques, I’ve learned even more and created a few of my own to enhance the results.
Don’t get me wrong. I’m not saying that my massage is magic or offers a permanent cure to muscle dysfunctions. I am saying that what I do is effective at releasing tension from the neck and shoulders.
Results from massage are temporary – lasting 24-48 hours – especially if clients don’t correct the causes that led to the tension in their everyday lives. That kind of correction is easier said than done, but we’re all in this together. Life isn’t going to stop throwing fast balls at us, so that’s why I’m always on the lookout for strategies to bounce back.
If your neck and shoulders are hot spots for tension, book a massage with me.
I’m still not a sadistic therapist. I don’t inflict pain for pain’s sake, but if the pathway to healing requires some discomfort, I will do what’s necessary. That may mean sustaining the pressure, easing up on pressure, or simply slowing down with application so you can withstand it.
The main thing is when you’re on my table, you’re in good hands. You can count on that.
Do you carry your stress and tension in your neck and shoulders? Scroll down below the green block to leave a comment.
Book today: www.joyfulrisingspa.com
Email: april@joyfulrisingspa.com
Call/Text: 754.777.9437
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