How Do I Find the Right Therapist for Me?
April 19, 2023 | Natanya Knauf, LMT
TLDR: Shop around!
Massage Therapy is a highly personal craft as much as it’s a learned skill. So how do you find the right therapist(s) for you? This is an easy one: get massages from different therapists until you find one you’re comfortable with; even then, you’re allowed to keep looking! There are a few things to take into consideration when making your decision.
The Massage
This one gets a bit tricky. Therapists have a wide range of trainings, techniques, tools, modalities, etc. to incorporate into each massage, and we never stop learning, so no two massages are ever the same. Add the clients’ individual needs into each massage session, and you’re looking at what can be wildly different massages each session. If you like a therapist’s overall style, you can communicate your preferences, and see if they’re willing and able to take direction on styles or time spent on different areas.
The Therapist
The most important factor in your decision is that you need to be comfortable with your therapist. This is a deeply involved statement including open communication, trusting that professional boundaries will be kept in place, and trusting that your therapist will do their best to help you. I won’t go into all of the nuances here, but make sure you feel relaxed around the therapist. For some people, this means that they need their therapist to be personable; for others, it means that they want to walk into a massage room, tell the therapist where the pain is, and conduct the massage with no conversation. Whatever your comfort requires, find someone that can do that.
Some extra things to be aware of:
Is the therapist conscientious about clients’ confidentiality? Red flags would include: leaving documents with sensitive information out on a desk; talking to a client about personal information within hearing of other people; talking to a client about mutual contacts they happen to see, including family members.
Do they put down other therapists or bodywork professionals habitually, or imply that they’re the only ones that can give you effective treatment?
Is the therapist careful with their draping techniques during the massage? How likely is it that draping will move, and how do they handle the situation if it does?
Do they make sure you as the client are comfortable and well-informed about what they’ll be doing? If you’ve asked them to avoid an area, do they do so?
The Environment
The best massage in the world can be a horrible experience if you can’t relax, so you want to pay attention to any sensory pet peeves. For example, if you’re sensitive to scents, and LMT(a) burns a lot of incense; or if you get easily distracted by audio interruptions, and LMT(b) likes to open windows next to a busy sidewalk; or if you don’t like the feel of the fabric LMT(c) uses for their linens; anything that will take your attention away from the treatment.
The good news is that a lot of preferences can be accommodated! If the therapist/massage is worth the extra effort to you, you can always ask if there are any workarounds: extra sound machines or ear plugs, scheduling the first appointment of the day and requesting the therapist hold off on incense until after your session, or asking if they have a different set of linens you can use. Most massage therapists will be happy to work with you.
The Post-Massage
Take into account how you feel after the massage - do you come out of the therapy session feeling relaxed, centered, and ready to take on the rest of your day? Or do you come out feeling just as, or more, anxious and sore as when you arrived? How does your therapist wrap up your sessions? Do they recommend a treatment plan, and make sure you understand the reasoning? Do they provide ancillary suggestions that will complement your treatments such as specific stretches or other health professionals? Do they warn you about any potential side effects of the session, and how to mitigate them? As always, make sure communication is abundant, and crystal clear.
The great news is that you can always explore other options, whether you’ve been seeing someone great for years and need a change, or just haven’t had the perfect session yet. What you definitely don’t want to do, is feel stuck with a therapy treatment that doesn’t work for you. So use this as a prompt to get your massage needs met! Schedule out your next couple sessions with a therapist you love, or do some research to find a new one if you haven’t found The One yet!
Good luck, and happy searching!
Natanya, LMT
Questions or feedback about how great this was to read: hello@aswithinmassage.com