The Do's And Don'ts Of Getting A Massage, According To Massage Therapists

You lie down on the massage table to de-stress, get out a kink or simply engage in a little self-care.

As a client, there may be several things running through your mind: Should you remove all of your clothes? Is it bad practice to fall asleep during a treatment? What about engaging in conversation with the therapist?

Your massage therapist, who is well-versed in anatomy, physiology and kinesiology, has other thoughts — like making sure you have a pleasant experience (and not anything to do with your unshaven legs).

To see what goes on in the mind of a massage therapist, we interviewed several of them about what they wish their clients knew before lying down to unwind.

1. Don’t hide issues or conditions from us.

“Usually before every massage, there is some sort of medical intake done, whether it is done via a form you fill out [or] verbally with your therapist. We don’t do this for fun. If there are any medical conditions, such as past surgeries, medications such as blood thinners or other medical issues you have, it may change the way we do certain massage strokes or may even determine if it is safe to perform a massage in the first place.

Many people may avoid telling [us] this medical information because they think they may not get the massage they want if the therapist is made aware, or they are simply nervous about the therapist judging them. Nonetheless, it is important that we know what’s going on so that we don’t cause damage, injury or make a condition potentially worse.” — Karen Stoner , a Pennsylvania-based prenatal, infant and fertility massage therapist

2. We can’t get “knots” out in one session.

“These adhesions build over time due to incorrect posture. If you look at massage as preventative,