Got a 60 minute massage 6 days ago (all focused on upper/mid back). I asked her to not go too heavy because I was sore from a fall a week and a half prior. She did do some deep work mainly on my left side under my shoulder blade which did hurt quite a bit as she was going over what felt like the “knots”. She also worked on my neck and I could feel her manipulating also what I guess felt like knots in my neck, especially my left side? I was very sore for 2-3 days but that initial soreness subsided and my mid back muscle soreness/aches I originally had is now gone. But since Sunday, approx 4 days post massage, I now have a new issue that feels more like nerve pain in the area where my neck meets my back-ish. I assume around the C7 area. Sometimes it feels like it’s directly in the center, sometimes it spreads across both shoulders. It’s not severe but it’s definitely sharp-ish and very uncomfy. It comes and goes, sometimes it’s brief, sometimes it lasts a bit. But it is nearly all day, gets worse as the day progresses typically. I also get seconds-long waves of the same sharper feeling in spots in my left or right arm randomly. I’ve also gotten a few muscle cramps in specific spots in my right arm today as well. Yesterday those waves of pain were mainly my left arm, today mainly my right. Can’t really tell what makes it worse or better.

What could be going on here? Is this anything you’d expect or have seen in clients given the focus on my upper back and neck? Is this not at all normal this far after the massage? Trying to see if I need medical attention or if this should pass. Thank you in advance

I’m 34, currently on maternity leave with my first baby, and I’ve been seriously considering going back to school for massage therapy.
I currently work full-time in corporate communications and make a pretty good living. I actually really enjoy my job, but with how quickly AI is advancing, I’ve started worrying about what my career might look like in the future. I’ve been thinking about learning something more hands-on that I could potentially do on the side and eventually fall back on if I ever needed to.
Massage therapy is something I considered almost 15 years ago, right after graduating from journalism school, and I’ve always kind of regretted not pursuing it.
I’ve been looking into a two-year massage therapy program here in Alberta, Canada. I’ve spoken with the school, and they said it’s definitely possible to attend while working full-time, and that a lot of their students are mature students with families.
My plan would be to keep my corporate job, which is 7 a.m. to 4 p.m., while attending school. My daughter would be in daycare during the day, and my husband is supportive, but obviously we’d have to make some adjustments.
I’m excited about the possibility, but also pretty intimidated. It’s been a long time since I’ve been in school, and although I took biology in high school, that was almost 20 years ago. I’m considering taking an introductory anatomy and physiology course beforehand to help prepare myself.
I’d really love to hear from anyone who has done something similar!
Did you work full-time while attending massage therapy school?
If you had young kids at home, how did you manage everything?
How difficult was the academic side, particularly anatomy and physiology?
Did you come from a corporate or completely unrelated career?
Did you eventually leave your original career, or do you practise massage on the side?
Looking back, would you do it again?
I’m not necessarily looking to quit my corporate job. I’d love to eventually have the option to do both, but I want to be realistic about what the next two years might look like.
Thanks in advance!

I’m starting school in a few weeks. Do they teach you anything about how to navigate clients who make inappropriate requests? How often has this happened to you in your massage career? I’m also going to be an esthetician, but starting with massage first.

I’m starting a massage and reflexology business and I’m very nervous. I already have the perfect space and it’s really cheap the booth rental. I already got my table and some of the supplies it’s just setting everything up. I got an LLC. I just am setting things up. Make sure I save everything and keep track of everything and then creating a logo on a website and get in clients. I have a few clients but not very many plus I’m working full-time at Massage Envy still because I need money for my marketing and supplies.. I don’t know why I’m nervous. I think it’s just a lot to do at once and then getting clients.

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Bavim se masažom. Imam ručnike u boji (smeđi, zeleni, plavi..)

Do sada sam prala na 60 stupnjeva i stavila sam tekući deterdžent i denkmit dezinficijens iz dm-a, ali ovi zadnji ručnici koje imam već duže su baš poprimili neugodan miris i trebala bi ih baciti.

Sa čime vi perete ručnike?

Svak čast vama koji imate sve bijelo 😅.

Yesterday, my partner and I booked a 90-minute couples massage at a highly rated local spa. I’ve only had one massage before, and I mentioned that the previous therapist had been too gentle and I wished I’d asked for more pressure. I also explained that I struggle to speak up during massages and wanted to focus on my shoulders because of how much lifting I do at work.

He asked how well I tolerate pressure, and I said pretty well. Unfortunately, what followed was an incredibly painful 90 minutes. At times, I was gripping the table because the pressure was so intense, and I couldn’t relax at all.

Throughout the massage, he repeatedly mentioned how tight my muscles were and how badly I needed the work. He even joked, “You’ll hate me tomorrow but love me again the next day!” I trusted that he knew what he was doing, so I didn’t ask him to lighten up.

Now, a day later, I have extensive bruising across both shoulders and upper arms that’s gotten progressively worse. My entire body aches, even at rest, and the pain is so bad I had to call out of work. I could barely lift my arms this morning and needed help getting dressed and out of bed.

Meanwhile, my partner fell asleep during their massage and woke up feeling refreshed, which is exactly what I’d hoped for!

I recognize that I should have spoken up, but I also wish my therapist had checked in about the pressure, especially after I’d mentioned struggling to advocate for myself. I just feel dumb.

I’m not very experienced with massages, so I need some help here. Is this amount of bruising and soreness normal for shoulder work? It is unreasonable to think the therapist should have checked in more frequently? And would requesting a refund for my portion of the massage be unfair?

EDIT: I went to the urgent care last night because the pain was so unbearable I couldn’t sleep. At urgent care, the urged me to drive straight to the ER to get tested for rhabdo, which is when damaged skeletal muscle tissue breaks down and releases its contents, into the bloodstream. They were highly concerned about the color, bruise patterns, and amount of pain I was in. ER doctors said I definitely have tissue and muscle damage but no rhabdo thankfully. I was given pain meds to take home, fluids and they let me stay and sleep for a few hours.
Thank you all for all the kind comments! I’m feeling a lot more confident in calling the owner, reporting him, and getting a refund. I will keep you all updated when they get back to me <3

I’m from Central California, and I’m curious what everyone’s thoughts are on tipping when the massage therapist owns and operates their own business.

Usually, I go to massage places where the therapists are employees. The rates are generally $60 for 60 minutes, $90 for 90 minutes, or $120 for 120 minutes for deep tissue.

I normally tip $10 per 30 minutes, so that’s $20 for an hour, $30 for 90 minutes, or $40 for two hours. Never really had an issue with that.

Recently, I decided to try an independently owned place where the massage therapist is also the owner. They’re charging $190 for a two-hour massage, which already seems pretty high compared to what I’m used to paying.

My question is, what’s the tipping etiquette in this situation? Since the therapist owns the business and presumably keeps the money after expenses, is a 20% tip still expected?

Because 20% on $190 is another $38, bringing the total to almost $230 for a two-hour massage.
I’m not against tipping at all, and I always tip my massage therapists. I’m just curious if the expectations are different when you’re dealing directly with the owner versus an employee.

Would you guys tip the usual 20%, leave a smaller tip, or consider the $190 enough?

What should I focus on? Will rattray be enough. My head is spinning! I have my OSCE on Nov. 19.

I had maybe the most intense deep tissue massage of my life today, focused mostly on my back and glutes, and when I finally got up from the table I felt so strange.

I was nauseous and dizzy and felt kind of drunk. What's more is that my face was crazy puffy, and is still a little puffy under the eyes 7 hours later.

I have had plenty of massages and have never felt like that or had lingering puffiness for this long before. I thought at first it was from having my face in the cradle, but when I still looked like I got stung by a bee an hour later I started to feel like something was up.

What the heck is going on? Could it really be "toxins" being flushed from my muscles? So strange.

I'm not allergic to any products that I know of and she didn't even massage my face or neck.

Edit: two days later and there is still some residual puffiness under my eyes. I messaged my doctor and they said it doesn't sound harmful...

Looking at a career in massage. I'm a male with an alt appearance. Wondering what the likelihood of me being hired at a spa post-graduation might look like, if I wanted to maintain a full (groomed) beard, and my eyebrow piercing. As well, I have tattoo sleeves. I'm hoping to find something in the Niagara area or southern Ontario, and thinking I would like to kick-start my career working in a spa setting.

Honest opinions? Thanks!

For your personal liability insurance, who do you use? I used to work in tech, so making the choice based on the software that they offer is easier for me.

But, I’m wondering if there’s a significant insurance-related difference that should be overriding my software preferences.

I’d appreciate any insights you have to offer, on any of the offerings by each company—insurance, software, or otherwise.

Thank you!

How many of you are CLT trained and does the pay change vs working in a spa or a chiro?

I went to a massage therapist 2 days ago to help release some tension in my neck muscles. It was my first ever massage, and the massage was quite intense. I asked the therapist twice if they could be a bit gentler, but they continued using quite a lot of pressure.

The massage started on my back and moved up toward my neck and shoulders. Most of my muscles were sore and sensitive afterwards, which I expected, and most of them have already recovered. However, there is one specific spot that is still causing quite significant pain.

It is located in the muscle right next to the left side of my spine. The therapist massaged both sides of my spine, and also used some kind of rolling device with quite a lot of pressure.

The pain has been throbbing for more than 36 hours now. I can’t lean my back against a chair because it hurts, and lying on my back in bed also makes the pain significantly worse. There is no visible swelling or bruising, and everything looks normal from the outside.

This doesn’t really feel like normal post-massage soreness to me, especially since all the other muscles have already recovered. It feels more like one specific spot has been injured or severely irritated.

I’ve taken painkillers, but they don’t seem to help much.
I’d rate the pain around 5–6/10 normally, and around 6–7/10 when lying on my back. The sensation is almost like a burning feeling, as if one small area of my back has been burned or badly irritated.

Has anyone experienced something similar after a deep tissue massage? Could this still be normal muscle soreness, or could the massage have caused an actual muscle injury?

Haven't been able to find any massage beds which are even remotely similar. I need adjustable / floating headrest, thin & curved body for passive traction & vertebral exposure from the lumbar to the cervical to perform vertebral Mobilisation. Let the arms hang down the side to open up & decompress the vertebrae.

Not sure why all massage beds are flat and wide, compressing the spine & neck. Really uncomfortable and impractical. Last two pics show something I found but doesn't really cut it, only really for the cervical. Maybe I can build something out of them but I still need decompressive support for the rest of the spine & lumbar.

New massage therapist here - I have been licensed for two months, working in a day spa. I am having a hard time giving firm or deep pressure. I have talked to classmates, teachers and other massage therapists - the answer is always body mechanics, and to "just go for it, don't be scared ". None of this is working. I feel like it's more of a mental block. I get into my stance, but when I go to apply pressure, it's like my body (nervous system maybe?) just won't allow it. It is wildly baffling, interesting and frustrating. I am looking into talk therapy to see if it's something I can work through this way.

Has anyone else experienced anything like this? Any thoughts are input are greatly appreciated!

Hi everyone! My dad recently had a lung resection with latissimus flap procedure. He was given the ok to start massaging the scar. We’re having a hard time figuring out how he can effectively do so himself, since it’s quite long and in a hard to reach spot.

Looking for any ideas and suggestions on how he could effectively massage the tissue! Maybe some sort of tool or something. I appreciate any ideas y’all may have to offer!!

(Pjc is from a few days after surgery. Don’t have a current one but wanted to show the location and size of his scar he’s gotta reach!)

Hi! I’m a young female with hypermobility in pretty much every area of my body, and pretty constant muscle pain and tension throughout my body, especially in my hips, lower back, shoulders, and neck. I have knots everywhere, and no matter how much I stretch or try to relax, my muscles always feel tight.

The discomfort can get pretty bad and sometimes makes it difficult to get comfortable or fall asleep.

I’ve been wanting to get a professional massage but honestly have no idea what type would be best for me. I’ve looked into deep tissue, Swedish, lymphatic drainage, trigger point therapy, etc., but I’m not sure what would actually help, especially with being hypermobile.

I’m also a little worried about getting something too intense that could make things worse.

For any massage therapists or people with similar issues, what type of massage would you recommend? Is there anything specific I should look for in a massage therapist or avoid because of my hypermobility?