CHARLOTTE – Each week I have several conversations about “deep tissue” massage. Clients come in and ask for deep tissue. But what are they really asking for? This depends on your end goal.

Most of them will say they need a deeper massage to feel like they’ve had successful work done. People think if they don’t hurt after a massage, then nothing worthwhile has happened. Let’s take a look at what it means to have a deep tissue massage. First of all, deep is subjective. What’s deep to you might be a tickle to another. There’s no scale, it’s all in how you feel. I’ve worked up a sweat and had a decent workout while working deeply on a client, with them to say later…” you can still go deeper”.

People that come in wanting deep work are already experiencing some sort of issue. After warming up your muscles, working deep sometimes causes your muscles to tense up. This in part works against what we are trying to do, which is to work out the issue and relax the muscle. It also works against the nervous system, which is an enormous part of how our body responds.

Let’s put it this way, digging in to make your muscles feel better is counterintuitive. Now I’m not saying I won’t work deep. But just keep an open mind that there are other, more successful ways to get your muscles to respond and feel better.

Trust your therapist to help you meet your massage goals.

-Lisa Lane is a licensed (#13098) massage therapist in Mint Hill. To book, please go to www.ncmassagesanctuary.massagetherapy.com or call/text (704) 773-6863.