Ask MetaFilter questions tagged with massage

Working as a massage therapist in Vermont

Fermin — Sat, 27 Apr 2013 20:29:30 -0800

Hi! I´m planning to move from Uruguay to the US around the end of the year. This will probably be the preface of many questions to come (as these two countries couldn´t be any more different). I still have to decide exactly where in the US to live, so please help me decide. My reason to move is to be able to participate in more of a series of workshops that happen a lot in NYC, Philly, Toronto, and Montreal, so I want to be close to those cities (closer to Montreal, where there is a special person I want to visit and be visited by often). In my situation it´s harder to get a working permit for Canada, so my most realistic choices are in the US. I´ve been reading and googling, and Vermont sounds (in general) like my type of place.

Being months away I´m trying to plan as much as I can, and to figure out some minimum savings to take with me to settle there, so I want to get an idea of the cost of living. I´ve been looking at house rentals on Craiglist and see some great differences in the prices. From that point of view it would be more convenient not to rent in Burlington, but sparser population can make it harder for me to get a decent income.

I´m training as a circle dance instructor and a doula, but my main source of income right now is as a massage therapist. While I don´t discard the possibility of working for a spa or a hotel if I need to, I would rather work on my own (I normally take between an hour and a half and two hours per massage, I wouldn´t like to do 30 or 45 minutes massages), so I would depend a lot on the people that would be willing to drive to my place. So here comes my question to you Vermonters.

How far would you drive if someone recommended you a good massage therapist (or doctor, or lawyer, or any other professional whose services you may need)?

If I were to move to, let´s say, Middlesex, would it be realistic to expect people from Burlington to go there (after proper advertising and mouth to mouth, I know how to be known)? Or at least from Montpelier? What if it wasn´t in a town or city but out in the country?

And quite related to that, is there some zoning rule that would prevent me from having my practice at my home? And if there is, is it actually enforced? It´s not like I would bother my neighbours. I "may" want to put up a small sign outside.

Thanks a lot for any answers or advice you can share with me.

Massage gift packages in MA/NH?

Thrillhouse — Tue, 18 Dec 2012 12:20:34 -0800

I'd like a gift for a years worth of massage for my wife. Where can I find a company offering a deal on this? I know some Elements Massage locations offer monthly hour-long massage for $49/mo but my local Elements gets pretty crappy reviews. Does anybody know of any options in my area for something similar? My wife needs stress relief on a regular basis and does not get it. She'd love something like that. Other ideas?

We live in the Merrimack Valley in MA but spent a lot of time in S. NH and in Burlington. Willing to consider options in any of those areas.

Thanks!

Can you recommend a spa in Portland OR?

nickmark — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 11:26:05 -0800

Can you recommend a spa/salon in Portland, OR? I'd like to get my mom a gift certificate she can use for massage services, manicure, hair cut, or similar nice thing. She's in Portland and I'm not, so a gift certificate I can purchase online is ideal; I just don't know the establishments in the area. Any ideas?

I saw this older similar question; I'm looking for a place that offers more than just massage, which seemed to be the focus of the places recommended in that thread.

I'll take "Diseases I May Have" for $200, Alex

2soxy4mypuppet — Wed, 12 Dec 2012 19:08:57 -0800

You are not my doctor. But you will probably spend more time thinking about what is wrong with me. What is wrong with me, anyway? I have an appointment January 4, should I go sooner. Background: Sedentary forties female. mostly ridiculously healthy except for low thyroid, which I take drugs for. Have not seen a U.S. doc in a couple of years but a complete physical 2.5 years ago was perfect.

The last six months or so I had a lot of pain in what I think was my psoas muscle, (groin up to my hip) that stretching didn't seem to help. I finally got health insurance and made an appointment with a new doc first week of January. Have also for the last couple of months been noticing generalized mid-level pain in my neck and back pretty regularly. I realize now that this coincided roughly with the purchase of a spectacularly cute pair of boots, which do not hurt AT ALL but I notice make me walk a little differently.

So. Two weeks ago: lump in breast, urgent trip to partner of new doc, mammo, biopsy, BENIGN YAY BENIGN! But stress city, and last week back/neck pain was just a constant frickin' annoyance so I got a massage. Really good therapist, who pretty much confirmed that from a musculoskeletal perspective, right now I'm a mess. He also said I'm WAAAAYYY unusually "ouchy" and sensitive to pressure. Did another massage two days later.

I'm trying to improve my ergonomics, not peer down at my phone constantly, not wear scandalously attractive boots, do deep breathing. But it's time to admit I am in pretty much a constant state of pain. My HAIR hurts. (Weirdly, my psoas muscle no longer hurts AT ALL since the first massage.) Ibuprofen knocks it out but only until it wears off.

I have another massage scheduled tomorrow, and will try to get my appointment moved up. Have a Mexican holiday scheduled for Xmas Week. In your YANMD opinion, is this something I can deal with until the first week of January. And is there anything you can suggest in the interim? Many many thanks.

Scalp massage in San Francisco?

phoenixy — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 00:19:24 -0800

Does anyone know where I can get a good scalp massage in San Francisco? Does anyone know where I can get a good, preferably reasonably-priced scalp massage in San Francisco? (Specific establishments, not neighborhoods, I've tried neighborhood-based searches and got nowhere.) I thought this would be way easier to find than it's turning out to be. Not really interested in places where it's only available as an add-on for a traditional massage. Hair salons that do good and lengthy massages are fine as suggestions, if they can do OK with curly hair.

Help me plan my spa week

OrangeDisk — Sun, 02 Dec 2012 19:43:39 -0800

I am going to spend a week's vacation at a resort that has a spa. This isn't really a spa getaway, but I've been to this resort before and the spa is very good. I would like to visit the spa on at least 6 days, to get either a massage or a body treatment. I know I will have both the time and money to do this. Can you help me plan which treatments to get and in what order? For example, I imagine I should get a Swedish massage early in the week and a deep tissue massage later in the week, but I'm just guessing. I'm interested in massages for muscle tension (knots, stress, etc.) and body treatments for very dry skin. The muscle tension is more important than the dry skin. I want to get just one treatment a day. Here's the menu of options:

Massages
Swedish Massage
Deep tissue massage
Sports massage
Reflexology massage
Four hand massage
Hot stone massage

Body Treatments
Babassu sugar rub
Seaweed wrap
Manzanilla mud wrap
Volcanic mud wrap
Chocolate therapy
Wine therapy

Which of the above should I get and in which order? I'm currently thinking: 1) Swedish massage, 2) sugar rub, 3) hot stone massage, 4) mud wrap, 5) deep tissue massage

My idea is to progress from less intense to more intense massage, and to start the body treatments with exfoliating. The mud wrap just sounds interesting. A few other odds and ends -- I am usually sore for 2 days after a massage, and my skin is super, super dry -- I really can't ever moisturize it enough.

Looking for good places for an Atlanta-area spa day.

Alison — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 13:28:35 -0800

I want to treat a friend to a spa day somewhere in the Atlanta area, I haven't lived in Georgia for years. Does anyone have suggestions? We'd be looking in the Virginia Highlands area if we decide to go into town or in the Jonesboro/Stockbridge/McDonough if we don't. The essential services we are looking for are massages and manicures. It would be a plus if we could get our hair cut and styled as well. I've never had a spa day and only have a vague idea as to what one entails, so suggestions are welcome.

I'm looking at Scarlett's Retreat in McDonough as well as Sugarcoat and Key Lime Pie in town.

I breathe deeply and their muscles relax. Why?

sleeping beauty — Mon, 16 Jul 2012 06:47:56 -0800

Please explain the science behind this phenomenon. I want to know about the effect MY deep breathing has on the release of my clients' muscle tension. I have experienced and observed distinct differences between when I am deeply breathing, and when I default to shallow chest breathing. When I breathe deeply, their muscles release tension and relax, opening more and "melting" more to my work. It's quite remarkable. I experienced/observed this phenomenon most vividly in a Thai Massage training class. I was working on a very athletic woman. She was a mountain trail runner, and her legs were ridiculously strong. Her muscles were severely congested, super contracted even in a "relaxed" state.

She was lying supine, fully clothed, on the mat. I was sitting next to her on the floor, with legs outstretched in front of me, perpendicular to her. I used only the edge of my foot against her IT band, gently but firmly setting it into the muscle, and then resting and waiting to see it relax.

Our teacher noticed my shallow breathing and prompted me to relax and breathe more deeply. As I did, her thigh muscles began to do what I have seen many do before as they begin to release -- a twitch response. Part of the "unwinding" process.

The teacher walked away, and I thought I'd play a bit with this and held my breath. The unwinding stopped. Breathed deeply again and it began again.

What is this phenomenon? I assume it's physics, so all you science folks out there, do tell. Thanks.

Help me find a (non-sexual) spa in Toronto that will hire a not-yet-registered massage therapy graduate.

windykites — Thu, 05 Jul 2012 08:05:18 -0800

Help me find a (non-sexual) spa in Toronto that will hire a not-yet-registered massage therapy graduate! I recently graduated from massage therapy school, but because of a variety of factors, I won't be able to complete all of my licencing exams and requirements until sometime in the fall.

In the meantime, I am $33570 in debt- $10570 of which is consumer debt that I accumulated while in school- and I'm having trouble finding work, even fast-food.

I want to start paying down my debt and I really want to move out of my crummy, earwiggy basement room in the suburbs into something a little bit nicer- or at least closer to downtown. But the creditors are calling, and I don't really have an income to speak of; I've been scraping by doing clinical drug trials for cash. Plus, I need to make enough money that I can work less than full time hours; I need time to study so I don't get rusty before my exams.

Ideally, I'd like to find work in a spa or clinic, doing massage. But most of the ads that I find require you to already be registered- or they're the craigslist "spa" ads requesting hot ladies 18+... and I suspect, somehow, that that's not what I'm looking for.

I know that there are legitimate (no offense to anyone in the sex industry) spas that will hire unregistered people to do massage, at about $15/hour, but I have no idea where or how to find them. So, aside from fruitlessly combing ads, emailing resumes and filling out online job applications for hours every day, what can I do?

Are massage parlors cheating?

momtothreedc — Wed, 13 Jun 2012 11:03:55 -0800

What do I do with a husband who has been getting handjobs @ massage parlors...help! I need some advice. Married to DH for 7 yrs with 3dc. I recently discovered he has visited "erotic massage parlors" twice in recent months to get a massage (and handjob), and he also admitted to doing it once before we had kids but after we were married. When we were dating he cheated on me 1x after being together 6mos and told me right away. I was devestated afterwards but loved him so much that I wanted to make things work and he wanted to as well. Our relationship improved and we married. I found out about the massage parlors by snooping- he did NOT come clean until I pressured him a great deal and even then I don't think he was honest about the details.
We were having sex- one visit was even the same day we had had sex so not like there was a legititmate "reason" for him to seek satisfaction elsewhere.

He says of course that this will never happen again, that in his mind he didn't realize he was crossing a line. etc. My issue is that 1) I don't feel it is logical for me to believe him, and also seems logical that if I know about these events there could be more I don't know, AND 2) I don't know that I even have it in me to forgive him and trust him again. I just feel like I am done even though it is awful to separate/divorce and not something I ever wanted.

Any advice? I am so torn. I want to be a good person and do the right thing here but I don't want to be a fool either...

Massage School?

gpoint — Wed, 16 May 2012 10:45:07 -0800

Careers for massage therapists? Hello, I'm considering getting my Massage Therapy license from the Swedish Institute in NYC.

What kind of job opportunities can I expect if I'm not interested in working in a spa? Would prefer to work in some form of rehab at a hospital or private practice.

Any ideas what the salaries are like? Thanks!

Massage Therapists, What Are You DOING?

rhiannonstone — Mon, 09 Apr 2012 21:43:11 -0800

More often than not, when I get a massage, the practitioner spends what feels like a ridiculous amount of time near the end just firmly cradling my head in their hands (while sitting behind me while I'm face-up). This has happened during most of the Western-style massages I've gotten at fancy spas, cheap utilitarian saunas, and woo-woo yoga studios alike, and it doesn't seem to matter what sort of massage I request (I tend to request deep tissue, though there's great variation in what that actually gets me). What on Earth are they doing? Why do they do it for so long? And how can I ask for a massage that uses that time to knead my ouchy bits rather than cradle my head while I lie there half-asleep, half-annoyed?

Massage therapist in Philadelphia?

zeek321 — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 12:24:00 -0800

Licensed massage therapist in Philadelphia? (that will talk to me a bit about anatomy?) My back has been bugging me, and trying a massage first is more fun than going to a doctor or a physical therapist. Does your wicked-smart, patient massage therapist have a conversation with you about what muscles (that you didn't even know you had) were extra tight and/or a stretch that would get at them?

How much should I expect to pay for a good massage? How much should I tip? (I'm a dude. What should I wear? I don't care about the gender of my massage therapist.)

Holistic, beautiful, affordable retreat in nature for the Breast Cancer threatened

sleeping beauty — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 11:09:08 -0800

After scary "you may have breast cancer" tests over the last year and a winter of too much flu and allergy-induced misery, I need a long-weekend getaway to a beautiful, allergen-free or almost free retreat in our majestic country. For a very affordable price. I feel like I need physical and emotional healing and restoration on this trip. I like restorative (or Iyengar) yoga, organic food, massage, hikes/walks outside, swimming in warm water, etc. I want to be around DOWN TO EARTH, interesting (not spooky spiritual) healing people. In a lovely place. I can do a house swap or retreat swap and a barter thing - I have good massage therapy skills and license....and a charming place in a hip village in a cool-to-visit city with a lovely guest room to rent. Ideas? In the last year, every three months I have been through a battery of mammograms, ultrasounds and biopsies of two suspicious "things" in my breast. Each time I am screened, filmed, scanned and cored, I then have to endure the dreaded waiting period until they call with the results.

I do NOT have health insurance. I tried to get a crap policy for catastrophes, but within two months, I had to drop it - it was a choice between heating my house or having insurance.

I'm a single woman with a new, successful, massage therapy business and a bit of school loan debt and very little disposable income. The threat of cancer treatment is just TOO much for me to bear on my own, and it scares me to the core and sends me through the anxiety roof every time.

My body is healthier in a lot of ways than it has been in years. I do yoga, teach water aerobics, grow and eat organic veggies and food, have a support program that has increased my overall well-being tremendously, have friends and love my life. But I have ridiculous allergies to about every pollen and animal under the sun, dust, some foods (gluten, probably lactose, etc) and have this "I am NOT really well and need to get myself deeply healed" nagging feeling inside.

The question is, WHERE can I go to have a long weekend retreat in a Natural setting (on a farm, in a wooded retreat, a protected land preserve of some kind) that includes some affordable healing aspect -- not a commercial "spa" -- not interested AT ALL in the commercial thing -- but maybe a massage therapist, some kind of overnight organic healing thing with healthy food and healing people? When I say affordable, I mean, after airfare, I'm talking $500 or less for the weekend.

I could even do a house swap and trade, as I am a licensed massage therapist with a guest space on AirBnB in a very desirable-to-visit city....have been described as a "gifted massage therapist." I can give you details off-page.

I just need a healing, nurturing, inflammation-reducing escape. Anywhere in the country.

Ideas?????

My next trip needs to be lots of good fun and laughs and recreation with great people. I'll be back for ideas for that one!

Any tips to find a massage package for a friend in a foreign land?

Bodrik — Sat, 11 Feb 2012 23:21:35 -0800

Osaka-filter Massage/Spa Package-filter. I like to buy a lady friend a good women oriented massage package she could use to relax massively while in Osaka. Any tips on how to find massage/spa resorts that offer this sort of deal? One difficulty I prefer to arrange/reserve/buy it while overseas. I have looked at some japan guides for foreigners, but I'm not sure the stuff they orient to would work out. I'm not looking for a tour package, just a pre-paid reservation in her name basically...

Help me help my SO relax her neck and back

Anonymous — Sun, 05 Feb 2012 16:11:02 -0800

My SO's back and neck seem to be permanently tied in knots. She doesn't seem like a tense person, but her muscles indicate otherwise. I can massage her for a while, but it only does so much for her. Can anyone give me suggestions to help her relax her back and neck? When I give her massages, I can help her a bit, but it either stops helping, or I start pushing too hard and it hurts her. She's gone to a professional masseuse once or twice, and they're always surprised at how tense she is, and those massages don't do much. I was thinking about getting her a series of massage sessions, with the hope repeat visits could help, but she has usually brushed off massage.

She enjoys soaking in baths, but that has never really loosened her up.

We've done yoga together before, but our schedules (plus a 6 month old child) now make it hard to go to a yoga class with enough frequency, and now we live in a small community, 15-30 minutes from bigger cities, adding another obstacle. We have some home yoga DVDs, and could use suggestions for back/neck specific poses or practices.

As for her: she carries a few heavy bags for work, always on the same shoulder. It's generally the opposite side of her back that hurts. She doesn't think that's an issue, so I don't push her on it. She's also a bit overweight, and rather busty. She'd like to work out, but is often tired after work, and has a few hours of baby-duty before I get home to help.

In short: what are your suggestions for me to help my SO with her knotty back and neck?

I want to become a massage goddess. What to read, where to learn?

JoannaC — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 07:45:15 -0800

I want to become a massage goddess. Help, advice, suggestions? My significant other has a history of kidney disease and retains water very easily. He has lately found massage to be very helpful in making him feel a lot better. He says that when he retains water, he feels like his body is clogged with sludge and that massage moves all the sludge out of his body.

He is not always comfortable asking for support, but this is one area where he is letting me help him, and it's going pretty well. I have been doing his hands every day (just in general as part of general touching/closeness) and then a more proper one with arms, legs, shoulders etc. every three days or so. He says I am good at it and it helps him (about an hour after I do a full one, he'll spend a long time in the bathroom and come out feeling like a new person).

So far, I have been taking him at his word if he says go harder or go less hard, but I worry about accidentally injuring him because I am overdoing it or because I don't know about anatomy or something. And if there are specific techniques I don't know about that might help for his kind of situation, I'd like to learn about those too.

I want to read/learn more. I welcome any book/website suggestions. I would be amenable to taking a course as well, but am not sure what to look for. I don't need to become certified or anything. I just want to learn a few tips.

The best massage in Hong Kong please

superfish — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 05:05:56 -0800

I'd like to buy my awesome aunt in Hong Kong a voucher for a (western style) massage - does anyone know a great venue? She lives in Discovery Bay, in case that helps. Thanks.

My breasts are large for my frame, how can I downplay them and avoid back pain?

Anonymous — Sat, 17 Dec 2011 06:35:01 -0800

My breasts are disproportionately large for my frame (34E/F, 5'2", upper-normal BMI). Because of this, my posture is terrible and my style has been decidedly cramped. Short of getting a breast reduction, how can I dress better, improve my posture, and keep my back from hurting all the time? The problem is that even great, well-made, well-fitted, expensive bras leave my breasts looking really, well, prominent. My breasts kind of swallow my whole torso, to be honest - I have an extremely short (though defined) waist, and to put it crudely, my body basically goes straight from tits to ass. Since this is anonymous, what the hell - I go from 42-30-42 within a vertical span of less than 1 foot. I know I should make the most of my curves, but they look so dramatic on my short body that I usually feel like I look either immodest or fat, with nothing in between. Is this a self-esteem issue, a physical issue, or a clothing issue? And more importantly, what can I do about it?

The back pain is my biggest concern. As I get older (turning 29 this year), I am experiencing more and more muscle pain and cramping in my mid-upper back and shoulders from having terrible posture, which I believe is a result of slouching to hide my breasts. I find that even when I'm relaxing at home with no one but my partner (and I am confident that he loves my body), I still feel strangely uncomfortable and almost ashamed to have good posture because it makes my breasts stick out so crazy far from my body. I've been wearing restrictive sports bras for the last year or so because they minimize my bust and make me look thinner - it was almost disturbing to me how much thinner people thought I was once I started doing this, I got constant commentary about losing weight even while I was actually gaining - but I am sick and tired of the squishing/uniboob effect and I'm ready to start wearing real, nice bras again.

For the back pain, the most effective treatment so far has been trigger point self-massage on my upper back, but every day it all tightens back up again and I can't seem to make any lasting progress. For my clothing, I dress very simply in black long-sleeve v-neck tees and dark jeans, but it would be nice to spice it up a little without looking like 50% of my body weight is comprised of boobs. I've tried wrap dresses, and one of them worked great but mostly they still make me feel really conspicuous and I don't wear dresses very often (maybe I should?). As far as self-esteem goes, I am much more accepting of my body than I used to be, but I still beat myself up about being a size 10/12 when I would look better at a size 8, stupid stuff like that. I'm pretty quiet, self-conscious, and modest as a general rule, but other than the boob issue I wouldn't say that my body image was a big problem or taking up a ton of space in my head. I have definitely thought about breast reduction surgery, but not very seriously because I can't afford it at all as a broke-ass student with no health insurance.

If it helps, I'm an hourglass/cello body type, I'm muscular and in reasonably good shape, and I walk around with a heavy backpack all the time because I walk to school every day. I don't plan on joining a gym, but I do try to walk at least 3 miles every day, including some decent elevation changes. I am open to exercises and stretches that I can do at home or outdoors.

Any advice on how to dress myself in more flattering clothes, treat or train my body, or mentally reframe my figure would be greatly appreciated. Thanks as always, hive mind!

Oh yes, full massage please.

StoneSpace — Fri, 02 Dec 2011 05:41:53 -0800

Non-creepy inner thigh massage. Possible? Running, and other more fun activities, have made my inner thighs quite tense and I would love to have a professional, strong massage around there. Ideally, everything around the private parts -- bottom of buttocks, and basically the circle formed by the beginning of my (male) pubes.

Does this break most people's creepy scales or is there a massage style I could look for that would be more receptive of such a demand? Or should I just give up and ask my partner? I realize that sexual excitation may occur but it is truly not the aim.

Also, if my sense of empathy is so broken that all you can think is "what, seriously, how the fuck does he think this is possible", let me know as well.

Where do they sell massage oil?

feelinggood — Thu, 01 Dec 2011 17:49:02 -0800

Where can I buy massage oil in Toronto (actually Richmond Hill)? I've read about it for years in all the sex manuals. I've always assumed it was out there -- readily available.
But I went shopping for it today and couldn't find it. I assumed The Body Shop would carry some. Also tried a fairly big pharmacy. All sorts of lubricants -- but nothing called massage oil. I'm talking about a fragrance-enhanced oil for body rubbing. I bought some baby oil, which has a nice smell, but would like a few other choices.
Do I have to go the obvious place - a sex store? (Duh!) Will I get good quality there?

Smartphone injury?

heatherann — Sat, 26 Nov 2011 09:03:56 -0800

I use my smartphone a lot and my hands/thumbs are getting sore. I know how to stave off pain from typing and hunching over my computer, but those techniques don't work for this. Can you recommend stretches or massage techniques? I have a Nexus One, so I do a lot of swiping and I use the little scrolly ball.

I try to switch hands fairly often, but this has just resulted in having two sore hands. The pain is mostly in the muscles at the base of my thumb. I'm starting to wonder if the way I hold my wrists when I'm using my phone is part of the problem, similar to the way slouching shoulders leads to forearm pain.

I know that I need to use my phone and computer less. My question is specifically about other techniques to prevent/heal whatever is happening to my hands: posture, stretches, massage, etc.

Stiff shoulder muscles that always want to stick together

dino terror — Sat, 12 Nov 2011 20:42:49 -0800

When I shrug my shoulders or stretch my arms above my head after not moving around for a while I can feel/hear the muscles kind of schlicking apart as though the different muscles were kind of sticking together (no pain). This doesn't happen with any other muscles though. Anyone else get this? I suspect this is something to do with the fascia that sheath the muscles to allow them to glide over each other. Is this myofascial adhesion? At any rate I am trying to solve some shoulder muscle issues and I'm wondering if this has anything to do with it.
I have had massages but not myofascial release per se.

Which muscle's giving me pain?

desertface — Thu, 20 Oct 2011 20:19:50 -0800

Which of my muscles is hurting and what can I do about it? I'm pretty sure it was caused by

a) Vigorously whipping my head back and forth after showering to shake the water out of my hair (like a dog... or Willow Smith),

b) Always carrying my tote bag on my right shoulder (often with a heavy-ish laptop in it),

or

c) Going overboard with the neck-cracking and finally stretching something.

Now a muscle or something where my neck/back/shoulder meet is hurting whenever I tilt or rotate my head (it's easier to look right than left, but if I go far enough in either direction, it hurts). It's not excruciating, but it's definitely enough for me to not want to move my head much.

So, which muscles are involved in head-whipping, tote-bagging, and neck-cracking? And is there any kind of stretch or self-massage I can do to make moving my head less unpleasant?

Non Woo-woo Massage Therapist In San Francisoc

twiggy32 — Tue, 27 Sep 2011 00:20:10 -0800

I am looking for a non-woo-woo massage therapist in San Francisco. The last time/only time I got a massage in SF, she told me my vertebrae were messed up because I was holding in too much anger and at the end of the session, insisted that I describe what color I was feeling. This cost me $120 including tip.

I have ongoing back issues, and I see a science-based chiropractor once a month. I would like to incorporate the occasional massage for therapy and stress relief. It stresses me out when my massage therapist gets all woo-woo and spiritual during/after the massage.

Can anyone recommend a massage therapist in San Francisco, close to a Muni line and open on the weekends, that does not get into spiritual healing, chakras, colors of your pain/emotions, or any of this other stuff. What I am looking for is someone to give me a massage (I like deep tissue), without a lot of conversation beyond the mechanics of the massage itself. If you tell me I may have an emotional experience and even cry after the massage, you are not who I am looking for.

Any recommendations appreciated.