This article emphasizes that the key to a great massage lies in the therapist’s attention to detail, experience, and knowledge of anatomy. By honing their anatomy knowledge, they can better target muscles, improving client outcomes. Experience helps therapists refine their touch and learn from each session. Slowing down during a massage allows for more precise work, enhancing the overall effect of the session. Combining these elements can enhance massage sessions and transform a “nice” massage into a truly effective one.
Key Takeaways
- Slowing down during a massage allows for more purposeful, precise work, making each stroke more impactful.
- Continual learning and adapting through real-world experience after massage school is essential to becoming a better therapist.
- A deep understanding of anatomy helps therapists target specific muscles and tailor their work to client needs, improving outcomes.
- Staying present and maintaining deep, consistent breathing throughout a session can immediately enhance the quality of a massage.
- Prioritizing the quality of each massage stroke rather than focusing on covering all areas in a set time frame leads to a more effective session.
Simple Ways to Enhance Massage Sessions and Improve Client Experience
Think about one of the best massages you’ve received. What made it good? Was it the therapist’s quality of touch? Was it that the therapist confidently moved from body part to body part? Was the outcome of the session what you hoped for or more?
When I think about the massages I’ve received, most of them fall into the “nice” category. They are nice but not spectacular. What makes a session spectacular is specifics. The therapist who pays attention to detail slows down, works with the muscle tissue, and feels what is happening under their hands creates the most impact for clients.
Education and experience are two factors in a great massage. Let’s see if we can make some changes to elevate your massage session results. These two factors, paired with slowing down, can enhance massage sessions to the most impactful session possible.
Experience
Learn and adapt
Experience takes time. Experience will come when looking for ways to grow with each massage you do.
Multiple sessions after massage school will continue a therapist’s education in a way that school can’t. This experience is invaluable. These “real world” massage sessions give the true picture of living a professional massage therapist’s life. Massage therapists can learn something from every client and every place of employment. Learning and adapting is the best way to become the best massage therapist possible.
Two things any therapist can do to make a more significant impact immediately is to breathe and remain present throughout the entire massage session.
Education
Know your anatomy
Anatomy to a massage therapist is like an engine is to a car. You can’t perform without it. Aside from energy work, all forms and specializations of massage need anatomy knowledge to be performed. Different specializations require different depths of anatomy knowledge. Let’s use clinical massage as an example.
Knowing which muscles are attached to the vertebrae is good if your client is recovering from a cervical fusion.
The client who gets tension headaches will benefit from the therapist’s understanding of the muscles to massage for the greatest relief.
Even those clients coming in for relaxation may have work-related postural problems they aren’t aware of, but you notice it. Your anatomy knowledge will guide you in helping them with their posture by releasing tight muscles.
Origin, insertion, and movement created by each muscle are the keys to more specific massage work. You can take your favorite anatomy book to work with you or look it over when you get home each night. Each client’s focus for a session may raise a muscle you want to refresh on.
Not all massage therapists are enthralled with anatomy. It may even be your least favorite part of learning massage. My hope is that you see the benefit of having solid anatomy knowledge. When you do, you can help clients in more ways.
How anatomy helps your massage to be more specific
If a client asked you to massage their hamstrings for 60 minutes, could you? Would you run out of things to do?
Knowing that the hamstrings are made up of three muscles that originate below the knee and are inserted into the pelvis allows a lot of real estate for the massage work. Not only do the muscles solely cover the entire back of the thigh, they overlap in areas. This means you can settle into the work. You might be there a while if semitendinosis is adhered to semimembranosis at the edges. Or if the tendon attachment at the ischial tuberosity is scared with an old or current injury.
Have you ever considered massaging through every muscle fiber from origin to insertion on each muscle? You might be surprised at what you find when you slow down to feel.
The biceps femoris is the most lateral of the hamstring group. If you massage too far laterally, you run into the iliotibial band. This more fibrosis connective tissue should feel harder under your hands. This usually doesn’t feel great to massage. A common mistake massage therapists make is having a depth of pressure that feels good for the biceps femoris but accidentally going too far and hitting the IT band with that same pressure. Your client may not like hamstring work if they think this is how it always is. Knowing your anatomy and having a knowledgeable teacher show you the difference will give you the confidence to massage this area correctly. There is a world of difference between receiving a massage that knows exactly where it is going and one that has repeated general efflurage strokes.
Slow down your massage.
The best tip for getting more pressure and specificity is slowing down. Slow down and feel what is happening beneath your fingers. Slowing down doesn’t mean you won’t finish a full-body massage in 60 minutes. Slowing down will allow your massage strokes to become purposeful. think quality over quantity. Make every stroke count.
Think of a slow, deep compression with a follow-through from the muscle’s origin to insertion. The goal is to move through the muscle tissue as it allows you to rather than bulldoze your way through.
Use a lubricant with less glide to help you. Slowing down will make your massage more impactful.
Massage therapists have the privilege to positively impact lives daily. Keep learning and growing your craft, as it is a way to refresh your work and add new skills to your toolbox. We show clients our dedication to the profession as we strive to continue our education and improve our effectiveness.
About the Author
Angela Lehman is a massage therapist of 25 years turned online educator, promoting fitness and nutrition for massage therapists. She runs The Fit MT. With her kinesiology degree specialized in nutrition, she trains therapists in healthy eating, exercise and body mechanics to prolong their careers.
Latest Posts