I have come across this question a lot in my career with people I know as well as from new and long-time customers. Here is my answer to that question.
When you get a massage, it should not hurt in the sense that you can’t wait until the therapist is done with whatever he or she is working on. If it does hurt at all, you should be able to relax your muscles, most of the way, regardless of any pain you may be feeling. It should “hurt good” as I like to call it.
I explain it like this: when you work out, your muscles get sore. When you push on that sore spot, or massage it, it sort of hurts but it feels good at the same time because you are smoothing the tightness out by pressing on it. In other words, you are helping the muscles to relax which is exactly what the massage therapist is helping the muscles to do.
Your massage does not have to hurt in an uncomfortable way in order to work. Sometimes, during the massage, we may need to take a little longer on a certain spot, with less pressure, to help the muscles to relax, if it does hurt. That is ok. That is what therapeutic massage is. If a person is tensed up on the table while we are working on them, their muscles will take a lot longer to relax, if at all, and they will not feel as good as they could have if we had listened to the body and taken our time. There is a chance you will be sore for a day a two, which is normal and shows that the muscles were moved as they should be, but drinking plenty of water after the massage will help with that.
So the short answer is no, your massage should not hurt and you should feel relaxed after your visit! Also, make sure you let your massage therapist know when you need a pressure change. We always want to make sure you are comfortable so communicate what you need!
Feel free to email me with any question at allforyoumassage@gmail.com or call/send a text! (360) 900-1122.
