Fall 2013 is coming up fast and I am implementing some changes this year with two new treatments, changes to treatment names on the web and booking site, and a presence at Richardson's farmers market.

The first new treatment is called Deep Stretch. This is a style of massage where foot compressions and traditional Thai massage stretches are blended together to give you increased flexibility and deep relaxation. This is another creation of Ruthie Hardee, The woman who created the Ashiatsu style that I specialize in- (that is now being called DeepFeet Barefoot Bar Therapy- more on that later)
Ruthie calls this Ashi-Thai but I have renamed it Deep Stretch to give you a better idea of the benefits you can expect to receive from this style.

Check out my new promo picture for Deep stretch!  I think  Joseph Ray Photography did an excellent job! I'd also like to say thank you to Jessica of barefootmassageninja.com for being in the pictures with me!

The second addition is called Deep Island Sports Massage or Fijian Massage.This style was created by Lolita Knight, an American woman who lived in FiJi and learned these techniques from the village doctor. 

It's done on a mat on the floor and is similar to a western sports massage. By using a broad surfaced "tool" - the foot, the therapists can get in deep and  engage a large amount of tissue, causing quick endorphin release for a wonderfully relaxing effect. 
I'm really loving this style and will be doing demos of it at a health fair this weekend.

As you can see, neither of these two styles require the client to undress, which makes it easy and can be comfortable for clients who do not like that part of massage therapy. I now have three techniques to offer where the client dresses in comfortable clothing for the session- Reiki, Deep Island Sports, and Deep Stretch.

Here's some of Ruthie Hardee's pictures of the Ashi-Thai style. Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy is in the middle of a name change to Deep Feet Bar therapy. I will be changing the name of my treatments as well so that they can be better understood by clients wishing to book something but not knowing exactly what to book.

If you've noticed those changes, just know that everything is the same, it's just called something different.

And finally, I'm planning to be at Richardson's Farmers Market on the last saturday of every month starting in October to showcase Deep Stretch. You can come see me and get all stretched out and then go shopping and find wonderful farmers market treats!

Find it at:
677 W. Campbell Rd, Richardson, TX-75080 From 9am - 2pm every Saturday- I will only be there on the last Saturday of the month (beginning in October)

Question:
What do you think about the new treatments?
Which one do you want to try first and Why??
Looking forward to reading your answers in the comments section below!

Gaia Bodywork PLLC is the private massage practice of Hillary Arrieta LMT and is located in Richardson, TX.  offering the best massage services in the area for pain and stress management. Visit Gaiabodywork.com for more information.

Click Bait Alert! It's actually really hard to make your massage therapist mad at you. We are generally peaceful people.

With that said, I recently asked this question to therapists on Facebook:

 "What's one thing you wished clients knew (etiquette wise) before they become your clients or what's an example of times where you felt communication could be better?" I got feedback from people all over the country. With that feed back, I was inspired to come up with few pointers on what to avoid doing before, during, and after your massage visit. Let's see what you think.

1. Being habitually late.
For many therapists, this is the #1 discussed aggravation. For me, I have certain booking policies that are clear about this issue. For therapists that try to accommodate late clients, it makes their whole day a mess and pushes back other clients sessions. Usually the other people that have to wait are not happy campers. It's just a bad situation for everyone.

2. Not showing up for a booked appointment.
For most people who work by appointment, they depend on clients to show up for their sessions when they book them. It takes up valuable time where they could be working with other clients or attending family or personal events. This communication is so important and it's just good manners to let someone know in advance if you're not going to make a meeting that is set up specifically for you.

3. Neglecting your hygiene before your massage appointment.
You should arrive at your session clean and in the mind frame of relaxing.  It's a courtesy to your therapist and it's more beneficial for you. A clean environment is a healthy environment for all considered.

4. Making inappropriate remarks of the sexual nature to your therapist.
No further explanation needed. Many therapists report this type of behavior to local police departments as a safety concern and in protest to human trafficking.

5. Trying to haggle on pricing.
For most therapists, pricing is set at what they need to make to feed their families. I've never met a wealthy massage therapist and while I'm sure they exists, most of us are just normal people trying to make a living wage by helping others with our skills. 

We work hard and we train hard to give you that great massage time and time again. Support your favorite therapists and understand that they have kids, mortgages, and bills to pay as well. I think most of us do what we can to make it as affordable as possible.

The price for a one hour session is usually between $60-$100 depending on where you go.
Try out other spas or therapists if you're new to massage. Once you get more experience with different styles,
You 'll know if you're getting a fair price for the type of work you receive.

6. Attempting to retrain a therapist on their skills.
Letting therapists know about pressure, temperature, and pain tolerance is great! That feedback is extremely helpful during a session.

Trying to tell a therapist how to massage you is usually not going to work out very well.
Every therapist has a different style naturally, even if they have the same training.

Clients who are massage therapists themselves tend to be the worst at this- it's best to try out a few therapists and find the one that works in the way that feels best to you instead of trying to make a therapist work in a completely different way than what is normal for them. They may not have the specific training you are looking for.

7. Helping too much during the session or neglecting to tell your therapist about your comfort.
Your only job as the client is to soften your body and recieve the massage . Unless your therapist asks for help or for you to move a certain way, there's no real need for you to move your body during the massage, unless you're uncomfortable of course.

​I can't tell you how many times I've been kicked in the stomach on accident when I'm trying to drape a leg or smacked while moving an arm. 
It's also extremely hard to massage a neck when its owner is moving it all around. For everyone's safety, please be still ;)

Also, please tell your massage therapist when something isn't right.
Communication is important. Massage therapists go through a lot of training but one thing we are NOT trained in is mind reading. It would be so cool if we were!
If the pressure is uncomfortable or you're too cold during a session and you can't relax, please tell us.

Cindy, a massage therapist from Michigan says
 "I wish more clients would realize that it's { the session} all about THEM and I couldn't care less if they want more pressure, less pressure, more heat, etc. I just wish they would tell me so I can give them the best session."

Most massage therapists feel just like Cindy. We just want to make you happy with your massage therapy treatments. Don't worry about hurting our feelings. We don't mind when you tell us how to make you more comfortable.

Question: What do you look for in a massage therapist?
Give me your reply in the comments below!

For many years, I thought deep tissue massage was simply pushing harder. That seemed to appease most of my deep tissue clients and the managers or spa owners who ran the spas where I was employed.
They’d say "Yeah, just PUSH HARDER and give more pressure” when I’d wonder why a client wasn’t happy with the deep tissue massage I’d just given them.
As I grew in my career and got more education, I learned that deep tissue massage is NOT deep PRESSURE massage. I can work deeply in to your muscles and soft tissues without using deep pressure just by slowing down my work and heating up the area first, either with my hands, feet, or hot pack.

The problem with continuing this idea of "just push harder” is that it's counter productive. The harder you push, the harder the muscles push back. Muscle guarding, as it's called is a signal from the muscle that it has had enough. It won't let you continue to force pressure without injury to the tissue. If you’ve ever heard of someone complain that they were so sore from their massage, this is probably the cause. Honestly, nobody wants to feel MORE pain from the massage than what they originally came in with.

Many therapist retire early from overdoing it on the pressure. Injuring and breaking down their own bodies in the process of trying to help and assist healing for their clients. This simply doesn't have to be the case.

Of course, I don't have anything against deep pressure. Here in Dallas, Texas Ashiatsu is king. It's deep BY DESIGN and can't be given as light touch.  I use it by standing on my sturdy table and using the force of gravity + weight just makes that deep pressure happen effortlessly.

What I don't like is the misguided notion that deep pressure = pain and those silly sayings like " pain is weakness leaving the body." Or "no pain, no gain."
Pain is a signal from your body telling you to stop, slow down, and take notice.  Those ideas that pain is weakness have no place in massage therapy or fitness for that matter. Many of my clients have chronic pain from a sports or fitness related injury and this tells me that we need to cultivate body awareness.

In my practice, communication between client and therapist is crucial. I can usually tell from muscle guarding or body language when I've reached the client's pain tolerance.....but not always. Sometimes muscles don't react or it's too subtle to notice. Also, some medications clients maybe taking can block this conversation between myself and the tissues. That is why my clients use a subjective pain scale to alert me to any discomfort ( 1-10- 1 being no pain and 10 being excruciating pain.) If the pressure or pain goes past a 6 on their scale, they let me know and my work changes to accommodate them. It keeps everyone happy and comfortable throughout the session.

​Deep Pressure: is exerting more pressure or force. It should have skill behind it but many times it doesn't, especially if the therapist doesn't have good training. If it's done right, it's AHHHmazing! If it's done wrong it's painful and dangerous to soft tissue. It can have some emotional side effects as well inciting panic and fear in a client.  Done correctly, deep pressure can actually relax the nervous system.
Deep Tissue massage: 
According to leading deep tissue massage instructor, Art Riggs, Is simply using techniques to access deeper muscular structures. Any technique will do but most often the therapist uses myofacial release, trigger point therapy, friction, compression, traction, heat and more. Along with expert palpation skills to locate the specific muscle that needs the work. Sometimes you (on the client's end) will FEEL the depth of the pressure and other times you won't. It all depends on the technique being used. Some deep work is done very gently.

Therapists...It's important to get training and learn a pressure intensive style thought the proper channels. I love pressure and compression, giving it and receiving it. I choose to study with THE BEST ashiatsu  trainers and instructors. My favorites are the people over at Center for Barefoot Massage and Lolita knight’s Fijian Massage.


QUESTION: 
Do you enjoy deep pressure? 
Have you ever left a massage feeling more pain than you came in with?

​Hi! I’m Hillary Arrieta and I help people improve their lives by offering holistic solutions to ease stress, eliminate pain, and inspire self care practices. I own The Heeling Hut in Plano, TX. Where I teach workshops, write, and specialize in unique and effective massage and meditation techniques such as Ashiatsu Barefoot Massage and iRest® Yoga Nidra. At The Heeling Hut you'll find the best massage in the Dallas area for pain and stress management. Texas MT 040051