How often Should You Be Obtaining a Massage?
How often should I receive a massage is really a question that massage therapists frequently get from clients. The glib response to this question is really as often as you really can afford time and the money. However, a far more useful approach is to consider the specific requirements of the person asking the question. What exactly are they searching for in the sessions? What physical (and/or psychological) benefits are they seeking to obtain? What challenges they face in everyday life through work environment or sporting challenges?
For almost all people who do not have an injuries and therefore are just looking for massage to be ‘routine maintenance’ then booking a massage around once a month is a great starting place. This fits in with most peoples timetables/budgets and it is simple to maintain the required commitment e.g. ‘I Have my massage on the first Monday from the month’. If you do commence a monthly schedule then, if there are no changes in real and mental stresses throughout the month, your body will begin to tell you it’s getting time for the massage.
For individuals who jobs are intense or perhaps is just plain stressful then having massages more frequently could be the approach to take. A good guideline if beginning with a new therapist would be to begin with weekly massages for 3 or 4 sessions and then begin to try to stretch it further to say two weeks between massages. At this stage some people decide that this interval is simply too large and go back to weekly appointments. Others try to stretch it out further towards monthly appointments. Others rely on their awareness of how their body feels to time once they book a massage. Many of the relevant when they are afflicted by changing physical and mental stress levels. This all pre-supposes that they have found a therapist that they are happy with. If after the first few massages they do not feel that they’re making the progress they want then it will probably be worth considering trying another therapist.
People who are highly physically active, for example, performing sport at an elite level require different guidelines. How often they should be benefitting from massage will depend on the total amount they’re training, if they’re injured, if a levels of competition are close, etc. Many elite sports teams book weekly massages from suitably skilled sports massage therapists. Those suffering from injuries may have more frequent appointments. Some sportspeople believe that they might require massage very regularly (even daily) so that they can train and compete in the highest level they are able to. This doesn’t need to necessarily be an hour or so long massage and may be tailored to very specific muscle groups/requirements. In fact, even self massage may be an option for those who are unable to get to see an appropriate therapist.
To conclude, getting regular massages from a therapist whom you believe provides the benefits you demand is great for physiological and psychological wellbeing. If you’re after routine maintenance then start by having very frequent massages and then after a few sessions begin to stretch it out until the body tells you it’s time for your massage.