Frequently Asked Questions
Why should I get a massage?
I mean, why shouldn’t you get a massage?! Actually, there are reasons for that in our next question (scroll down). But here’s why we think getting a regular massage is just great:
Most clients feel they should “earn it” by working out and staying active so that the massage feels more impactful. If massage encourages a healthy, active lifestyle, then that’s great!
To ensure you’re comfortable during and after the massage, you’ll likely eat well, stay hydrated, and focus on getting good sleep. In this way, a one-hour massage can actually have a healthy impact on a longer 48-hour period in terms of your lifestyle/behaviours.
It’s a body-positive experience. From wearing uncomfortable work shoes to scrolling through chiseled “Photoshopped” physiques on social media, our experience in our bodies can be surprisingly negative for a large percentage of our day. Booking a massage is a way of celebrating and tending to your body while tuning out the negative “noise” that makes us feel insufficient.
Massage induces a parasympathetic nervous system response. This is the “rest and digest” mode that opposes your “fight or flight” stress response. This is a shift in hormones that impacts not only how you feel but also how your body functions. We feel strongly that familiarising your body with its “rest and digest” state helps you call upon it outside of the massage. In other words, if you want to reduce the impact of physical, emotional and mental stress in your everyday life, then it’s important to remind your body and brain of how to attain and get situated in a restful state.
Not only does massage help reduce stress and anxiety during treatment, but knowing you have one booked can also reduce stress and anxiety. It’s something to look forward to, like a mini-staycation in your own body.
And of course, reducing muscle tension and increasing body awareness can improve your quality of movement, prevent joint dysfunction, and create opportunities to move better and build functional capacity in your training. It is a great complement to physio, rehab/prehab, training and an overall active lifestyle.
Can I have a massage and will it be safe for me?
Massage is safe for the vast majority of people. And we are a welcoming, non-judgmental studio! :) That said, there are some reasons you should not have a massage or treatment should be altered.
We do require that all clients be 18 or over and have the capacity to consent to treatment.
There are a number of local contraindications for massage that may require that we have a letter from your doctor in order to treat you. For example, if you have osteoperosis or acute rheumatism.
For other local contraindications, we can simply avoid treating an area of the body, e.g. if you have a skin condition in one area.
If you have any health conditions that you think may impact your treatment, please contact us before booking a treatment.
Total contraindications for sports massage that would prevent any treatment are:
Cancer
Acute injury (in the last 24-48 hrs)
Fever
First trimester of pregnancy (although we are not trained in pregnancy massage so recommend finding a therapist who specialises in this)
Suspected deep vein thrombosis
Hyperthermia
Infectious disease
Under the influence of drugs/alcohol
Without consent
Do you accept debit/credit cards?
We do! The booking system will ask for card details but NOT charge you when booking an appointment. This is to protect against late cancellations and no-shows. But it also means we can charge the card on file at checkout, which means less time with admin and more time getting a massage. :)
If you want to charge a different card, we can switch to another one at your appointment.
If there are technical issues with cards, we can also accept BACS transfers and cash (exact change).
What should I consider before coming to my massage?
We recommend not having more than 2 alcoholic beverages the night before a treatment. In other words, please don’t come to a treatment hungover and dehydrated. Massaging muscles/tissues that are inflamed and dehydrated likely won’t feel good during or after.
It’s best not to arrive just after a meal, especially a large one.
Don’t plan to do intense exercise following your massage. Gentle movement and intentional muscle activation and mobility work are recommended, but you don’t want to ask a totally relaxed muscle to squat heavy or run a10k. You can return to more intense activities after a good night’s sleep.
What should I bring? What should I wear?
Generally clients wear underwear while being draped modestly throughout the massage with extra-large towels. If treatment is only to the back / upper body, clients can of course keep shorts/trousers on. Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions specific to your treatment.
If you would like treatment on your low back, glutes, hamstrings and quadriceps, then please ensure your underwear is loose and slides easily. Long compression shorts / bicycle shorts will limit the treatment area significantly and impede the circulatory benefits of massage.
For those with long hair, please bring a hair tie.
It is a good idea to also bring shorts and t-shirt as we sometimes employ active techniques / mobilisations / stretches that have clients moving around a bit more.
You will be given privacy to change in the studio and may also use our bathroom/WC to change if you prefer.
Can I come immediately after a workout? Do you have a shower? Will I get oily?
We don’t have a shower, so we don’t recommend coming straight from a workout unless you’ve showered in between. Even then, you should not be doing intense exercise just before a deep tissue massage. We’ll need to use lighter pressure if you’ve just lifted heavy or run a long distance.
Rubbing oil and sweat into open pores could cause irritation or even folliculitis, which is why we really recommend not arriving sweaty.
We use a light grapeseed oil specifically made for massage. Most find that wiping off with one of your draping towels is sufficient after the massage, but it’s not a bad idea to rinse afterward if you have sensitive skin or don’t want massage oil on your clothes.
You may get some oil in your hair if we treat your neck during the massage. Please let us know before the massage if you’d like us to avoid the neck area for this reason.
Do we have to talk?
During your intake and consultation, we will indeed need to chat. :)
During your treatment, it’s 100% okay to enjoy quiet and the mellow massage music. This helps a lot of clients become more aware of their bodies and breathing, which typically helps with releasing tension. Massage can feel like an extended meditation (without needing to sit upright!).
Lots of regular clients enjoy a catch-up, as do we. So if that’s more your vibe, then please feel free to chat a bit… although we may ask you to pause and breathe during deeper, more intense work.
What if I’m uncomfortable?
We do our best to create opportunities and demonstrate ways that you can express discomfort. For example, we will probably check in about the pressure using a 1-10 scale.
You should always feel free to speak up if you’re feeling too cold/hot or otherwise physically uncomfortable.
While we will discuss your treatment plan at the start of the massage, you are always in control of your treatment. If we are working on an area and you realise massage isn’t helping (or even makes it feel worse), just say, “Actually, can we skip _____” or “This is actually making it feel worse.” Please don’t assume your therapist is deliberately making you uncomfortable. We know speaking up can feel difficult, but we truly welcome feedback before, during and after a session. And non-verbal cues are not enough for us to fully understand how you feel and if you’d like treatment altered.
What should / shouldn’t I do after a massage?
You should avoid intense exercise for the rest of the day after your massage. If you don’t have massage regularly, you may feel sore for a day or two after your massage. We’d say this is “good sore” as you’ll become aware of muscle tissues & fibres that you may need to be engaging more.
We do recommend gentle movement and healthy movement, like active mobility routines. A massage takes tension out of muscles, but once they are relaxed, it’s great to re-activate them with healthy movement. We’re planning to make some videos that demonstrate how to do this, but in the meantime, feel free to ask for demos in the studio.
Hydrate! And avoid alcohol. After a massage, your muscles are a bit like a sponge that’s been wrung out. Gives your muscles some good ol’ water to help them rehydrate.
In short, don’t get a deep tissue massage then go to the gym, lift heavy, and then go out for a wild night on the town. This would be difficult anyway since you’ll probably leave the studio ready for a nap / good night’s sleep. :)
What if I need to cancel / reschedule?
Our booking system allows you to cancel or reschedule up to 12 hours in advance of your appointment. It also takes your card details only to protect against late cancellations and no-shows.
If you do cancel with 12 hours or less notice (or not show up), you’ll be charged a 50% fee. There are no exceptions to this (and frankly, it’s more lenient than most businesses, which often charge 100% and require 24 hrs notice). We are an appointment-based business with ongoing expenses that we must pay regardless of whether clients come to their appointments.
We get that things happen, but by booking with us, you accept our cancellation/no-show policy. If you become aggressive after being charged 50% (which you agree to as part of our booking process), we will block you from our booking system and not accept future appointment from you. Life is too short for us to tolerate this inappropriate behaviour. Fortunately, this is extremely rare. The vast majority of our clients are positive and respectful. But we’ve had a few negative experiences so have to stick to the policy.
More info can be found in our Terms.