Massage Services
Couples Massage
Deep Tissue
Reflexology
Swedish
Prenatal
Aromatherapy
Biofreeze
Cold Stone
Cupping
Hand & Foot
Hot Stones
Migraine
Scalp
Therapeutic
What is Massage Therapy?
Massage therapy dates all the way back to somewhere around 3000 BC and like Yoga originated in India. Massage therapy was and is still considered a sacred system for natural healing. Used by the Hindus as a form of life health, massage therapy was considered more for medicinal use than what we see today. Massage therapy was passed down and taught from generation to generation to heal, relieve pain, and get rid of illnesses.
Today, while massage therapy has evolved to provide many other great benefits other than just health, a massage should still only be performed by a trained, licensed medical professional or massage therapist. A massage therapist can manipulate the soft tissue, muscles, tendons, and other connective tissues in your body. A massage therapist must also use varying degrees of pressure, movements, and techniques to help alleviate the issues you may be encountering.
While some people are aware of and already know what type of massage they want to get, the job of a licensed massage therapist is to initially ask a set of questions to help determine how to best apply the massage for maximum benefit to the patient.
What is massage therapy used for?
Massage therapy is the process of manipulating the body's soft tissues to help manage health conditions and enhance wellness. Massages have been used for thousands of years for pain management and relief. Massages are also a great tool for the promotion of blood flow and circulation. There are many benefits to massage therapy, although we see many people who use it simply for relaxation and stress relief.
What does massage therapy consist of?
Getting a massage consists of finding not just a licensed massage therapist, but preferably one with many years of experience. At Pristine Spas our massage therapists are hand-picked for their knowledge, experience, and specialties. A specialist is a therapist who has studied and focused on a particular type of massage, whether it be what is commonly known as a Swedish massage used for relaxation or a deep tissue massage that typically aids in the reduction in pain.
Getting a massage is as simple as booking an appointment and showing up at which point you will fill out some basic information, sign some waivers, and be led into the therapy room. Your therapist will ask you a series of questions to determine what you are trying to accomplish by receiving a massage and where you should focus.
Clients are always covered as the therapist moves the sheets around as they perform the service. Some clients prefer to be massaged nude and some prefer to keep their underwear on, this is up to the client and doesn't bother the therapist in any way as the client's sensitive parts always stay covered.
What is the difference between a male or female massage therapist?
Technically there are no differences between female and male massage therapist other than that in France female massage therapists are referred to as a Masseuse and male massage therapists are called Masseurs. However, at Pristine Spas, all our female and male massage therapists are referred to as massage therapists as we see no difference in their abilities and no reason for separate labels.
While clients can specify whether they would prefer (due to their own preferences) a male or female massage therapist, we have found that eventually, our clients will become comfortable with the male or female therapist. An example would be a client looking for a very strong deep tissue massage in where the male therapist may be stronger or heavier and able to apply more pressure than a female. A female may also have softer a softer touch and hands which may be better suited for gentle relaxing massages.
Other than the reasons listed above, at Pristine Spas all of our licensed massage therapists are trained in the highest level of comfort and safety for our clients. While the choice is purely up to our clients, we believe it is more important to work with the massage therapist best suited to provide our clients with the best experience based on our clients' needs rather than choosing a therapist due to their gender.
Does a massage therapist have to go through training?
Massage therapists must be licensed by the state licensing board and the establishment in which the therapy is performed must also be licensed. The average massage therapist completes 1000 hours of in-class learning and must pass multiple tests to become certified as a massage therapist. At Pristine Spas we require that licensed therapists have at least an additional 3 years of real-world full-time massage therapy experience before considering them for a position.
Aside from the real-world experience, every interview with a massage therapist consists of an onsite massage for both owners of Pristine Spas, who have at this point received thousands of messages and can quickly tell if the therapist is knowledgeable enough to become part of the Pristine Spas team.
At Pristine Spas we ensure top quality services by handpicking and hand testing our massage therapists. They also undergo rigorous training on our policies and procedures for safety, cleanliness, and overall client satisfaction. Our therapists are required to continue their education and stay up to date with their license renewals as well as the newest techniques. The owners of Pristine Spas spend a lot of time traveling to Europe and other locations where they are able to learn the newest techniques. Pristine Spas also bring massage therapy masters from all over the world to train our therapist to make sure that Pristine Spas is always on the edge of the best that massage therapy has to offer.
Are there any side effects to a massage?
While massages are safe, do keep in mind that the act of massaging involves stretching muscles, joint and ligament manipulation. Therefore, it is very important that your massage therapist is licensed and trained. Also, keep in mind that like with a workout, you may have soreness or discomfort following a massage, which comes from the loosening of knots and the stretching of your muscles, tendons, and ligaments. Massages also increase blood flow to the vital organs as blood is squeezed out of your muscles and into the rest of your body. While blood flow to your vital organs and brain is great, during a massage many toxins which have accumulated in your body will be dislodged so it is important that after a massage you drink plenty of water to expel those newly released toxins. Overall, after a massage you will feel less stressed, more relaxed and notice that body aches and pains which usually persist can be gone altogether.