For those of you giving us the honor of your first professional massage ever, here are some tips and things you might like to know.

• The therapist will take you back to your room, shut the door, look over your paperwork, and clarify anything that you might have written on our input form. She'll ask you if there's anything specific you'd like done, any areas you may not want worked on, and then leave you to undress.
• Undress to your comfort level. For some, that's completely undressed. For others, they may feel more comfortable leaving on their underwear. If you leave on your briefs or panties, that's a clear "don't rub here" sign for the therapist. For ladies, it's certainly permissible to leave on your bra. The therapist may ask if it's ok for her to unfasten it or move the straps for her to work underneath them while you're face down.
• You will be draped the entire time you're being worked on. There will be a sheet (and a blanket if you're cold) covering you. The therapist will uncover the body part she's working on and will keep you draped the rest of the time.
• Once you've undressed, slip under the blanket and top sheet, either face up or face down as the therapist suggested. The therapist will knock on the door prior to coming back in and ask if you're ready.
• We keep our rooms at an average temperature that most people would feel comfortable being covered by a sheet / blanket. If you're too hot, or too cold, the therapist can add or remove a blanket. We're prohibited from letting you be completely uncovered.
• You are going to be the only person in that room who knows how you're feeling. While our therapists are good, they're not mind readers. (We keep asking the therapist store for some mind-readers, but they're always out.) Feel free to tell your therapist that the pressure she's using is too heavy or too light. Feel free to let her know that an area needs more work. You don't have to keep up a running dialogue with your therapist -- in fact, most people really just want to relax and don't want anyone talking to them! -- but give her enough feedback so that she can deliver the best possible massage for you. She will ask you during the session if her pressure is good enough. You're not going to hurt her feelings if you tell her she needs to change her pressure.
• After the session is done, the therapist will leave you to get dressed. Feel free to lie there for a few minutes and soak up the good feelings. Then, get dressed and head up to the lobby to allow the therapist to prepare the room for the next guest who'll be along shortly.
• The personnel at the front desk will ask you how your massage was. If you found it unsatisfactory in any way, please let us know. We'll make it right by you. We depend on your repeat business and, frankly, we want to get you addicted to massages!
• You'll be given water to help with hydration and to help with any soreness you might feel over the next day or so if you asked the therapist to work deep in your muscles.
• How often should you get a massage? Why, every day of course! No, actually, unless you have an overriding medical concern, i.e., a doctor hasn't given you an order to get a massage every week for the next six months, then (1) come as often as you can afford to and, more importantly (2) come before you need to. You're going to be the only person who can gauge when you need a massage. You know your body better than anyone. If you know that sitting in front of a computer for 8 to 10 hours a day drives your shoulders up to your ears and that in three weeks time you're going to be a mess of knots, then try and come before the end of that three week period BEFORE you're an aching mess! For some, once a week is good. For others, once a year does the trick. Ask your therapist for a recommendation as to when would be best to see us again.