Our philosophy

Identify the root cause

At Honest Bodywork, we believe in utilizing the entire session to work on the muscle groups causing the pain while using the remainder of the time to work on the secondary areas that were causing additional tightness or that have been compensating for the injured or weaker side.  We tend to not “chase” the pain, but rather “exterminate” it. For example, a typical office worker who is complaining of low back pain may not necessarily have the source of the pain in the low back. It could be stemming from tight hip flexors on the front side, causing a pelvic tilt which causes an arch in the low back.  As a result, the office worker experiences a dull, achy pain that can radiate across the low back. By only working on the low back, the pain will not be fully alleviated and will simply come back.

Tightness and injuries vary from person to person. Each session starts with a pre-session consultation to determine the source of the ailment or injury. During the consultation portion of the session we ask a number of questions, but not limited to:

• “How long have you been dealing with the pain?”

• “When does it hurt most?”

• “What motions make it worse?”

• “What stretching/self-massage techniques are you doing to make it better?”

• “When was the last time you were worked on?”

Asking these questions help us put together the puzzle pieces in solving the mystery of your pains and aches.

The technique

We use a blend of superficial and deep, but slow techniques to release adhesions in both the fascia and the fibers of the muscle tissue.  We use the minimal amount of organic coconut oil when performing the deep work- enough for the body to absorb while preventing a burning sensation but also not so much where you feel like you have to take a shower after your session.  When a massage therapist uses too much oil, they lack the ability to control of their pressure due to lack of friction and end up sliding all over the place. To be able to make deep strokes tolerable, they must be performed slow.  After all, what is power without control?

We also believe in taking our time.  Adhesions in the body takes time to release; they simply cannot be eliminated from the body in one session, especially if the client has been experiencing symptoms for a prolonged period of time. Although our focus is using real deep tissue that can be painful depending on your symptoms, we tend to use a balance between what is effective and what is tolerable.  Pain tolerance in each person is different, and their body can start to tighten up as a natural defense mechanism if the massage therapist goes beyond their pain threshold.  As a result, the session can be counterproductive by making the body more sore than it should. It is impossible to not cause a certain degree of pain while getting rid of deeply embedded knots in your body; there should be sensations of a dull ache where it “hurts so good”, but not where there are constant sharp and/or burning sensations throughout the entire session.  Proper communication with your therapist throughout your session will give you the best experience possible.

Education

A massage therapist is not a magic wizard to where a client can neglect their body entirely and expect their therapist to fix all of their problems. We believe the body can can get the best results from a session when there is a solid relationship between a competent massage therapist and a client with the proper body awareness.  Keeping your symptoms at bay is just as important as treating them, so we like to teach all of our clients how to improve their awareness through education. This includes recommendations on proper posture, stretches, exercises, water intake, and self-massage techniques.