I wish I could tell you I was surprised to hear about your recent disappointing experience at a local spa. Unfortunately, stories like that have become all too common on the American spa scene. I, too, have been through the exact same scenario you described and had to make the difficult decision to terminate the treatment. What many therapists don’t seem to understand is that Swedish Massage (sometimes generically called Relaxation Massage by some spas) is actually intended to be a vigorous, circulatory moderate to firm pressure massage experience. Sadly, it is often practiced as the alternative to Deep Tissue and therapists will only offer a very light touch, and a surprisingly sharp attitude if you question the pressure level. Now, with regard to Deep Tissue, a good, simple definition would be “a style of massage that uses strong pressure through slowly applied firm strokes, often including friction techniques across the muscle fibers to release chronic muscle tension.” It seems the more familiar people become with massage, the more likely they are to request deeper work. It is our responsibility as industry professionals to be able to communicate effectively about the services that we provide and to consistently deliver a high quality bodywork experience for our ever-more-savvy customers.

[reply to this comment]

The client didn’t mention where they reside. Here in Michigan massage is still not regulated. ANYone can do massage here and charge just as much as someone that’s been trained in an accredited school. I worked in a day spa where there was a young lady that called herself a massage therapist and never had a day of formal training. She learned from her mother, who also worked there. The mother was an esthetician who also never had any formal training, but also did massage at the spa. To them deep tissue was just trying to mash harder as they worked. As long as the public is not informed, and laws not passed for minimum standards,experiences like this client’s are inevitable.

[reply to this comment]

Deep Tissue, WOW! Okay. That means to me painful but able to stand. Okay again. Now if you are with a client that expects that level you better give that level or you won’t see that client again.
I expect that level if I am paying for it. If I do not get that level give me back my hard earned dough! After 12 years working in this profession I want and expect what I pay for or trade for. If you do not want to give me what I give you, pay me! Editor… bitch till you get your money back!

[reply to this comment]

I applaud the article and would like to read more exposure of the many phoney baloney spas springing up these days, using absolutely no intake skills to even determine is a person should or shouldn’t have deep tissue, then pawning off a shallow massage as a regular massage. I worked part time in a spa for a few years - they charged clients an extra 50 bucks for aromatherapy which was about an ounce of goop they paid 60 cents for. As far as deep tissue - yes, if someone in private practice has paid for and completed special training then it’s legit to charge a different price for it and discuss it with the clients first. But in spas, they are just promoting it to make money. I once had a hotel guest book me for a massage and when I got her on the table she told me she broke a rib hiking and falling that day. I spent 20 minutes talking to her about the situation, offered to leave without charge, or to do a simple acupressure treatment for the massage charge. She chose the latter. I was an independent contractor so I felt no pressure from the hotel to sell her something she shouldn’t have. Good massage therapists have several techniques in their repertoire and they apply them as needed. The lady in pre-menstrual misery and exhaustion from work gets a different massage from the 20 year old guy on vacation who pulled a muscle playing soccer two days ago. A mature therapist figures it all in and is so professional that every client feels like they got the best massage they’ve ever had. Spas can’t produce that just because they have a menu.

[reply to this comment]

I agree completely with Richard’s comments. I feel that you were ripped off by an unethical spa owner.

My clients come to me because I “listen” to their body to find the best way to get it to move. While every client doesn’t require deep tissue work, every client does require firm pressure delivered with specific intent. Anything less is creepy and inappropriate.

That said, in the past 3 years I did have one client who wanted absolutely no pressure at all and wanted lots of lotion. I felt like I was “buttering” her, rather than delivering a therapeutic massage. She said that’s what she gets at a local spa chain, and that’s what she wanted from me.

Maybe “butterfly flapping” is what some people want — but that should be sold as a different kind of massage, not anything that might be labeled as “therapeutic”.

[reply to this comment]

I can understand your dissatisfaction having recently received a super-light (and ineffective) massage myself. On the other side of the coin, however, in my practice I do have an extra charge for deep tissue massage. I specify the difference between “relaxation massage” - my signature treatment that is really a holistic massage using any or all of the techniques in which I am trained - and “structural deep-tissue work” - based on the structural integration/Rebalancing work in which I received a separate, full length training. I wanted to differentiate between the two types of session, and encourage people to make the decision up front regarding which type of session they were booking. In a deep-tissue session, I often will focus on a specific area (shoulder girdle, pelvis, neck & head), with only the amount of time necessary to integrate spent on other parts of the body. I’ve had occasions when clients were booking a relaxation (full body) massage, but then during the session were requesting me to work specifically with a physical issue/pain/injury using deep-tissue, and yet still expecting a full body treatment - all in a one hour session. Hence the extra fee. Structural work is a specialized treatment, and I took a full extra training to be qualified in it. I have no qualms about charging more for it. I don’t see relaxation massage as something of less value, and I certainly don’t skimp on pressure require to execute the strokes I’m using. I just like everyone to be clear before we start what kind of treatment is expected and being paid for.

[reply to this comment]

Deep tissue is often a sore point with many therapists and spa owners.
People often come at massage from the perspective of “no pain no gain”.
As we are finding out these days- this may be a wrong headed notion.

Deep tissue refers to a series of techniques developed to work on restrictions, knots, adhesions, and the like. These techniques include such techniques as cross-fiber, compression, rolfing, muscle stripping, pin and stretch, etc. They can be quite painful.

Such techniques are often applied in specific “afflicted” areas only while the rest of the body languishes waitig to be worked on. Often some deep techniques can be combined with more whole body approaches like Swedish or Esalen.

There are very many effective techniques that are much lighter in touch that work very deeply into the muscle layers. That means you won’t necessarily feel any pain at all, but you will get results.

These include Ortho-bionomy(r), Trager, new style Myofascial release, Feldenkrais, Alexander, Bowen, and Rosen Work to name a few.

Some more modern deep tissue specialists work from a place of “allowing” tissue to find a way to move, rather than forcing tissues to
move. They can apply the standard deep tissue techniques but with a
different “listening” for body work. You won’t scream as much with this type of practitioner.

Finally, anyone that passes off butterfly flapping as any sane form of massage should be taken out into the street and rolfed by a herd of passing elephants. and then removed from the roles of therapists.

[reply to this comment]