Probably the most common question from clients.
If you’re looking to incorporate massage into your healthy lifestyle goals, how often should you get a massage?
It’s rumoured the actor, singer and comedian Bob Hope use to get a massage everyday. How true that is I really don’t know but it certainly sounds inviting.
For the majority of us daily massage is just not an option and to be honest weekly massage would probably be a stretch for most people.
I’m going to start by telling you what I do and then I’ll run through some examples from some of my clients.
Personally I get an intensive block of maintenance sessions every six months. I go for weekly 90 minute sessions for 3 weeks and then don’t go again for six months unless something is bugging me. That is what I’ve worked out seems to keep all my aches and niggles at bay.
My clients tend to fall into to two distinct categories.
The regulars who come in for a session at a set interval, whether that’s weekly, fortnightly, monthly or for some every three or six weeks. Whatever the interval is they’ve worked out that sticking to that cycle seems to help keep them and their body on track.
Other clients are what I call Fire Fighters. They only come whenever something is bugging them. I might see them several times in a row and then not see them for several months or even a year or so. But when something starts causing them discomfort, they’re back in to get it sorted out.
The last group are those that come in only when their work schedule or finances allow. So for this group it can be very sporadic.
Ultimately there’s no right or wrong time between sessions, it really is about finding what works best for you, your body, lifestyle and circumstances.
What I’d recommend is if you’re trying to fix or change something, try getting several sessions in fairly quick succession so that each session builds on the results of the previous one.
When you’ve got to the point where you’re feeling fantastic, try settling into a schedule.
Maybe try once a month for a few sessions and if it feels like that is too frequent or not frequent enough, either reduce or lengthen the time between appointments by a week until you find the perfect balance.
Keep in mind that the seasons might change things too. You might want more frequent sessions in the winter and less frequent in the summer, or the other way around.
Whatever you choose there really isn’t any right or wrong way to do it, just find what works best for you.