After you have had a good massage, the last thing you want is to worry about what you should do after. But if you really want to continue to feel good and let the massage really “soak in”, there are a few do’s and don’ts that we can suggest.
1) PUSH THE FLUIDS. Water is optimal, but other liquids will do. Alcohol and caffeine are not optimal fluid sources. We want to get all those nasty metabolic wastes out of you tissues instead of allowing them to hang out, so hence the flush of fluids. I tell clients to act as though you have a cold and need to flush yourself with good stuff to get those germs out.
2) EAT SOMETHING. I have yet to have anyone have a negative reaction when I give this piece of advice post-session. In my experience of almost 13 years of massage, there seems to be a “magic window” of time-about 60 or 90 minutes after you are off the table-that you have before all those metabolic wastes (see #1) re-circulate through your system and reach your stomach. If, when they get to your stomach, there is not much or nothing in there and you are in any way dehydrated, you stand a healthy chance of feeling pretty crappy really soon. Nausea, body aches, headache and general malaise are on their way! Now I have had a few clients in the past who have had little or no issues after a massage and no meal–but I have had more clients who HAVE had symptoms and really didn’t like it. Do you really want to risk it?
3) HEAT PLEASE. I am a big proponent of heat. If after your massage you feel bruise-y or sore I suggest grabbing your heating pad or getting in a nice, hot shower or bathtub of Epsom Salts. I also use a homeopathic topical cream called Traumeel. It is a little pricey, but you don’t need much for it to work well. A small tube lasts me several months usually.
Any kind of soreness or bruise-y spots MOST OFTEN resolve after the first 24-36 hours. If it lasts longer, this is definitely a topic to bring up with you massage therapist.
Also, if after your massage you have questions about what was done during your session or need more information on what you can do to help yourself–don’t hesitate to shoot us an email or call the office and just ask–we are here to help.
