Many of our clients report that they had a great nights sleep after they get a “deeper than deep tissue” barefoot massage from us. Receiver’s of Ashiatsu and Chavutti tend to feel “massage drunk” immediately following the massage, while those who experienced our Thai, Shiatsu and Fijian say they feel energized! Either way, we hope you feel TOE-tally super human the day after.
It can take some time to adjust to the changes in your body that occurred while you were underfoot, as we elongated your spine, decompressed your joints, loosened adhered tissue and chilled out those hyper-tense muscle fibers. There is a new level of neuromuscular remapping (talk between your brain, nervous system, muscles and fascia) happening right now, with re-awakened avenues of communication zipping between your nervous system and connective tissues, enhancing your interoception (what you feel and notice internally) and proprioception (where you feel yourself in space externally). It’s science!
Here are some tips to help you maintain the benefits of your session longer:
- Feel free to experiment with applying heat – not ice – to areas of concern. (Although rolling your feet on a frozen water bottle after a long day is my favorite thing, especially during Texas summers!)
- Stay hydrated: Drink water with electrolytes (I really like Coconut water or water with Himalayan Sea Salts in it!)
- Avoid lifting & aggressive workouts/activities for 24 hours after your massage – take a rest day. This massage WAS your workout!
- Take some time to assimilate the changes made within your tissues – breathe into the sensations and notice what differences may have come about within the session. Retraining your body’s pain cycles takes time, but it also takes awareness. Taking time to recognize how you feel before, after and during a massage is all a part of this neuromuscular reconditioning process!
- S-T-R-E-T-C-H! Creating a regular stretch and movement practice perfectly compliments the deep fascial massages we do for you. Look into a yoga therapy class from a trained professional – and keep it simple. Intention, consistency and repetition are key, not intensity.
- Recreate the massage sensations we did to you with the Yoga Tune-Up self-myofascial release balls we sell in the office. They are PERFECT self-care tools to use between sessions. You’ll learn so much about your own muscles, and you can share your realizations with us next time we see you, so that we can zoom in on the spots you found and be super proactive. Keep an eye out for our Mobility workshops and classes – we’d love to teach you how to take care of yourself!
You’ve been HEELED!
As much as we wish this were a one-time-fixes-all treatment, it’s not. Although we do notice that the effects of barefoot massage techniques kick in faster during a session than our good ol’ hands-on techniques did back in the day, the overall impact of massage therapy needs time to marinate. However long the tissue-issue has physically been in your body, it often takes that long to eradicate. Your dedication to healing yourself through avenues like our barefoot massages, in conjunction to your own fitness goals, and whatever your medical pro team suggests for you, is a journey. (One of those kinds of journey’s that you’ll find out more about yourself than you expected!)
If you are interested in regularly scheduled massages, we have packages available for recurring appointments where you can save 10-12% each time. Regularly scheduled sessions with one of our therapists will help us to focus on your tissue issues and show progress over a realistic period of time. We can even set goals to create a new range of motion, decrease chronic pain, encourage better sleep and concentration… etc, but it will take time, patience, some homework on your part, and consistency in your massage sessions. Let us help you heal with our Heels!
How do you figure out your own Massage Frequency?
We have clients who come weekly, twice monthly, once a month, and quarterly – ultimately it’s up to you. We’ve got clients in here working on injury rehabilitation or scar tissue reduction goals that mean they need to be seen OFTEN. We have business owners, entrepreneurs and bossladies who are in here every week just to find a moment to get a solid hour to improve their focus. We’ve got clients who work hard out on their ranches and property that come here every three weeks to help manage chronic pain. Parents come here to have a moment to themselves whenever they can sneak away.
For me? I listen to what I’m feeling in my own body and keep an eye on how long it’s been since my last massage. If I notice that I’ve gotten just as tight, cranky, sleepless and in pain as I was before the massage – then that’s my interval, and I should have known to have something in place before it got this bad!! Whether that’s 2 days or 2 weeks – I have learned that I almost need to forecast my appointments based on how long I know I can go before the sensations will appear again, and I cut them off with a massage before they peak! Once I know that pattern for myself, then I schedule my barefoot massages at Heeling Sole, and I’ll rotate in float-tank sessions, foot reflexology appointments, random days of antisocial isolation with my dogs, or my paddle board escapes at the lake.
Your own self care is your health care – and getting regularly occurring massages can really help with your physical and mental health.
