I just want a massage.

Massage therapist: “What are your therapeutic goals?”

Client: “Um geeze, I don’t know. I just want a massage.”

While it can be nice to work with a specific - measurable - attainable - realistic - timely therapeutic goal that sounds like “I want my foot to hurt this much less so I can run this much faster next month.” it’s not expected here. I get the information I need to plan our session with a thorough intake that includes questions like:

“Would you like for me to treat the whole body, or should we choose a few areas to work on?”

“Does spending 15 minutes on your feet sound like the right amount of time?”

“Is there anything going on that concerns or worries you?”

With practice and experience, my clients who just wanted a massage become skilled at tuning into what they are feeling, discovering how massage therapy benefits them, forming meaningful therapeutic goals and asking for what they want. It’s very cool for me to be a part of that process.

So if you don’t know exactly what you want to get out of your massage: it’s okay. We’ll figure it out together.

***Honestly, not every client answers these questions easily either. Why is that the case? Perhaps we’re not connected to what we’re experiencing in our bodies; or we’re used to our healthcare providers telling us what to do without our input; or it’s hard enough just to book the appointment and show up (a topic for another day).