Massage Therapy

Try to show up 5-8 minutes early – you will need to fill out a health history form. Your therapist will be using their elbows, forearms and hands to contact your body. If you have any preferences for pressure, temperature or style of massage, please let your therapist know. If you have any allergies or partiality to a certain lotion, cream or oil, you can bring that up at this time, or bring your own oils for your therapist to use during the treatment. Feel free to ask questions at any time during/before/after your treatment if you want any clarification to techniques, pressure or why an area is being treated.

Anyone and everyone can receive massage. There is no age restrictions on massage therapy. Persons with physical or mental challenges/conditions are able to be treated as long as the therapist believes the client has all the necessary knowledge to make an informed decision, or their substitute decision maker as defined by the Province of Ontario. If a substitute decision maker hasn’t been designated by the patient, the following persons are qualified (in order): spouse, child, parent, sibling, person related by birth or adoption. Note: Read here for additional information http://www.e-laws.gov.on.ca/html/statutes/english/elaws_statutes_92s30_e.htm

If you have any medical conditions please let your therapist know, or ask your family doctor/surgeon/medical specialist if massage therapy is right for you. Take a look at your insurance benefits. It will list how much you are covered for, and if you need a doctor’s note in order for you to be reimbursed. Your insurance company will likely need a signed receipt from the clinic, as well as the therapist’s insurance/registration number. All of these will be included on your receipt.

Yes, for the following insurance companies: Chambers of Commerce Group Insurance Plan, Cowan Insurance Group (managed by Express Scripts Canada), Desjardins Insurance, Great-West Life, Industrial Alliance, Johnson Inc., Manulife Financial, Maximum Benefit or Johnston Group, Standard Life Assurance Company of Canada and Sun Life Financial
Note: You must bring in your insurance card/spouse card to your visit as well as details of your massage benefits for that year.

Yes. An HST number will be provided to you on your receipt for your tax purposes.

In Canada, a health care profession must be regulated in the majority of provinces and territories before being exempt from paying GST. In Ontario, GST and PST is combined as HST. Because Massage Therapy is regulated only in Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador, and British Columbia, your therapist is required to charge HST. The RMTAO (Registered Massage Therapist Association of Ontario) is working towards having a regulatory body in other provinces and territories. Please contact them for additional information regarding HST and the massage profession.

Remove as much, or as little clothing as you are comfortable with. Only the area being worked on will be exposed, and the therapist will leave the room when you are changing. The majority of clients keep their underwear on, however, some do not. Some clients may only remove their shirts if they are having an upper body treatment, keep their socks on if they tend to get cold, keep their bra on if they are breastfeeding, etc. Again, whatever you decide to remove or leave on is up to your comfort level, therapist preference, and the areas that will be treated.

Massage is extremely beneficial for pregnant women. The hips, low back, swelling of the extremities, and other areas of soreness can all be addressed during your appointment. Although it may not be encouraged, you are still able to have a massage face-down until mid-way through your first trimester, or until you begin showing. This will be up to the discretion of your therapist. Basically, the same areas can be treated as when you were not pregnant, but you will be lying on your side, or your hip will be propped if you are on your back.

The longer the treatment, the more the therapist can accomplish. Shorter treatments (20 – 30 mins) are mostly used when treating specific areas and one major complaint. Longer appointments (60 mins – 90 mins) are usually utilized for treatments with multiple focuses/goals, or full-body treatments.
For first-time appointments, 45 mins or 60 min appointments are recommended. The therapist will need to gather the information necessary to perform a safe and effective treatment as well as take time to understand your treatment preferences and goals.

If you know in advance you are allergic to certain oils/lotions/creams, or have a preference for the type of lubrication to be used, you can bring your own bottle. You can ask ahead of time what type of lubrication your therapist uses, and plan accordingly. Let your therapist know if you would prefer certain areas be left out of the treatment (ie. you don’t want oil in your hair). Specialty lotion/cream can/will be available to be used on the facial regions.

Your experience will be dictated by the amount of communication you have between your therapist and the amount of information you volunteer. If you desire more or less pressure, please make this fact known. Without this knowledge, the therapist will be unable to adapt to your needs. If you are too hot/cold, the music is too loud/soft, you want an area avoided, more time spent in a specific region, the pressure is too much/little, just let your therapist know. Your massage therapist should be able to adapt to your needs, change their techniques, and provide/give various options if available, and if not, will offer a reason as to why that is the case.

Consistent words used to describe how one feels after a massage are: “relaxed”, “like I want to take a nap”, “better”, “looser”, “lighter”, etc. Depending on the type of massage you are receiving (relaxation vs. deep tissue), you may or may feel some soreness afterwards. Deeper tissue massages may elicit a post-workout-like feel for up to 2-3 days after a massage. This is considered normal, but is not always the case. Many people have no negative symptoms after a massage.

Drinking water post-treatment, taking a hot shower, sitting in a hot tub (20 mins), using a hot pack (10-15 mins) or soaking in an epsom salt bath have all shown to further relax muscles and decrease the intensity of any soreness you may or may not have experienced had you not done any of the above.

Speak with your therapist(s) to determine your treatment plan. For maintenance, a massage once a month is recommended.

For injuries, your treatment may be front-loaded (once a week for 3-4 weeks), then once every 2-weeks and then level off into a maintenance program.

If you are seeing a chiropractor for an initial assessment, please see them before you get a massage.

For treatments, although preference will vary between practitioners, if you are having an adjustment performed by a chiropractor, I have found that having a massage first is most beneficial. Conversely, if your treatment is more exercise or movement-based, you may want to finish with a massage.

• Turn off your phone before/once you enter the massage room. It is distracting to both parties (emergencies exempt).
• Take off any necklaces/bracelets if your neck and arms/wrists/hands are areas you want treated during your massage appointment
• Hydrating before and after your appointment will increase its effectiveness and decrease the pain you feel during, and post-treatment.