Massage Questions

What is massage?

What are the benefits of massage?

I've never had a massage. What should I expect?

What should I wear?

Will I be covered up?

Will I have a male or female therapist?

Does it hurt?

Will I be sore?

Should I talk to my therapist or be quiet?

What about tips?

Do you use cream or lotion?

What is aromatherapy?

Are your therapist certified?

Can I bring my own music?

Appointments

How long of a session should I get?

Do you offer weekend and evening appointments?

Do you have sessions available for two people at the same time?

How far in advance should I book my massage?

What kind of discounts do you offer?

Gift Certificates

Do you sell gift certificates?

Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy™

What is Ashiatsu Oriental Bar Therapy™?

Who is it for?

Policies

What if I need to cancel my appointment?

What if I'm late to my appointment?

Special Populations

Do you offer prenatal massage?

Can I get a massage if I have AIDS?

If I have a cold or flu, should I come get a massage?

Therapeutic massage is a systematic approach to releasing the soft tissues of the body from waste products and tension, and increasing the circulation of blood and lymph. The result is relief from pain, reduced stress hormones circulating in the body, and an overall sense of well-being.

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What are the benefits of massage?

Massage has many benefits. Among the greatest is breathing ease, posture improvement, peace of mind, increased flexibility, strengthens the immune system, increases mental alertness, and enhances calm thinking and creativity.

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When you arrive at our office for your first session, you will be asked to fill out a quick intake form that will help us customize the session to you and your needs. Your therapist will then go over any health conditions you may have, and determine what kind of session you would most benefit from. Your therapist will instruct you to start face up or face down, and will leave the room while you disrobe and get on the table. She will knock on the door before she enters the room, to be sure you are ready, and the massage will begin. There will be soothing music playing, and a lit candle. At the end of the session, your therapist will leave the room while you get dressed. You will leave the room when you are ready.

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You do not need to wear anything special to your session. Some clients like to bring comfy clothes to change into rather than their restricting work clothes. Some may also bring a baseball hat to cover their "massage hair." 

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Yes, you will always be covered - except for the part of the body being worked on. For a full body session the front and back of your legs, back, arms, and  head/neck will be exposed one at a time and worked on. Regardless of whether you choose to completely disrobe or leave some clothing on, you will always be professionally draped. You are only asked to disrobe to your level of comfort.

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Currently at Serenity Now! Massage Therapy, we have female therapists. Read about them here. Please understand we strictly offer therapeutic massage, and a session will immediately end if there are any inappropriate comments or requests.

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Massage should never produce extreme pain. Many clients describe the sensation from massage as "hurts so good." This happens when your therapist has located a tender or tight area within a muscle. On a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the most painful, you should hover between a five and seven. It is important for you to communicate with your therapist to maintain a therapeutic level of comfort.

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You may be sore if you've never had a massage, or it's been six weeks or more since your last session. The sensation feels like post-workout soreness, is usually mild, and lasts 1-2 days. If it occurs, it means your body is responding to the work that has been done, and your muscles are getting healthier. To minimize this effect, drink a lot of water after your massage, take a hot bath with Epsom salts, and do some gentle stretching.

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It is entirely up to you. You will not offend your therapist if you'd rather not talk. Some people need complete silence to relax; some find that chatting helps them relax; and some find a combination works the best for them. Our therapists are interesting people to talk with in addition to great therapists. Your therapist will let you take the lead in whether or not there will be talking during the session.

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Massage is a personal service, and tips are appreciated. A tip of 10-20% is appropriate given the expertise and relief you experienced. If you have a gift certificate, we will have written "prepaid tip" if the purchaser left one.

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We use Massage FX Cream, which is a rich and emollient cream that will not leave you feeling greasy. We do have almond oil available if you would prefer that. When you use our cream, we also give you the remainder to take home and enjoy after your next shower or before bed. Many of our clients enjoy Massage FX Cream so much, they purchase it to use at home as a body lotion.

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What is aromatherapy?

Each of our massage sessions is able to be customized by your choice of one of six 100% pure essential oil blends. Click here to look at a file of our choices and ingredients.

The reason aromatherapy has such a profound and immediate effect on people is more scientific than ethereal. Minute fragrance molecules travel up the nose to the brain and directly to the olfactory epithelium - the only place in the body where the central nervous system is in direct contact with the environment. This sensory input is routed to the limbic system, then to the key control centers in our brain. Neurotransmitters are released which can reduce pain, create euphoric sensations, calm and relax and energize - all depending on the odor stimuli received.

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Are your therapists certified?

Our therapists are the most highly trained in Denver. Each is licensed in the City and County of Denver, as well as insured. You can read more about our therapists by reading their biographies.

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Absolutely! We would love to let you fully customize your session to get the most out of it. We do have a wide variety of music, but we've even been known to play a hockey playoff game during a massage if that's what our client wants to hear.

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We offer many different session lengths to help you get exactly what you want. for a full-body session, 60 minutes is the gold standard. However, if you're large and/or tall, a 75 minute session will give your therapist adequate time to do thorough work. If you want to focus on one or more problem areas in addition to receiving a full-body session, 75 minutes would work well for an average-sized person, and a 90 minute session would be ideal if you're large and/or tall. If you only want something specific worked on, such as your neck or upper back, try a 30 or 45 minute session depending on the complexity and/or severity of the problem.

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Yes. We have massage available every day except Tuesdays, and take appointments as late as 6:30 (60 minutes) during the week, and 5:00 (60 minutes) on the weekends.

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Yes. We can easily accommodate two people so you can be done at the same time, and relax at the same time! We are also able to offer massage for up to four people at the same time, in the same room, but this must be arranged on an individual basis. It's a great idea for a bridal party or special event. Please email us to request a time.

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If you have a very specific day or time, would like to come with somebody else, or to schedule a group of people, we recommend at least a week advance notice. However, if you are flexible we can easily accommodate you the same day of an appointment or a day in advance. You can conveniently make appointments online, too.

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What kind of discounts do you offer?

There are several ways to save money on massage with us.

• participate in our Referral Rewards Program - each referral gets you 15 minutes toward a free massage

• we offer package rates on all of our massages

• seniors get $10 off an hour massage the first Wednesday of each month (age 55 and older)

• students get $10 off an hour massage the first Friday of each month (student ID required)

• if we have an active email address, and you are an existing client, we email you a $15 gift on your birthday

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Yes. Please visit our Gift Certificates page for information.

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Ashiatsu is an ancient form of Japanese massage with a truly Western spin. Two parallel bars are installed on the ceiling, which the therapist uses for control and balance. Soft, clean feet and cream is used to produce, "the deepest, most luxurious massage on the planet."

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This technique is ideal for larger people, athletes, those with low back pain, and those who simply want to try something new and different. Many clients of ours swear they will never go back to traditional hand massage after experiencing Ashiatsu.

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There is no charge to cancel your appointment with 24 hours notice. With 12 hours notice you will only be responsible for half the cost of your appointment. This courtesy gives us time to try and fill the appointment. If we receive less than 12 hours notice you will not be able to make your appointment, the full cost will be billed to you.

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We request you arrive a few minutes early for your appointment. In order for us to uphold our professional standards of being on time, we regret we cannot give you additional time if you arrive late for your appointment. However, if we do not have a client scheduled immediately after you, we will do our best to give you the full time. If for any reason WE are late starting your appointment, you will receive the full scheduled time.

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Yes. We do offer prenatal massage. All of our therapists are capable of working on pregnant women. Many people ask if we utilize a pregnancy table that has a large cut out for the woman's stomach. We do not offer these tables because there are ligaments that support the belly in this position, and the "hanging" stretches them. These ligaments are crucial in supporting the woman's expanding uterus.

We do have a very high quality hydraulic massage table that has moving ends so we can elevate the woman's legs and back to not impede oxygen to the fetus. It is very comfortable, and an ideal table to work on prenatal women.

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Yes, as long as you have no open lesions. Please inform your therapist before your session.

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It depends. If you feel like you're just beginning to come down with something, massage can help stimulate your immune system to help get the bug through faster. However, you will usually feel worse after the massage as your body gets busy fighting your cold or flu.

However, if you are in the middle of a serious cold or flu, it may be too uncomfortable to receive a massage. It's best to reschedule and wait until you're less congested, and would be more comfortable in a face-down position.

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