During your first visit with a Registered Massage Therapist, your health history form and initial assessments will take place. After filling out the health history form, your Therapist will ask questions and possibly perform physical or movement tests to help determine which areas need treatment. You and your Therapist will discuss a treatment plan, and then you will be left alone in the room for a few minutes to get yourself ready and on the table. After the Massage portion you may be shown exercises or activities designed to help alleviate your problem areas. Then you and your Therapist will determine a treatment plan for follow-up treatments if they are necessary.
We have private treatment rooms within our clinic. Your massage will take place inside one of the rooms.
For you to get the most out of your massage it is important that you be comfortable and relaxed during the treatment. We have clean sheets on our tables to cover you and only expose the areas that we are working on. You may undress to your level of comfort from staying fully clothed to being fully unclothed with the assurance that you will not be exposed unnecessarily. Massage Therapy is a hands-on type of therapy and it is common to use oil to help facilitate the gliding of the Therapist’s hands so it is easier to work directly on the skin.
The most important thing for you to do is try and relax on the table and make yourself as comfortable as possible. You do not need to move in order to help us, we will move you or ask you to move if we need to. if you need to adjust your position to get more comfortable by all means do so. We may ask you to assist in the Massage from time to time but otherwise you can relax completely. If you like to talk feel free to do so, if you prefer not to that is ok as well. Your Therapist may ask you questions during your massage and you are welcome to ask questions at anytime yourself. Please say something to your Therapist if you are at anytime uncomfortable with anything during your Massage.
Massage Therapy will feel different depending on the techniques used. Many Massage Therapists use a form of Swedish massage, which is often the baseline for practitioners. A typical Swedish massage session may start with broad, flowing strokes that will help calm your nervous system and relax exterior muscle tension. As your body relaxes, pressure will gradually be increased to relax specific areas and relieve areas of muscular tension. Often, a light oil or lotion is used to allow your muscles to be massaged without causing excessive friction on the skin. Do not hesitate to ask questions or mention any discomfort you feel so that the Massage Therapist can use another approach or technique.
Typically, our clinic uses unscented and neutral lotions and oils. Please let us know if you have any allergies. Most of the products will absorb into your skin and any excess can be wiped off or easily washed off at the end of your massage.
There are some situations when Massage Therapy may not be helpful. It is important that you indicate all your health-related history and medications on our form so that your Therapist can ensure that Massage Therapy will be safe and helpful. There are some medical conditions that could be worsened by Massage Therapy, or medications that should not be taken while getting Massage Therapy. If you are unsure whether or not Massage Therapy will be safe for you, consult your physician.
You may have 30, 45, or 60-minute treatments. Your first appointment is longer to allow us to go through the paperwork (case history and consent form) and to assess your needs for treatment, and still have enough time to give you a comprehensive treatment. After the first treatment you and your Therapist will work together to determine what length/frequency will be most beneficial to you.
Most people feel very relaxed. Some experience freedom from long- term aches and pains developed from tension or repetitive activity. After an initial period of feeling “slowed down,” people often experience increased energy, heightened awareness, and greater productivity, which can last for days. If you are unfamiliar with Massage Therapy or you haven't received treatment in a while you may experience some soreness in the areas treated. This will feel similar to the soreness you experience post-exercise and should disappear within a day or two.
All our Massage Therapists are all trained with several different techniques, but many are based on Swedish techniques. We will be applying our hands on your skin and manipulating your tissues. We do not do a set pattern or technique; each massage will be different based on what we agree to be your needs. We often refer to the different techniques as tools that we have in our toolbox. We will use the appropriate tool for the job.
All appointments need to be booked in advance. The easiest way to make an appointment is to phone us. You will likely get our answering machine as we don’t have a receptionist. We may be available to answer the phone, but we are likely to be working with an existing client. If you reach our answering machine, please leave us a detailed message. For example: “I am a new patient, I would like to see any therapist on Mondays or Tuesdays between 2 and 4 pm for a 45-minute appointment.” We check our messages often and will call you back as soon as we can to confirm if that appointment is available. We will then coordinate an appointment with you. You can also drop by the clinic and talk to one of us personally, but we may not be able to help you if we are with existing clients. You can also visit us on Facebook where we post last minute openings.
We take all forms of payment, with the exception of American Express.
That is no problem, we are happy to accommodate that request.
It is important that you let us know if you need to change or cancel your appointment with enough time (at least 24 hours) for us to arrange for someone else to take that appointment slot. We are paid our salary by our clients; if we do not have a client then we do not get paid. We are also a very busy clinic and can usually find someone to fill a spot if we have enough time to do so. It isn’t fair to your Therapist or other clients who would be happy to have your appointment time if you are unable use it.
All Therapists working at Body Renewal Massage Therapy Clinic are fully insured, have a 2200 hour Massage Therapy Diploma, and are registered with RMTA, MTAA, or NHPC.
We can direct bill most insurance companies including Alberta Blue Cross coverage, RCMP/Veterans Affairs, and many others. For more information, please visit our Direct Billing page or contact the clinic.