Massage is truly one of life’s pleasures, so how can you get the best massage experience?

I love receiving massage and frequently visit massage other therapists; here are my insider’s tips on how to receive the best massage experience.

Before Massage

Select a therapist/studio that offers what you want. There are many massage therapists, studios, and styles. Select one that offers what you are looking for. Relaxation massage is readily available, but therapeutic/deep tissue, prenatal, couples, hot stones, CBD massage, medical massage are less common here in Baja at least. The best massage therapists can customize to your situation and may not list every massage style they practice or physical condition they can accommodate. If you don’t know what you want, call them and ask for their recommendation.

Choose for quality recommendations: A great massage partly depends on your confidence in your therapist. Psychology tells us your beliefs and expectations affect your experience. So expecting a great massage will actually help you experience a great massage. ..

….Online reviews and credentials or online reviews may help decide. We lack the words to describe all the delicious feelings of massage and our nervous system. Often the best way is to feel the massage (that’s how I find and recruit for our team). If you don’t know the therapist, checking credentials is sometimes useful, and online reviews (TripAdvisor, Yelp) are an easy way to see how others have felt afterwards.

(Sometimes I want a quick inexpensive massage and that’s cool too. Sometimes I want a quick inexpensive burger, but of course I don’t have high expectations from McDonalds.)

Schedule Ahead if possible: Prebooking allows you to get a time great for you, and psychology also tells us looking forward to an experience (vacation, a date, a massage) gives us joy even before the experience.

Evite el alcohol extra, la cafeína y las quemaduras solares Son desastrosos.

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“Well," said Pooh, "what I like best," and then he had to stop and think. Because although Eating Honey was a very good thing to do, there was a moment just before you began to eat it which was better than when you were, but he didn't know what it was called.”
― A. A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh

Avoid extra alcohol, caffeine, and sunburn They are bummers.

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During the Massage

Arrive 10 min early: The goal of massage is relaxation, a change in your nervous system. A late arrival may stress you out even more! Use the extra few minutes to begin your relaxation by breathing deeply, one of my obsessions and ways to relax my mind.

Tell your therapist before the massage:

• where you would like the massage focused

• what level of pressure

• goals are for the massage- to sleep, to get out knots, to reduce pain, to have a memorable experience with your partner for couples massage.

If you don’t know what you like or need, choose a great therapist that can adapt to your goals.

Give feedback to your therapist: Great massage therapists can adapt to your goals, body type, and preferences. If you feel uncomfortable during a massage let us know! - is it painful, pillow in wrong place, water fountain sound makes you need to pee, music too loud, too hot, ticklish. All of these can be distracting and easily changed.

Allow your mind to rest: Direct your attention to sensation of the touch, or your breath. Our studio has a big art poster on the wall, simply saying Breathe.

After the massage:

Plan for a bit of time to relax. Massage will make you feel fantastic. You can extend this peace with a nap, a period of sitting quietly, or avoiding electronics for even an hour. I love to plan my massage for 6, go home and leave phone and TV off for a early sleep. If your massage is with us, the tea house downstairs is an easy option to relax before even driving.

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Just Do It! Book it! Self Care is not Selfish. Are you putting off your massage and feeling good until more time, fewer errands . . . manana? Your Manana massage never comes .

Jesse from Wisconsin is lead therapist at Ensenada Massage, where he is building his tiny dream life with Boxer Tina in Ensenada, Mexico for the last 9 years.