Deep Tissue massage is designed to address the connective tissue (deeper muscles, tendons and ligaments) below the superficial fascia to release chronic pain and/or tension. Using slower, stronger pressure, a deep tissue massage usually focuses on part of the body rather than the whole, in order to address the client’s chief complaints. Pressure is applied using the hands, fingers, elbows, and forearms using a small amount of oil. Trigger Point Therapy is often employed, meaning that very specific point pressure is used on certain areas of the muscle which are highly contracted and causing pain for the client. Trigger points often refer pain from one muscle to another, making the client think the source of their pain is one place, when it really is in another.

Deep tissue massage is used by athletes or individuals whose job require them to do a lot of physical activity or repetitive motions. It can be extremely beneficial and therapeutic for past injuries and as a preventative measure to keep the muscles healthy. After a deep tissue massage it is not uncommon for a client to feel some soreness or even have bruises that may last a couple of days, but after that one should be feeling much more relaxed and better than prior to the treatment. 

Foot Reflexology is not your standard foot massage. Pressure is applied to specific points in order to stimulate different parts of the body, including glands and internal organs. In this fashion it is possible to treat the entire body by working solely on the feet. Foot Reflexology’s goal by stimulating the reflex points is to decrease stress, increase circulation and facilitate detoxification, promoting homeostasis of the whole body. In the late 1800s in England and Germany, research on foot nerve endings and their neurological connections to the rest of the body provided the scientific basis for the development of modern Reflexology. In the early 1930s, a nurse from the United States named Eunice Ingham (1889-1974) developed the modality that we use today. Ingham combined a theory developed by William Fitzgerald (1872-1942) known as Zone Therapy with compression massage to the feet, as well as mapped out the exact location of reflex points through years of research and practice.

Zone Therapy

Foot Reflexology is based on the theory of Zone Therapy developed by Dr. William Fitzgerald in the early 1900s. Dr. Fitzgerald was an ear, nose, and throat specialist who claimed that by applying pressure to one part of the body had an aesthetic affect on another part. The theory developed and is based on the idea that if you take the body and divide it lengthwise into 10 zones, with the end points being at the top of the head, in the hands, and the feet, pressure applied anywhere in a zone will affect the entire zone. Reflex points are also found on the hands and ear and too can be stimulated in order to affect specific parts of the body.

What to expect from a Foot Reflexology treatment?

Foot Reflexology sessions are given with the recipient laying on their back or in a semi-reclined position on a massage table or with the recipient sitting in a chair with their legs raised. The practitioner sits at the feet. The recipient does not need to remove their clothing for the treatment but make sure that their pants are rolled up as far as the knee so as not to get any cream on their clothing. Very little cream is used during a Foot Reflexology session to avoid unwanted slipping and to attain the proper pressure. Sessions begin with standard massage techniques to warm up the tissue and include movements of the joints in the ankle, foot and toes. Direct pressure is then applied systematically over the entire foot using specialized Reflexology techniques such as thumb walking, finger walking, hook in and back up, and direct finger or thumb pressure.

Treatments may last 45 or 60 minutes long and may also be included with a classic massage if requested. Reflexology is one of the few forms of massage therapy that can be performed even when the receiver is feeling ill. Classic massage is contraindicated when someone is sick with a fever or infection because the act of physically pushing the blood at a higher rate throughout the body can spread the illness quicker (same if someone is taking a strong medication, massage will increase the speed at which the medication enters the blood stream, occasionally causing unwanted results.). As long as there are no local contraindications on the foot, such as open wounds, cuts, plantar warts, and other conditions that may be painful to touch, the whole foot may be treated, thus treating the rest of the body and encouraging its speedy, natural recovery. Adjustments in the treatment are employed for pregnant women, and extra precautions are taken for individuals who have diabetes.

Pregnancy holds many changes for the expectant mother—physical, physiological and emotional. Postural changes, hormonal imbalances, extra weight gain and emotional stress can lead to back, neck and hip pain, as well as general exhaustion and fatigue.  Prenatal massage has been proven beneficial for not only the mommy, but also for baby--so start taking care of that wee one now with a relaxing massage!

 What are the benefits of a prenatal massage? Prenatal massage can help relieve muscle cramps, spasms, and myofascial pain. The increase of blood and lymph circulation can reduce swelling and edema (present in over 75% of all pregnant women), and can reduce stress on weight-bearing joints. The massage can induce relaxation and reduce stress of the mother-to-be, which can help improve the outcome of labor and delivery and provides the new mother with physical and emotional reprieve from the stress of mothering. Massage can also do wonders for the child within the mother. Research performed by the Touch Institute, University of Miami School of Medicine has shown that women who receive massage therapy during their pregnancy had fewer complications during labor and their infants had fewer postnatal complications (please click here for the research article).

Here at Watergraafsmeer Wellness, you can choose whether to lay face down or in the side-lying position, whatever feels most comfortable and safe for the expectant mother.  Our prenatal massage table has a hole and support system for the belly, enabling the woman to lay face down.  We also have an extensive cushioning system for comfortable side-lying massage. In the case of carrying twins, side-lying is the indicated positioning for massage (as in the case of a larger belly, as the hole in the prenatal table may not be large enough as well as the extra weight may strain the ligaments of the pelvis and may cause more lower back if in the prone postion). All massages are adapted for each individual client and when there are extra medical cautions for the mother, extra precautions are taken during the massage. For example, in the case of a mother with a history of cardiac problems we would limit the amount of time she would lay on her right side (if performing the massage side-lying). Left sidelying allows maximum maternal cardiac functioning and fetal oxygenation. Certain acupressure and reflex points around the feet, hands, on top of the shoulder and on top of the sacrum are taken into consideration (in Traditional Chinese Medecine they are thought to have a stimulating quality of moving blood and energy, and therefore possibly setting off labor). These points are extremely precise and are most often accessed with pin-point precision, such as in acupuncture. It is very unlikely that grazing over any of these points with light and even deep pressure will initiate any ill-effects, but I take all of your concerns into practice, nonetheless, should you wish to completely avoid these points. Precautions are also taken when massaging the legs, specifically the inner side where veins returning blood to the heart are running and have a higher potential for blood clotting.

When booking a prenatal massage, please make note if you'd prefer to lay face down, using our table with the hole and hammock system, or if you'd prefer a side-lying treatment.

Touch is the first sense to develop in human beings and is therefore essential to our health and ability to thrive. How necessary it is to teach the importance of good, therapeutic touch to children of all ages.

Massage for kids helps teach the importance of consent as well as boundaries. For all children under the age of 13, I ask that the parent remain present in the room so that the child may feel most comfortable.

Physically, as children grow they can feel the discomfort and strain of “growing pains” which have clinically been shown to be trigger points within the muscles. Massage to these muscles (especially on the legs) can help the muscles lengthen while offering relief of the discomfort of the growing pains.