Austin Massages
Convenient to Austin Cedar Park Round Rock Leander Georgetown Texas
Austin Massage Therapy Masseur. With Optional Live Piano Music at its Best!
Serving the Community Over a Decade.
Easy Appointment Scheduling. Easy to Find and Easy to Park.

   Rejuvenate the Body.  Feed the Soul.
        Mind and Spirit will Follow!

 

    
                                                      

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Some Frequently Asked Questions about Massage Therapy.
Enjoy the numerous benefits of massage therapy with a little education and a few gift certificates form Austin Massages.

Location: Convenient to Austin Texas, North Austin Area, Cedar Park, Round Rock,  near Hwy 183 and FM 620, about a mile from Gold's Gym and Lakeline Mall. See Map for details.
 
Hours: By appointment only,
10:00 AM to 8:00 PM, M-Sat, Last appointment taken at 8:00 PM
Phone1(512)B335-0533NOPHONERecruiting
A Special Note about Massage Gift Certificates.

It is always best to surprise that special someone with gift certificates, rather than surprise them with surprise massage appointments. People receive a far greater number of benefits from massage sessions when they have taken the time themselves to physically and mentally prepare for a massage, fitting it into their schedule as they see fit. In other words, you can lead horses to water but you can not make them drink.

How much time do I need for a session?
   
Austin Massages has 30, 60, 90 and 120 minutes sessions. After having both a short and a long session most clients prefer the longer sessions for relaxation. If you only have a particular issue to address an hour or more is recommended. But if you also want a full body massage and have particular issues as well this usually requires extra time and you should plan on a longer session.

Specific issues may require several or more sessions to properly address. It is always better to make an appointment for a longer session than not have enough time to address your issues properly. Many clients feel 1.5 hours is just right while others prefer 2 hours. A 30 minute massage can be helpful if you are just looking for a quick post-sports event massage and you are use to receiving massages. Working on particular issues takes time, time to asses your specific issue, time for your nervous system to relax, time to warm up tissues or ice them down when needed.

When should I refrain from receiving a massage?

Avoid massages during illnesses, high fever, on open wounds, cuts, bruising, broken or varicose veins, blood clots, broken, fractured bones or mending bones, or severe back pain that may shoot down arms or legs during massage. And check with a physician if you are pregnant, have cancer, high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease or other questionable medical conditions before receiving massage. Always inform the LMT of all medical conditions or changes in medical status, no matter how small they may seem to you.

I Have Never had a Professional Massage. What should I expect?

On your first visit, your massage therapist should have you fill out an intake form regarding your general health, specific injuries and whether you are under a doctor's care. This process should take a few minutes. The therapist should give you instructions on how they want you on the table (face up/down etc.) They should be out of the room while you are undressing or dressing and should knock on the door before reentering the room. The massage room should be clean, private and quiet. Some therapists like to use music, candles, aroma therapy or soothing sounds to enhance your relaxation. If you don't want any of those things or have allergies to specific aromas you are free to ask the therapist no to us them. 

If you are getting a massage for feel-good relaxation, there should be little talking, unless this is your first massage or first visit to a new therapist. For deep tissue work or stretching you and the therapist should be in good communication with each other to make sure you are tolerating the work and to remind you to breathe and relax. In most cases moderate pain or discomfort should be addressed by changing the technique or discontinuing it. Some therapists will use light conversation to distract clients when doing deep work or if a muscle is not relaxing.

Your therapist may also spend some time analyzing or warming up a particular area with light pressure, before continuing with deeper work. It is always important to communicate as much as you feel is necessary to ensure your needs are being met, with more or less pressure or in just the right places.

After your massage the therapist should leave the room and allow you a few minutes of quite time to rest, devoid of stimulus and to integrate the physical and emotional aspect of your massage. You may want to take some time to stretch before getting up slowly and rolling you legs over to side of the table without using your back muscles as the main means of sitting up. 

As a Woman I Worry about Getting Massages from Male Therapists.

You may call the TDSHS, Texas Department of State Health Services to verify the credentials or see any complaints regarding any Licensed Massage Therapists (LMT). A therapist's name and address or license number will be needed and that information should be found in their office, workplace, on their business cards, website or advertisements. It is usually a good sign if they have been in business for a number of years.

The male therapist is a member of the AMTA, has been serving the community for over 12 years, and has almost three time the required 300 hours for licensing. Texas licensing hours may soon change to 500 hours or more, if they have not already done so. 

Male or female therapists who maintain memberships in related organizations are a really good sign of dedication and training in their related fields, and the AMTA requires both a specific amount of additional educational hours for membership besides continuing educational hours. If a therapist advertises to be a member of a related organization like the AMTA, American Massage Therapy Association, you can call that organization for verification.

If you feel uncomfortable after doing a little homework, it can be reassuring to get a personal reference from someone you know, or even from someone who can give you a good reference to a gay male therapist. They naturally can't have any ulterior motives when it comes to working on female clients and this can be a real plus for women who need that extra feeling of trust to relax and receive the most benefits from each session. Specifically for women, who call and ask, Austin Massages may provide a reference for a gay male therapist and references from a few female clients that have come here to Austin Massages and have volunteered to give references. 

Do I Have To Take My Clothes Off?

No. For your draping needs, the heated table is usually prepared with sheets or towels. There are some massages like Shiatsu and energy structure integration modalities, similar to Zero Balancing, that only require loose fitting clothing. For most any massage involving lotion or oil you do need to be undressed, you may be under a drape and you are always welcome to leave your underwear on. The therapist can move them slightly if your gluts or lower back needs to be addressed better.

In many cases the therapist can work through a drape for body mobilization and compression techniques. When the massage is over the therapist should leave the room and allow you time to stretch, to slowly get up and to get dressed before you exit the room. If you are use to no drape, as is often done in many other countries, talk to the therapist before your session.

Finding a New Massage Therapist is time consuming. Do you have any suggestions?  

This is a common but simple issue to solve. Find a therapist and work with them for several sessions, continually communicating your needs. Be aware that your needs may change from session to session depending on your specific pain or stress issues on that day. Specific communication about your massage needs and areas of tension is important, both before and during your massage. Massage therapists are not mind readers yet, and may have misunderstood when you were communicating your issues. You may need several sessions in order to notice good results.

Your pain or stress may also be referred, it shows up in one area but the cause may be from another area. Or it simply could be from repetitive daily routines, such as high heels, carrying a heavy purse, a computer, a backpack or a baby on one shoulder or side. Some issues may seem to be addressed by different therapists, different sessions or different modalities (types) of massages, but your daily routines and areas of tension may also vary. When you find relief from an issue in one area, it may seem to move to another area. In reality it may just be that the first area of issues were addressed, and now the second most prominent issues of stress or pain show up better without the distraction of the first issues.

Also read the information below regarding "Why it may be worth while leaving a message for a therapist who doesn't always answer the phone right away or for a private practitioner".

Do Men Purchase Massage Gift Certificates for other Men.

Absolutely! It is normal for men to care about their buddies, but sometimes awkward and difficult to show, especially without feeling uncomfortable about it. As a man, if you have had massages you know how well they help to deal with stress, pain and to maintain an active lifestyle. No one wants to see their buddies stressed out or in pain for any period of time. Our body and nervous system know how to automatically gear up with stress and tension. Once anyone receives and really understand the benefits of regular massage, it may become life-changing. 

If you feel awkward, just make the gift certificate from you and your other half or from your loving family, or from a family member. If you have a co-worker who needs some stress relief, you can always suggest to your boss or manager to get a number of gift certificates for co-workers for good jobs or extra efforts put into extended projects. And for those who may have a manager or boss that seems to always be a little too stressed out, take up a collection from your co-workers and get that person several massage sessions or a maintenance pack of massages for once a month. The payback on such a small investment can be really worth while, in both the short and long term!  

How You Can Control Your Massage and get the most out of each session.

As the client, you may control the massage: talk or no talk, music or no music, different music, scents or no scents, or increase or decrease the pressure or pace. If your therapist seems to talk a lot about everyday events, and this distracts from the focus of your therapy, tell them you have nothing against communicating, but you would rather just drift off into a quiet massage session for now or that you would prefer to focus more on the therapy and forget about everyday events.

If you are in any way uncomfortable make your wishes known and don't suffer in silence, it is your massage. If you discover an area that needs more or less attention let your therapist know so they can better address your needs. This may reduce the areas your therapist can work on in a single session, but it may better addresses your specific needs. You can always ask the therapist if you can extend your session or simply get an extended session on your next visit to properly address all your needs.

Why it may be worth while leaving a message for a therapist who doesn't always answer the phone right away or for a private practitioner.

Private practitioners may or may not have assistants to answer calls, but they may be more dedicated to each individual client because they have to please their clients, rather than please a manager or boss as well, like in larger health centers ad spas. This means it may be to your benefit to leave a message for a private parishioner's return call, rather than give up on a dedicated therapist.

It is always smarter to try to call for your sessions ahead of time, days, or weeks ahead. When you need a session, call and leave a short, clear message with your full name and phone number, for a return call. You should expect a return call within three hours or less, before calling back again. It may wise to request another session appointment right after you session, before you leave.

Here at Austin Massages, your therapist will never attempt to work past limits or work with very short breaks. Doing this could cause undue stress on their muscles, joints and ligaments. Fatigue may also set in and decrease the effectiveness of your session. Here a limited amount of session hours are scheduled in a day and significant time between sessions is given, to help insure you receive the best session possible. This is in the best long term interest of therapist and the client.

Unlike what you might be use to, your session time here amounts to table time. Dressing or an initial consultation time does not count toward session time. And when you reserve an hour, you get the full hour of table time, not just 50 minutes.

Prices.

Cut rate massage businesses are popping-up all over. Some may offer you really low prices, or low prices for a membership purchase, which really looks and sound great. Out of that low price comes the cost to run that facility for rent, insurance, utilities and a profit to pay the owner. Someone also has to pay for the laundry, linen and other supply costs as well. Now the therapist has to be paid from the remainder of that price. Adding in the fact that some clients tip and some don't, how many therapists do think would be willing to sell their skills for such low profits? The truth of the matter is probably plenty, if they just got their license and are looking for more experience or work!

After passing the state exam and getting their license, new massage therapists have to start somewhere if they expect to get more experience, or continue with advanced education. Bottom line is if you are willing to help them get more experience, be patient and be willing to work with several different therapists. To be fair, remember that even seasoned therapists may need several sessions to address your needs or to get a better understanding of your issues. They just have more experience to draw upon. If you have issues that seem to be requiring more than just relaxing massages, you might want to find a therapist that has been in business for some time, has more education than the state requires or may even belong to a related organization, such as the AMTA that require more education.

I wasn't able to print or e-mail my Gift Certificates after my on-line purchases.

  After your purchases are completed you may click on the "RETURN TO MERCHANT" button at the bottom of the PayPal window to see your gift certificate link. Or if that didn't happen, see the Gift Certificate Help at the bottom of the Gift Certificates page.

 After your purchases, your transaction information is immediately sent to us by PayPal, with a purchase date, your email address, name and amount of session time (this is the Authorization Information). Just include this information, along with your phone number, when giving or sending your Gift Certificates to the intended recipients. It is used to validate Gift Certificates.

Reduction of Stress and Pain, plus Maintaining an Active Lifestyle are the Desired Results.

A reduction in your stress and pain level needs to be actively perused. Become more aware of your daily routines, posture, and stress levels. Address them with massages, maintenance massages, daily stretching and a little education in ergonomics. You may be able to reduce your stress, pain and discomfort to a minimum and manageable level. A reduction in stress can be a good thing, but a little stress may help to keep us motivated. Massages are great to help you identify and reduce the areas of stress, tension or discomfort; even in areas you may not have been aware of (body awareness).

Happy Employees, Ergonomics and Posture Solutions.

Carrying the weight of the world on your shoulders, like caregivers of the office or the family, may also take a toll. Mental stress easily and commonly transitions into physical stress. Improper workstation ergonomics or bad posture can cause issues as well. In an office environment it is sometimes good to find a buddy that will keep an eye on your posture and workstation ergonomics. You both make a pack that if one finds the other using bad posture more than once at the office then they pay for deserts, lunch or something else.

If you have office buddies that seem to be having more bad days than good, or seem to be under stress, take up a simple massage gift certificate collection and send them to us. Or suggest to your boss or manager to purchase gift certificates as simple rewards for well done jobs, achievements, meeting monthly goals or just stress busters. Research indicates that, on the average, happy employees usually perform better, are easier to get along with and usually use less sick days. 

Visit the US Department of Labor for more information on Ergonomics and Computer Workstations.

I Really Love Receiving Massages and the benefits as well.  Now if I can only get my boyfriend (partner or husband) to also see you for massage both of us would benefit greatly!

With our health conscious and high stress society, more and more men have come to realized that the benefits of massage are not limited to just woman or the sports world. There are unfortunately still some men who have a little fear or uneasiness about getting a massage. Some basic education about normal body functions, PNS, may ease this fear. After a few good massages you usually understand the routine, relax easier and just receive the work that much better.

And remember, its not about the gender of the therapist, it is about their experience to give a good massage that meets your needs or issues, and about your experiences in receiving massage work. Your ability to relax and let your mind, body and soul receive the work and benefits get easier with more massages. "Don't say no, just let go". ©AM2007   

Men and PNS.

Understanding an Age Old Fear can lead to Greater Benefits for Men.

Understanding that a man's physiological response to massage is natural and common may alleviate their discomfort or hesitation about receiving therapeutic massages from both male and female therapists. This simple understanding can increase the effectiveness of their session, allowing them to receive greater benefits from massage. It is seldom understood because it is seldom discussed.

Fear of an erection, or a massage therapist's response to it, prohibits some men from seeking much needed therapeutic massages. It is common for men to get such reactions while receiving a non-sexual therapeutic massage from male or female therapists. A physiological function or response to touch administered to any part of the body may activate the parasympathetic nervous system (PNS), which may result in a partial or complete erection. While such a reaction can be indicative of being physiologically aroused, this does not necessarily indicate the presence of emotional or sexual desire.

Men can take heart in knowing this is a common and involuntary body function during massage and there is nothing to be embarrassed or feel guilty about. If it occurs at all, it usually subsides quickly. Experienced and properly educated massage therapists, male and female, should know this. It is important for the male client to understand this as well, so discomfort on his part, due to such a reaction, does not discourage him from seeking massage, distract the focus or decrease the effectiveness of a session.

Changing the massage technique being used can also suppress such a spontaneous reaction. An antidote to a PNS response is activation of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS). If there is discomfort on the part of the client or a distraction in the focus of the therapy, the male client can also initiate a request to the therapist to increase the pace, pressure or both, without the necessity to alert the therapist of his discomfort.

Not to sound belittling, oversimplified or commercialized in any manner, but the song title from artist Bobby McFerrin may have some real relevancy here, as well as in everyday life, "Don't Worry, Be Happy".

When getting a massage don't focus on anything too much, except maybe a great vacation or something else, like flying to another city, state, the coast, the mountains, or another country, all from a bird's eye perspective. Soar in the sky like an eagle, up to the mountains or down to the lakes for a catch of fresh fish. Or take a walk in the woods, as seen from a wild animal's perspective, a deer, a squirrel or whatever.

Men who have an understanding of this natural PNS response, and who know how to address it or to just ignore it, can feel more comfortable about seeking therapeutic massages from both men and women and receive greater benefits as well. 

   
Your comments, feedback and suggestions are always welcome and well received by the email link below.

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