Frequently Asked Questions
For Massage
Q: What do I wear for my massage appointment?
A: During sessions you change in private and have linens to pull over yourself on the table so there is nothing special you need to be wearing. Sometimes for pre-massage assessment shorts or loose slacks are helpful especially with leg and back pain. Linens are draped to reveal one body-part worked on at a time, maintaining a secure sense of privacy always.
Q: What can I expect in my first massage appointment?
A: Assessment to determine the treatment plan best suited for your presentation will take up some time in the initial appointment. Therefore, first appointments require an hour. Being active in your health care is essential to healing and committing to doing homecare given to you means doing your part. Some are sore for a day or two post-massage as working through the layers to get to the depth of where the problem arises from is needed, but the issue you have come in for often shows improvement within 24 hours. As Massage Therapy’s effects continue after the session ends, it can take up to 72 hours to realize the full effects of what the treatment has done for you.
Q: How many massage treatments will I need?
A: This differs from situation to situation and person to person, but generally having closer together appointments when more than one appointment is necessary helps to get to the deeper layers. Leaving appts too far apart means just scraping the surface, relieving superficial tension but not getting to the root of the issue. When appointments are two or three days apart initially, we can build on the work we have done getting to the layer needed instead of just relieving tension that returns by a week later and not getting to the root. It makes sense that if you have had an issue for many years, it will likely take a bit of work to overcome and you might expect it wouldn’t magically disappear in just one treatment
Q: What does medical or extended benefits cover in the payment?
A: In BC, MSP reimburses $23 for 10 sessions for those on Premium Assistance, to see if this applies to you, call Body Vital Massage Therapy with your care card number 250.545.0122 and it can be checked. Many private extended benefits companies cover different %'s of session, please contact your benefits company for details. Many do not require a doctor’s referral any longer, but if yours does, it may be good for the whole year.
Q: Massage Therapist or Masseuse, what is the difference?
A: A masseuse may only have taken a weekend course before commencing work and be listed under “Massage” in the yellow pages and has no regulating body. On the other hand a Massage Therapist in BC takes from 2200 to 3000 hours of training and passes 8 hours of rigorous written board exams, then a subsequent Oral Practical Exam to become registered. Please go to menu on left: “About Laura, RMT” to learn more about RMTs’ education, and “Massage Therapy” for what Registered Massage Therapists can do.