Your First Advanced Clinical Massage: How to Prep and What to Expect

When you come to Elbow Grease for an Advanced Clinical Massage, you’re not getting a spa treatment.

You’re here because something hurts, isn’t moving right, or just isn’t getting better on its own — and you need real help.

Here’s what you should know before your first visit:

What to Wear

You’ll stay fully dressed for your session.

Wear something comfortable you can move in — gym clothes are perfect.

You’ll be moving around a lot — stretching, activating muscles, changing positions. Staying dressed makes all of that easier (and way less awkward).

We also keep a table warmer and blankets handy so you stay comfortable.

Bonus:

If you’re already stiff, sore, or dealing with limited mobility, staying dressed saves you the struggle of wrestling with clothes, sheets, or the table.

Before Your Appointment

After you book, you’ll get a link to your intake forms.

Please fill these out before you show up.

If you don’t, we’ll have to eat into your session time to do it — and that’s time better spent working on your body.

Also, be on time.

Every minute counts.

How Your First Session Starts

We don’t jump straight onto the table.

First, we’ll talk about what’s going on, what’s hurting, and what you’ve already tried.

Then we’ll run some quick tests:

• Range of motion

• Resistance and strength

• Some orthopedic screens

• Hands-on palpation to find where things aren’t moving right

This usually takes about 5–20 minutes.

The better the information we get upfront, the better the work we can do.

The Work

Advanced Clinical Massage doesn’t look like what most people picture when they think “massage.”

You won’t be under a sheet while someone rubs lotion around for an hour.

You’ll be moving. Breathing. Sometimes working with us during the treatment.

We’re focused on fixing the problem — not just making you feel good for a day.

Deep Doesn’t Mean Brutal

Our work is deep — but it shouldn’t hurt.

If you’re tensing up, bracing, or holding your breath, we’re missing the point.

We’ve spent years learning how to work with your body, not against it — getting into the tissues that need help without crossing the line into pain that makes everything lock up worse.

Depending on what’s going on, we might:

• Release tight muscles

• Stretch shortened tissues

• Decompress a stuck joint

• Improve blood flow where it’s needed

If your condition’s been building for a while, plan on a few sessions. Healing’s a process, not a one-shot fix.

Homework (Sometimes)

Depending on your situation, we might send you home with a little homework:

a few simple stretches, some strength work, or posture tweaks you can do on your own.

Nothing crazy.

Just the stuff that helps you keep getting better between visits.

Final Thought

We’re not here to waste your time.

We’re here to get you moving again — and feeling like yourself again.