The best way to explain Deep Tissue Massage is to compare it with other massages such as Swedish massage. 

Deep Tissue is a little bit less about general relaxation (although that is involved to) and is more about promoting structural change and realignment in the body. 

Whilst Swedish Massage uses lots of oil, Deep Tissue Massage does not, this is because the therapist needs to have a better grip on the muscles in order to stretch and manipulate them.  

A lot of people think Deep Tissue is all about 'No Pain No Gain' and the therapist sticking an elbow in really hard to a muscles is doing good- this is completely wrong. 

A lot of people also think Deep Tissue is the same as 'Firmer Pressure' in other massages- this is also wrong. In Deep Tissue the therapist is actually working at a deeper level, penetrating muscles and fascia that exist in deeper layers, it's important to know they feel different.

Your pain should never be more than a 2 or 3 out of 5. For this reason you need to feel comfortable to communicate how you are feeling to me during the treatment. 

What are Trigger Points?

A trigger point is an area of hyper sensitivty in the muscle tissue that is often tight, tense, or contracted. These points can develop as a result of muscle overuse, injury, or poor posture. 

Trigger points are also commonly referred to as "muscle knots." All massages are able to remove ''knots'' to a certain degree however this type of massage concentrates on this at a much more specific level.

They can cause pain and sometimes referal pain in other areas of the body. For example, a trigger point in the neck could cause pain to radiate down to the shoulder or head.