Prenatal massage is not a one-size-fits-all approach; it is tailored to address your specific needs and concerns. Massage supports a healthy pregnancy by relieving muscular tension, improving circulation, improving emotional wellbeing, and reducing stress, while supporting your changing posture, and preparing your body for labor.

Perinatal massage is not limited to pregnancy; it extends into the postpartum period, aiding recovery by addressing muscle soreness, reducing edema / bloating,  and promoting healing.

A big difference in prenatal massage is the positioning—your session will be mainly or fully side-lying with plenty of bolsters and pillows to keep you comfortable, safe, and aligned.

Yes! As with any population, there are times where massage may be a contraindication, but they tend to be associated with high risk conditions such as preeclampsia. Massage does not, and cannot, cause a miscarriage.

Yes! While many massage establishments may not “allow” clients to receive massage in the first trimester, there is no scientific basis or contraindication for massage in the first trimester. Massage does not, and cannot, cause a miscarriage. Massage can be beneficial in the first trimester to treat common symptoms like fatigue, nausea, and bodily discomforts. The massage therapist can work with positioning that feels comfortable and reduces the possible onset of nausea or lightheadedness. The massage approach overall will likely be more restorative.

During pregnancy, your body undergoes significant changes, leading to discomfort and tension in various areas such as the back, neck, and shoulders. Prenatal massage focuses on these specific areas, using techniques like myofascial release, Swedish massage, manual lymph drainage, acupressure, and Shiatsu. MaMassage therapists are trained to adapt their techniques for the different stages of pregnancy, ensuring your safety and comfort.

Pregnancy can bring about heightened stress and anxiety due to hormonal changes and the anticipation of childbirth. Prenatal massage promotes relaxation, reduces stress hormones, and allows you to connect with your body and growing baby in a tranquil environment.

Swelling in the legs and feet is common during pregnancy due to fluid retention. Prenatal massage enhances blood circulation, helping to reduce swelling and promote overall well-being. 

Prenatal massage can also include abdominal massage, which can help prepare your body for labor by relieving shortness of breath, pelvic pressure, and other concerns. MaMassage offers specialized sessions like the Pre Labor MaMassage designed to support the natural start of labor.

Massage is beneficial throughout your perinatal period!

In the first trimester, massage can treat common symptoms like fatigue, nausea, and bodily discomforts. The massage therapist can work with positioning that feels comfortable and reduces the possible onset of nausea or lightheadedness. The massage approach overall will likely be more restorative.

In the second trimester, as your energy increases and you may begin to feel the musculoskeletal impact of muscle shifting and ligament strain, the most comfortable position is usually side-lying with many pillows for support. Your therapist can work with more direct pressure to glutes, back, and shoulders, and may work with a lighter (manual lymph drainage) approach on the limbs to reduce swelling.

In the third trimester, as the symptoms of pregnancy are the most prominent, your therapist will continue to address your musculoskeletal concerns with your preferred pressure and may even include stretches to release hip tension. As you approach the end of the third trimester, your therapist can include acupressure to encourage labor.

In the early weeks of postpartum we may treat concerns like engorgement or all over muscle soreness from labor, while in the later weeks we may be treating head/neck/shoulder tension from holding/feeding baby.

The only “bad” time to get a massage when you are pregnant is if you aren’t feeling well.  Colds, fevers, etc. are contraindications for all clients.

You should not come in if you are not feeling well or if your doctor has told you not to receive massage. As with any population, there are times where massage may be a contraindication, but they tend to be associated with high risk conditions such as preeclampsia. Colds, fevers, etc. are contraindications for all clients.

The short answer: whatever you’re comfortable in.

You will always be draped for modesty and warmth throughout the session. In order to receive skin-to-skin massage, most clients remove all their clothes or just keep their underwear on. We have loose medical shorts for use when we want to include stretching in the session. If you want to keep some or all of your clothing on, we recommend wearing something comfy and unrestrictive.

If you have any questions or concerns, talk to your therapist—there are many ways to structure and adjust the session for your comfort.

Everywhere can receive some level of touch, but this ranges from deep pressure to light energetic work. If you want deep work, we can safely do that on your back, shoulders, and hips. We will do lighter work on the limbs to help reduce swelling. Abdominal work is safe and indicated in most cases, and can help relieve shortness of breath or pelvic pressure.

There are certain acupressure points that we avoid during most of the pregnancy, but include in the Pre-Labor Massage to support the natural start of labor.

Yes!

Abdominal massage is safe and supportive in pregnancy, with the exception of a few high risk pregnancy conditions. Expert and cautious abdominal work during pregnancy will not induce an early labor. This work can help relieve discomforts such as round ligament pain, anterior hip pain, and rib / diaphragm constriction.

Abdominal work at the end of pregnancy (after 38 weeks) can help relax the muscles, which may facilitate the body’s natural progression towards optimal fetal positioning and, subsequently, the start of labor.

As soon as you can make it up the stairs to our second floor studio, we are ready to treat you with therapeutic massage that is appropriate to your stage of postpartum recovery.  For some folks that may be less than a week after delivery, while for other folks it may be a bit longer. You definitely do NOT have to wait 6 weeks to get “cleared” for a massage, and in fact massage is very beneficial early in the postpartum period.

We are ready to treat you as soon as you can make it up the stairs to our second floor studio! We will provide a therapeutic massage appropriate to your stage of postpartum recovery.

In the first weeks we may treat concerns like engorgement or all over muscle soreness from labor, while in the later weeks we may be treating head/neck/shoulder tension from holding/feeding baby.

The postpartum session can include swedish massage, myofascial release, acupressure, abdominal massage, manual lymph drainage, warm hydrotherapy, therapeutic breast/chest massage to support lactation and reduce engorgement, and/or other techniques to support the postpartum period. After your session we will serve you medicinal tea that is appropriate for postpartum concerns.

Babies and partners/caregivers are welcome in the studio. While some postpartum clients prefer to receive massage while their baby is in another person’s care, some clients feel more comfortable knowing that their baby can be with them during the massage. Your partner or support person can come with you to the massage and stay with you in the large and airy treatment room while you receive care. We have a bassinet, so you can store your stroller on the first floor, or bodywear your baby to the studio.

We have comfortable chairs for your support person to sit and hold baby, or rest themselves with a cup of tea while baby is sleeping. If your baby needs to nurse while you are receiving massage, we can adjust as needed. If you are booking lactation counseling in addition to massage, we may recommend that you bring your baby with you so that we can assess latch in person. If you have any questions about postpartum care before booking,  please email kiera@mamassage.org

We will meet you where you’re at and give you the best possible session, but there are a few things you can ideally do to help prepare:

·       Leave some extra time so you aren’t rushed arriving to your session. It’s always easier to relax when you aren’t cursing the MTA. Also leave yourself some time after so you don’t need to rush to the next thing and can savor the effects of your session.

·       Have a little snack before you arrive--you don’t want to be distracted by how hungry or thirsty you are. We have water and tea for you before and after your session.

·       If you have long hair, we may ask you to put it up—you can bring your own hair tie or we have extras in the studio.

·       If you’d like us to work over your clothing, or include a lot of stretches, wear something comfortable or bring something to change into.

·       If you have time to shower before a session, that is optimal.

·       Fill out your medical intake form and sign your consent form, sent to your email address from the booking system. This helps your therapist prep for your session and reduce the conversation time to maximize your time on the table.

The short answer: you can always wear whatever you’re comfortable in; we have plenty of tools in our toolbox to accommodate. 

The long answer: This depends on the type of massage you’d like to receive. 

If you’re looking for a Swedish-style massage with oils and slidey-glidey strokes, you’ll want to have bare skin. Most often clients will remove all their clothes or just keep underwear on.

If you’re looking for a session that is mainly stretches or movement you might want to keep some clothing on. You’ll want loose-fitting, comfortable clothes that are easy to move around in.

Sometimes you just want a relaxing massage and also want to keep clothes on—we can do that too! The session will consist of techniques like compressions, rocking, acupressure, etc that can be done over the clothes and/or over the sheet. We might also spend more time at the hands/feet/face if you still want a little skin-to-skin contact.

Note that whatever clothes you leave on we will not move. For example, if you keep your bike shorts on, we will take that as a sign that you do not want skin to skin contact on your glutes or upper thighs so we will only do work over the sheet in those areas. A possible exception to this is bras—if you want to keep your bra on but want skin-to-skin work on your upper back or shoulders, we may ask if we can move the straps around for better access.

You can always talk to your therapist about any specific questions or areas of concern.

We recommend arriving 10 minutes before your appointment so you have time to go to the bathroom and chat with your therapist before your session begins. This will ensure you get your full time on the table.

Please do not buzz up more than 15 minutes before your appointment as we may be in with another client.

If the front door is open you can take a seat on the couch in the lobby and send us a text so we’ll know to come get you when it’s time.

If you’re really early, check out King David Tacos next door at 611 Bergen Street. We love their tacos and they are also women-owned!

Cash is always welcome, and we have QR codes to all the therapists’ Venmo accounts on a magnet on the studio door.

If you’d rather take care of tip beforehand, you can add it when you pre-pay for the session.

As with other service industries, 18-25% is typical.

Your therapist will follow your lead—if you want to chat we will, if you want to relax in quiet we won’t bother you unless we need to.

You should definitely speak up if you are uncomfortable in any way! We can always change the temperature, pressure, bolsters, face cradle, music level, etc. We want you to be as comfortable and relaxed as possible. While we are intuitive and will look for non verbal cues that may indicate discomfort, we aren't psychic mind readers, and may miss something, especially if there's no visible or audible indication. We truly appreciate your input during the session.

Let your therapist know! They’ll never be mad at you for speaking up! In fact, it helps us to know what is working or not working.

Different parts of the body can be sensitive to different pressures or techniques, so it’s ok if your preferences change throughout the session.

A common misconception is that massage should hurt to be effective. A “good hurt” might be beneficial if it feels relieving, but you should never be grimacing or needing to take deep breaths to “get through” the massage. Pain triggers the sympathetic (fight or flight) nervous system, while the goal of a massage is to get you into a parasympathetic (rest and digest) state. A parasympathetic experience is where healing happens.

Great! We love it when a client is relaxed and comfortable enough to fall asleep, it’s a great compliment!

Check out our blogs, or email our ownder/founder Kiera Nagle at kiera@mamassage.org to get a customized answer tailored to your concerns.