Meet our Yaletown massage therapy team.
With a focus on therapeutic treatment style, our registered massage therapists combine a wide variety of massage therapy techniques and work closely with our physiotherapists to develop a comprehensive care plan to get you feeling better, moving better and back doing what you.
Registered massage therapy sessions at Alaia may incorporate the following massage techniques:
Deep Tissue Massage
This massage technique involves deeper pressure can incorporate stripping of the muscles and gliding pressure along the length of the muscle fibers using the elbow, forearm, knuckles, and thumbs. It may also incorporate friction pressure applied across the grain of a muscle to release adhesions and realign tissue fibers. It can be used to break up scar tissue and physically break down muscle adhesions (bands of rigid tissue) that can disrupt circulation and cause limited range of motion and pain.
Swedish Massage
This style of massage involves kneading and long strokes on the more superficial layers of muscle. It provides increased blood circulation, relaxation, muscles release. It may be used initially to ready the tissues for deeper work of the muscles.
Myofascial Release
Fascia is the connective tissue that wraps around and connects many of the muscles of the body. Myofascial release techniques are designed to stretch and mobilize this tissue to prevent restrictions in the fascia in one area of the body from pulling into other areas that it connects to. This style of treatment is generally performed directly on the skin without oils or creams and can be uncomfortable at times, but very effective.
Trigger Point Release
Muscles that have been injured or over-worked through exercise may contain trigger points, which are highly irritable nodules in the muscle. Placing compression on these tight nodules may bring on local tenderness, referred pain, or a local twitch response of the muscles. This twitch response of the release can elicit a reciprocal relaxation of the muscle.
Joint mobilizations
Joints are the junction between where bones meet and supported by ligaments. They can become compressed and stiff from long periods sitting, tight muscles that compress the joint or through repetitive sport. Exercise is a great way to “mobilize” our joints but gentle oscillatory forces applied to the joints during manual therapy sessions can also provide much pain relief and restore normal range to the joint, if done appropriately and by a skilled therapist.
Pre and Post-natal Massage
All of our RMT’s treat pre and post-natal clients for massage to help with pain associated with pregnancy and the stresses that your body may experience during this period. Our clinic has specialized pillows for pregnancy massage to ensure your maximum comfort during your session and make sure that the bed accommodates the special needs of your body.
Benefits of registered massage therapy can include:
- Pain relief
- Stress management and relaxation
- Decreased muscle tension and stiffness,
- Recovery of muscle from sports training and racing events
- Increased joint flexibility and restoration of normal joint movement
- Improved circulation of blood and lymphatic fluids
- Reduced swelling
- Improved skin health
- Calming of the nervous system
RMT Services Staff
Please note that Registered Massage Therapy is subject to GST and the above prices do not include this.