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Research Blog


Safety, Touch, Consent, & Massage
Why consent and safety are paramount to effective massage.
3 min read


Is Pregnancy/Prenatal Massage Just Pampering?
Pregnancy Massage, Prenatal Massage, Perinatal Massage and Post Postpartum Massage are each unique and important.
3 min read


Massage Myths: 'Massage Dehydrates You'
Does Massage actually dehydrate you and where did the water go?
3 min read


Why We Don't Do Memberships
Subscription services rely on busy, forgetful clients.
4 min read


The Wellness Industry Subscription Trap
What subscription fatigue, auto-billing, and price creep are doing to your wellness budget -- and your health Estimated read time: ~4 minutes ─────────────────────────────────────────────────────── At The Massage Clinic, we're in the business of being honest with people. Sometimes that means telling a client their pain isn't going to resolve in one session. Sometimes it means saying out loud that a lot of what the wellness industry sells is designed to extract money from you,
4 min read


Reiki & Respectful Rejection of Research
Reiki, Crystals and Energy Grids: What We Know, What We Don’t, and Why Informed Consent Matters (A summary of research on Reiki and other “energy” modalities) Estimated read time: ~2-3 minutes Clients often ask us at The Massage Clinic what we think about Reiki, crystal healing or energy grids. Some have had powerful personal experiences. Others are skeptical but curious. Our own practice is grounded in more conventional massage therapy, but we believe you deserve a clear pi
3 min read


Chronic Pain & Community
We'd Love to work with your doctor to find the most effective and safe techniques and improve outcomes.
3 min read


One Size Doesn't Fit All. Massage & Neurodiversity
Massage for People with Sensory Concerns and Neurodiverse
3 min read


Massage & Touch Hunger Later in Life
Loneliness, Touch Hunger and the Power of Safe Contact for Older Adults
3 min read


The Physical Effects of Isolated Ageing
Massage and Aging Bodies: Balance, Pain and Touch in Later Life (A summary of research on massage in older adults) Estimated read time: ~3–4 minutes Many of our older clients at The Massage Clinic say the same thing: “I don’t bounce back like I used to.” They’re dealing with arthritis, chronic pain, balance changes, fear of falling and, often, less day‑to‑day touch. The research on massage and older adults is smaller than we’d like, but it does suggest real, practical benefit
3 min read


The 4th Trimester - You're Not Done Yet! Postpartum Support After Delivery
we see fourth‑trimester massage as part of a broader support network, not a self-care extra, or worse…a ‘treat
3 min read


Massage Myths: Are My Legs & Hips Misaligned?
We use massage to help you feel more comfortable, move more freely and tolerate a wider variety of positions.
3 min read


Is Massage Just a Fancy Placebo?
Why Massage Helps Some People More than Others
3 min read


Active Clients Get More From Their Sessions
How to Be an Active Massage Client: What You Do Between Sessions Matters More Than You Think!
3 min read


Massage Myths: The Lies Of 'Lactic Acid Flushing'
science suggests massage helps for reasons other than flushing anything out, and that matters for how we set expectations.
3 min read


Massage & Runners: A DOMS Case Study
“Will sports massage make me faster?” and “Can it fix this soreness so I can train tomorrow?” We’ve looked closely at research on massage for delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS), recovery and performance, and we want you to have the same realistic picture we have when we build your treatment plan.
3 min read


Massage Myths: 'Deep Tissue' Might Not Help!
we don’t chase “hurt so good” as a goal in itself. We aim for pressure that feels meaningful but tolerable, that your nervous system can actually relax into rather than fight against.
3 min read


Can Massage Help Depression &Anxiety " Work?
that massage was significantly associated with reduced depressive symptoms compared with various control conditions. Other reviews and narrative summaries have reported decreases in trait anxiety and stress in populations ranging from medical patients
3 min read


What's the Science Say About Pain Relief
What Massage Can (Actually) Do for Pain (Not What the Ads Promise)
3 min read


Massage Myths: Are Knots Even Real?
A recent review of trigger point theory and muscle pain emphasizes that myofascial trigger points likely involve an interplay of biomechanical and neurophysiological mechanisms, including sustained sarcomere contraction, local ischemia and sensitized nociceptors, but it also acknowledges limitations in the research.
6 min read
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