One of the questions we hear most often at That's the Rub is:
"What's the difference between a relaxation massage and a therapeutic massage?"
It's a great question because the answer isn't about which massage is better. It's about what you're hoping to accomplish.
Some people come in because life has been busy, stressful, and demanding. They want an hour where they can finally exhale, quiet their mind, and let their body unwind.
Others come in because their neck won't turn, their shoulder has been bothering them for weeks, or they're tired of the same aches showing up day after day.
Both are good reasons to schedule a massage.
The difference isn't whether one massage is "real" massage and the other isn't. The difference is the goal.
At That's the Rub, we believe every massage should begin with understanding what you want to be different when you leave.
If your goal is to relax, we'll create a session that helps your nervous system settle and gives your body a chance to recharge.
If your goal is to improve movement, reduce discomfort, or address a specific concern, we'll tailor the session to focus on that.
Sometimes those goals even overlap.
The important part isn't choosing the "right" type of massage from a menu. It's having a conversation about what brought you in and what success looks like for you today.
That's why your therapist spends time talking with you before your session begins.
We're not just gathering information.
We're creating a plan.
Everybody is different. What worked for your friend may not be what your body needs today. The best session isn't determined by how much pressure was used or how sore you are afterward. It's determined by whether the session helped move you toward your goal.
Before your next appointment, take a moment to ask yourself one simple question:
"What do I want to be different when I leave?"
Maybe you'd like to turn your head without discomfort.
Maybe you'd like to sleep better.
Maybe you'd simply like to feel lighter than you do right now.
There isn't a wrong answer.
The more we understand what you're hoping to achieve, the better we can partner with you to get there.
Whether you're looking for an hour to unwind or help with something that's been getting in your way, we're here to meet you where you are.
We'll start with a conversation, create a session that's right for you, and work together toward what matters most to your body that day.
Have you ever noticed that the same spot keeps feeling tight, no matter how often you stretch it? That's worth paying attention to. Because "tight" doesn't always mean your body is asking for more stretching. Stretching is one of the best things you can do for your body. It can improve mobility, reduce stiffness, and help you move with greater ease. But occasionally, I meet someone who's doing all the "right" things and still feels tight. That's when we must ask a different question. Our bodies are incredibly good at adapting to whatever we ask them to do. Carry a toddler on the same hip every day, spend hours leaning over a computer, always cross the same leg, or sleep in the same position night after night, and your body quietly begins adjusting so you can keep doing those things. It doesn't ask your permission. It simply figures out a way. Those adjustments are what we call compensations. They're one of the ways your body works to keep you moving and functioning from day to day. Your body is constantly seeking balance, a state called homeostasis. Its primary job is to keep you alive. If that means sacrificing a little movement in one joint, asking another muscle to work harder, or changing the way you move to protect an injury, it will. In the short term, those compensations are often exactly what your body needs. It's only when they stick around long after the original reason is gone that they can begin creating new aches, pains, or movement restrictions. Over time, though, those same compensations can become the reason your body keeps asking for attention. Take the parent who always carries a child on the same hip. One side of the body becomes responsible for supporting the extra weight while the other side works differently to keep everything balanced. Day after day, your body becomes incredibly efficient at that pattern. Your body doesn't care if a movement is perfect. It cares that you can keep moving.
So, it adapts. It finds a way. And if one shoulder, one hip, or one group of muscles has to work a little harder to make that happen, your body is willing to make that trade. Some muscles end up doing more than their fair share while others gradually stop contributing as much as they could. The muscles carrying the extra workload often feel tight. So naturally…You stretch them. They feel better for a little while. Then the tightness comes right back. Why? Because the muscle wasn't simply short. It was busy. It was working overtime because another part of your body wasn't doing its share. Imagine one person at work constantly covering for everyone else. Giving them a coffee break is wonderful, but if nobody else starts helping, they'll be exhausted again before long. Our muscles work much the same way. If stretching hasn't helped, it doesn't necessarily mean you're doing it wrong. It may simply mean you've been trying to solve the wrong problem. Sometimes what your body needs isn't more length. Sometimes it needs better support. That may mean improving strength, helping certain muscles "wake up" and do their job again, or learning a movement pattern that shares the workload more evenly. Massage isn't just for relaxation or relieving headaches. It can help reduce muscle guarding, improve how your body moves, and create space for healthier movement patterns to emerge. When overworked muscles are constantly guarding, massage can help them relax enough for your body to move more efficiently again. Once those tissues stop doing all the work, it's often easier to strengthen the muscles that have been sitting quietly on the sidelines. One simple place to start? Notice which side you use most often. Do you always carry your purse on the same shoulder? Hold your child on the same hip? Carry your groceries or a briefcase with the same hand? Even reach for your coffee cup with the same arm every morning?
Try changing sides from time to time. It will probably feel awkward. That's okay. Changing sides isn't just about giving one shoulder a break. It's about giving your body opportunities to solve familiar problems in new ways. The brain loves variety, and your muscles often do, too. That doesn't mean you'll suddenly become perfectly balanced. But it does give your body the opportunity to share the workload instead of asking the same muscles to do the same job every single day. Our bodies are remarkably adaptable. The question isn't whether your body is adapting. It's what it's adapting to. So if you've been faithfully stretching and nothing seems to change, don't assume you're failing. Instead, get curious. Ask yourself: Is this muscle working harder than it needs to? Is another part of my body avoiding its job? Am I repeating the same movement pattern all day, every day? What small change could I make today to give my body a different experience? Sometimes the answer is more stretching. Sometimes it's more strength. Sometimes it's better movement. Sometimes your body simply needs another set of skilled hands to help it let go of a pattern it no longer needs to carry. The important thing isn't guessing the answer. It's noticing there's a question to ask in the first place. That’s the Rub, Lisa
Three years ago, I came home from Puerto Rico after a month-long working vacation. Before I left, I thought I needed a break. I'd been pushing hard for a long time. Running businesses. Teaching classes. Working with clients. Solving problems. Raising kids. Running a household. Carrying responsibilities. Like many women, I had become exceptionally skilled at showing up, figuring it out, and keeping things moving. Adapt. Improvise. Overcome. Our family motto. A month away felt like exactly what I needed. I expected to come home rested. Ready. Refreshed. Instead, two days after returning to the treatment room, something happened that changed the course of my life. I woke up one morning with a message so clear there was no room for debate. Take care of yourself. Now. Not next month. Not after a few more clients. Not after the next class. Not after things settled down. Now. I wish I could tell you where that message came from. I can't. I only know that it was absolutely clear. There was not one more massage left in me. Not because I didn't love my work. Not because I wanted to quit.
Not because I had another plan. There simply wasn't one more massage to give. My body had made a decision before my mind had a chance to understand it. I was devastated. Massage wasn't just my career. It was part of my identity. I'd spent more than two decades helping people understand and care for their bodies. Most of the clients I stepped away from had trusted me with their care for more than a decade. Writing those emails remains one of the hardest things I've ever done. I told them I needed to focus on my health. The truth was, I didn't know what was wrong. That's what made it so frightening. I looked fine. My bloodwork looked fine. Every test looked fine. People would ask what was happening, and I had no answer. All I knew was that nothing felt right. Nothing. The timing couldn't have been worse. Some of the business decisions I'd made while away didn’t unfold the way I'd hoped. Problems seemed to arrive faster than solutions. The ground underneath me felt increasingly unstable. Meanwhile, I was trying to understand what was happening inside my own body. The deeper I searched for answers, the more confused I became. I couldn't focus long enough to read books I loved.
I couldn't practice yoga, something I'd done consistently for more than twenty years. I couldn't lift weights, despite strength training being part of my life for more than thirty years. I couldn't work. I couldn't think clearly. Some days, getting out of bed felt like a victory. I wasn't myself. The hardest part was not knowing if I would ever be myself again. No one really talks about that part. People talk about hormones. They talk about hot flashes. They talk about sleep. What they don't always talk about is what it feels like when the person you've always known to be suddenly disappears. Overnight. Gone. I felt lost. I felt angry. I felt scared. I felt alone. There were days I laid on my yoga mat and cried. Not because I was practicing yoga. Because I couldn't. The mat became the place where I grieved. The loss of certainty. The loss of energy. The loss of confidence. The loss of the woman I thought I was.
For a while, I joked that I had become a zombie. Humor felt easier than explaining it. The truth is, I wasn't laughing. I was surviving. As I searched for answers, I began reading stories from other women. For the first time, I saw pieces of myself reflected. I also discovered something that frightened me. Not everyone makes it through that darkness. That realization changed something for me. Because waiting wasn't a strategy anymore. If I wanted to live, I had to find another way forward. I just didn't know what that looked like yet. What I didn't know at the time was that the thing that would eventually help me find my way back wouldn't come from a doctor's office. It wouldn't come from a textbook. It wouldn't come from another certification or another strategy. I tried. It would arrive quietly. Unexpectedly. In the form of a paintbrush. But that's a story for another day. Today, I'm simply grateful. Grateful that for listening. Grateful that I stopped. Grateful that the woman writing these words survived long enough to tell the story.
And grateful to be returning to the treatment room, not as the woman I was before, but as the woman I became because of everything that followed. Because sometimes healing isn't about getting back to who you were. Sometimes it's about discovering who you've become. Until next time. That’s the Rub, Lisa
A lot of people who come into That's the Rub in Bloomington don't realize inflammation is part of what they're feeling. They describe stiffness that won't release, tension that returns no matter how much they stretch or rest, swelling or tenderness that hangs around longer than it should. They've been pushing through it for weeks or months, and the body has been adapting around it the whole time. By the time it ends up on our table, the original problem has usually grown a second one: the compensation patterns the body built to protect itself.
That's the part therapeutic massage can help with.
What inflammation does when it lingers
Inflammation is part of the body's natural healing response. It's how tissue calls in repair after overuse, strain, injury, surgery, or sudden stress. The problem isn't inflammation itself — it's inflammation that doesn't resolve.
When the response lingers, the body starts adapting around it. Movement changes, muscles compensate, posture shifts, connective tissue tightens. Areas become guarded, tight, sensitive, or exhausted from carrying stress they were never meant to hold long-term. You can function, and most people do, but the body stops feeling like itself.
How therapeutic massage helps
Therapeutic massage often gets grouped in with relaxation or self-care, but the work changes substantially when the goal is recovery. A results-oriented approach starts with what the tissue is responding to, where the body is compensating, what systems may be overloaded, and what kind of pressure and pacing will actually help the body let go rather than guard against the work.
Inflammation responds differently depending on how long it's been present, how reactive the tissue is, and what the body is trying to protect. Because of that, treatment is not one-size-fits-all. Sometimes deeper pressure helps, and sometimes the body needs gentler work first. The goal isn't to force change into the tissue, it's to help the body move toward better function, circulation, mobility, and recovery without overwhelming an already stressed system.
Here's something I see often in my chair: you want a deep tissue massage, but it doesn't feel deep enough. That's a conversation to have with your therapist. Is there a tissue reason they aren't going deeper? Often when the body is already under stress and you ask for deeper pressure, the muscle stiffens and won't let the therapist work deeper — it guards its tension because it's protecting something. That's a deeper conversation about what's going on with the tissues, and a change in the treatment plan before moving forward to deeper pressure. It helps with the client's expectations of deeper work and the therapist's read on working too deep for what the tissues actually need.
Have you ever been sore after a massage? It may have been too deep for what your body needed that day. My professional suggestion: ask your therapist. It's your massage. You're allowed to ask for things you like or don't like. But asking for deeper pressure when your therapist doesn't recommend it isn't the answer for getting better results, it's the answer for unnecessary pain or discomfort after your massage. Massage doesn't have to hurt to be functional.
Acute and chronic inflammation respond differently
New inflammation and long-standing inflammation behave differently, and they call for different work.
Acute inflammation is the early-stage response — swelling, warmth, tenderness, reduced range of motion, and pressure sensitivity after an overuse incident, a strain, an injury, surgery, or sudden physical stress. During this stage lighter techniques are usually more appropriate, and gentle therapeutic work along with lymphatic-focused techniques can encourage fluid movement and reduce the feeling of pressure and congestion without increasing irritation. A lot of the relief here comes simply from the body no longer feeling stuck holding excess fluid and guarding patterns.
Chronic inflammation is what shows up when the response never fully resolved. The body adapts around the discomfort: posture shifts, movement patterns compensate, connective tissue tightens, and certain muscles start overworking for others. This is when clients say some version of, "I always feel tight," or "I can function, but I don't feel normal." As the tissue becomes less reactive, deeper therapeutic techniques can gradually be introduced to address the tension patterns and restrictions that have built up over time.
The lymphatic piece most people miss
One of the biggest pieces people overlook with inflammation is the lymphatic system. When inflammation is present, fluid and inflammatory byproducts can accumulate in the tissues. That buildup contributes to swelling, heaviness, stiffness, pressure sensitivity, and the sluggish recovery that makes people feel like they can't shake what they're dealing with.
Lymphatic drainage massage is gentle, rhythmic work that follows the body's natural drainage pathways. It doesn't look or feel like deep work — many people are surprised by how light the pressure is — but it's often exactly what an overloaded system can receive most effectively. At That's the Rub, lymphatic drainage is available as a standalone service. It's also a common component of our Advanced Therapeutic Massage, where we combine lymphatic techniques with other modalities in a single session, tailored to the specific tissue and goals you bring in that day.
What to expect on your first visit
If you're coming in for inflammation-related symptoms, expect more conversation than you might at a routine appointment. Your therapist will ask how long symptoms have been present, what makes them better or worse, what activities or medical events preceded them, and what you're hoping to feel different. This is part of why sharing your health history with your therapist matters — without that context, the treatment plan is a guess.
From there, expect the first session to focus on what your tissue can receive today, not on how deep we can go. Progress comes from sessions that build on each other, not from one session that tries to do everything at once.
Why consistency matters more than intensity
One massage can absolutely help someone feel better. When inflammation or injury has been building for weeks, months, or years, though, consistency matters more than intensity. Early in a treatment plan, sessions are often scheduled closer together to break the cycle the body has been stuck in. As symptoms improve and the body holds the work between visits, sessions naturally space further apart.
We adjust treatment plans based on how your body responds, how quickly symptoms return, your activity levels, your stress load, your recovery patterns, and what we see in the tissue from one session to the next. That flexibility is part of a results-oriented approach. We set realistic goals for the treatment, talk through what we recommend you do between sessions, and adjust as your body tells us what it needs.
Our approach at That's the Rub
Effective massage therapy is not about using the deepest pressure possible. It's about understanding what the body needs in the moment and building treatment that supports real change — focused therapeutic work, lymphatic support, mobility work, nervous system downregulation, addressing compensatory patterns, helping the body recover from chronic overload, in whatever combination the day calls for.
The goal is always the same: helping you move better, recover better, and feel more at home in your body.
May this help you make the best choice for you when you book your next massage in Bloomington.
That's the Rub,
Lisa
This article is educational and reflects clinical observation, not medical advice. If you have persistent inflammation or a recent injury, please consult your physician.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can massage reduce inflammation?
Therapeutic massage can help the body process inflammation by supporting circulation, encouraging lymphatic flow, and reducing the protective tension patterns that build up around an inflamed area. It doesn't replace medical treatment for the underlying cause, but it can meaningfully change how the body feels and functions while it heals.
Is deep tissue massage good for chronic inflammation?
Not always, and not first. When tissue is reactive or guarded, asking for deeper pressure often makes the body protect more, not less. Most chronic inflammation cases respond better to a graduated approach — lighter, lymphatic-focused work first, then progressively deeper techniques as the tissue allows. Your therapist reads what's happening in the tissue and adjusts from there.
How often should I get a massage if I have chronic inflammation?
Early in a treatment plan, sessions scheduled closer together — often weekly or every other week — help break the body out of the same inflammatory cycle. As symptoms improve and the body holds the work between sessions, the spacing naturally extends. The right cadence is the one your body tells us it needs.
What's the difference between lymphatic drainage and regular massage?
Lymphatic drainage is gentle, rhythmic, and works with the body's natural fluid pathways rather than into the muscle. It doesn't feel like deep tissue work, and that surprises people — but for swelling, post-surgical recovery, sluggish recovery, or highly reactive tissue, it's often the most effective starting point. At That's the Rub, you can book it as a standalone session or as part of an Advanced Therapeutic Massage.
Unlike your doctor, your massage therapist spends a whole hour with you — massaging your tissues, moving fluids around, and helping the body get rid of things that have settled and been there for a long time. Sometimes too long. The body's job is to maintain homeostasis no matter what, and it will do that at the detriment of something it might feel isn't necessary for life. For instance, a leg.
That's the part most people don't realize: an hour of skilled hands on tissue is a clinical event, and it intersects with whatever else is happening in your body whether we know about it or not.
So here's the simple ask: tell us what's going on.
What we can't see
What I've seen recently is a big uptick in people not sharing their medical information, and with massage there are too many unknowns. We are massage practitioners, not MRI or X-Ray machines. We can't see inside the body. We take the medical information you tell us and build a massage plan that aligns with your goals for the treatment, while also making the changes needed to customize the work to your medical situation.
Sharing your information doesn't mean you won't get your massage. It just means we're not putting you at more risk than we do good once you're on the table relaxing.
What can go wrong when we don't know
Here's a real example. If you're prone to thrombosis — a clotting issue usually established in the legs — but you don't share that information with your massage therapist, they may work deeper on your legs than what would otherwise be advised. Their massage could inadvertently cause the body to release a blood clot into the bloodstream, leading to a possible heart attack or stroke.
That's the worst end of the risk spectrum, and most cases are nowhere near that severe. But the principle holds for almost every condition: information we don't have is information we can't account for. Disclosure of all medical conditions is what lets the therapist ensure client safety, enhance the outcomes of treatment, and ensure your comfort while on the table. Everything is customizable, including which strokes we use, where we use them, and how deeply.
What changes when we do know
Here at That's the Rub, we're looking to be your partner in health, not just a one-time relaxation massage. The information you share helps us shape recovery from surgery, recovery from a hard workout, and everything in between.
For instance, I have a regular client who gets bimonthly massage. When they had a knee replacement, we skipped a massage or two while they were in initial recovery. When they started back, we didn't pick up where we left off — we shifted techniques specifically to serve their post-surgical recovery. That helped them recover faster, sleep better, restore range of motion sooner, and have more energy than they would have without massage post-op.
Why does that work? Because we tailored the massage to what their body actually needed in that moment, changed our techniques for better recovery outcomes, AND we didn't put them at undue risk because we understood what was going on. Massage helps the body process the byproducts of anesthesia after surgery by increasing blood circulation. It also calms the nervous system after the stress and tension of any medical procedure, helping the body restabilize and return to homeostasis faster. That homeostatic environment is where the body lives its best life.
We'll dig deeper into how the body handles inflammation specifically in a companion piece coming this week.
What's actually worth sharing
The intake form covers the basics, but here's what clients most often forget to mention that we wish they would:
Current medications — especially blood thinners, NSAIDs, muscle relaxers, antidepressants, and anything new in the last 90 days
Recent diagnoses or imaging — even if you don't think it's relevant to massage, your therapist might
Recent surgeries or procedures — including dental work, cosmetic procedures, and anything outpatient
Family history of clotting disorders — particularly DVT, pulmonary embolism, or stroke before age 65
Autoimmune conditions — RA, lupus, MS, fibromyalgia, psoriasis, or anything that affects how your tissue responds
Pregnancy or trying to conceive — first-trimester clients especially
Skin sensitivities or allergies — including allergies to oils, lotions, scents, latex, or nuts (we use almond and other nut-based oils)
Areas of recent injury — even minor ones, even if they're feeling fine that day
High or fluctuating blood pressure — affects how we work the neck and how quickly we transition you from lying to sitting
If you're not sure whether something matters, mention it anyway. The two-minute conversation is always worth more than the wrong assumption.
Your information is confidential
The information you share with us is confidential, just like the information you share with your doctor. It lives on your intake file, gets reviewed by your therapist before each appointment, and isn't shared outside our team. We use it to make better clinical decisions for you, and for nothing else.
What the research shows
The case for sharing this information is more than just safety — when your therapist has the full picture, the work goes further.
The American Massage Therapy Association reports that massage therapy can reduce post-operative pain, stress, and even the need for pain medications. It also supports reducing scar tissue and improving range of motion. A comprehensive meta-analysis of 33 randomized controlled trials, published in Complementary Therapies in Medicine, found that massage therapy significantly reduces post-surgical pain, both short-term and long-term.
Those results require a therapist who knows what they're treating. The clinical work is built on the medical context. Without it, we're guessing.
Before your next appointment
When you choose That's the Rub, we consider the body in its entirety, not just relaxation in the moment. We want to get long-term results and help you with your health care for the long haul. That means sharing more information than you think you might need, so the proper massage techniques get used at the proper time to get you the best results for your goals.
Before your next session, take five minutes to update your intake form with anything new since your last visit. If you have a complex situation or have had a recent procedure, reach out to us first and we'll talk through it before you book.
That's the Rub,
Lisa
This article is educational and reflects clinical observation, not medical advice. If you have a specific medical condition or concern about whether massage is right for you, please consult your physician.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I really need to tell my massage therapist about my medical conditions?
Yes. Even conditions that seem unrelated to massage can change what techniques are safe or effective for you. Sharing your medical history protects your safety on the table and makes the work more effective.
Is what I tell my massage therapist confidential?
Yes. Your intake information lives on your client file, is reviewed only by your therapist before sessions, and is not shared outside the practice.
Can I still get a massage if I have a serious medical condition?
In most cases, yes — but the type of massage, the depth of pressure, and the areas worked may change based on the condition. Some conditions require physician clearance first, and your therapist can tell you when that's the case.
What happens if I forgot to mention something at intake?
Tell your therapist as soon as you remember, even mid-session. We'd rather pause and adjust than continue treatment that isn't right for you.
Is post-surgery massage safe?
Post-surgical massage can be beneficial for recovery — reducing pain, swelling, scar tissue, and helping restore range of motion — but timing and technique matter. Most surgeons clear patients for massage at specific points in recovery. Always tell your therapist about recent surgery, and bring any physician clearance you've been given.
