I'm massaging my client's neck. I find an area on the muscle that needs work. Within that area I find a spot - just a tiny spot - that feels... different. It's a trigger point. I gently hold pressure down with my finger.

This client flinches. Wow, what's going on there? What is that?

This, I say without taking my attention off the muscle, is why you hurt.

I've been having this interaction pretty frequently as of late, mostly thanks to the influx of new clients to my clinic (thanks, Groupon!). People schedule massages with me because they know they want a massage, but beyond that they don't always know what to expect.

For example: I specified with one client that she wanted a full body massage, not just work on her problem areas. She said, "Yea, of course, full body. That's what I paid for, right?" Well, no, not necessarily. People are so used to one type of massage - the feel-good massage - that they don't always realize massage can do even more.

Clients tell me that the massages they usually get feel amazing at the time, but within a few days all of the problems return. My massages, on the other hand, may not be the most pleasant (as all of the flinching and twitching will illustrate), but they'll get to the root of the problem. I don't just relieve the symptoms; I figure out why you have those symptoms at all.

I want my clients to come back for more massages, but I don't want them to keep coming back for the same reasons.

When outlining the process and goals with my clients, I always remind them that the trigger point treatment won't solve everything immediately. But after a few massages there should be a noticeable improvement. And after a few months of massage and directed self-care, the client should be pain free. For some, the very idea of living without pain is almost unimaginable. And yet the solution might be as easy as frequent, focused massages.

Massage chairs are strange. With so many hinges and levers, they take some getting used to - as a therapist, learning to make the all proper adjustments at every possible spot, and, as a client, trusting that this alien contraption will support you and even help you relax.

You've probably seen a massage chair before - maybe at an outdoor event or an office appreciation day. Sure, there might be massage tables around at events also, but the entire purpose of a massage chair is for short, less intimate sessions.

I love chair massage! Here's why:

• Length: Chair massages can be as short as 5 minutes or as long as 30, depending on the structure of the event and what I'm getting paid for (or if I'm getting paid). While I do enjoy my 60-minute massages, these short sessions allow me both to work with more clients and do the most amount of good for an individual in the shortest amount of time. Likewise, people are more willing to take 10 minutes out of their day than find the time for a longer session, so I wind up massaging clients whom I wouldn't otherwise see.


• Portability: I don't have a car at my regular disposal, so moving around a massage table is next to impossible. But my chair folds up neatly and is stored in a wheeled case. Easy to take anywhere.


• Style: I tend towards deeper massage when I work on seated clients. The way the client is angled on the chair allows for most of my pressure to come from leaning at my waist instead of pushing with my arms, and that takes a lot of strain off my shoulders. Since the client is clothed and there's no lotion involved, it's not an ideal setting for a soft, relaxation massage, but most of the people who come by know this. Rather, they expect focused work on their problem areas.


• Area of Focus: You can't get to all of the parts of the body like you can on a table. The best areas to work on are the neck, shoulders and upper back. Conveniently enough, these are also the areas that most people have problems with. Having a smaller area to work on, along with a shorter amount of time, forces the practitioner to pay attention to what's really important.


• Setting: While I don't like thinking of massages as luxuries (more on that at a later date), I like it when my presence - and my chair's presence - is seen as something special, something out of the ordinary. People don't show up to work because they're going to get a massage, but the fact that I'm there makes their day that much better. On the other side of things, events - for sports, good causes, or just community gatherings - have their own energy and excitement that I'm always glad to be a part of.

What is touch?

Not a hard question: touch is one of those five senses we've all learned about. But it's different than the others: unlike the remaining four, this one is more than just a sense - it's also an interaction. When humans touch, it's never a passive thing. You can see someone without being seen; hear someone without personally being heard. But you can't touch without also being felt.

But let's put aside semantics for now. On a larger scale, this means that every touch involves two active players. Touch - and more to the point, massage - is made up of one initial action and an infinite series of reactions. I touch the muscle; the muscle reacts; my hands respond to that reaction. And so on.

Let's say I'm massaging a client's back. I touch the muscles parallel to the spine; they're tight, taut like a rope. I press a little harder with my fingertips, but the muscles resist. That conversation is going nowhere. So I start a new one: I move my hands gently over the back, warming up the skin and gliding, slowly sinking into the muscles. This time, they don't push back so much. So I keep the conversation going, gauging the muscle's response before I respond in turn. If I apply too much pressure, the muscles tighten again and the conversation stops. If I apply too little, I might as well not be listening at all.

The conversation is touch-based, sure, but there's also an audible component - the client's conscious reaction. One of the biggest tells is breathing. Sudden slow, deep breaths usually mean I've found a troublesome muscle. Other reactions, such as flinching or even saying something (such as "ooh, that's the spot" or "what the heck is that?") are even more direct. These reactions help let me know that I'm on the right track, and that I'm having a useful conversation with a muscle in need.