Wanna know the secret to a great massage?
The secret to a great massage is pretty complicated… Are you ready?

Do absolutely nothing.
That’s right. Don’t. Move. A. Muscle.
Think limp dishrag. Wet noodle. Just… hang loose.
Okay. Granted, there are times when you have to do something. Like, roll over. Or, I might ask you to push against my hand for a particular type of muscle release. Otherwise, your job during your massage is to literally do nothing. Here’s the reasoning behind that:
Don’t Work So Hard
If you “help” raise your head, or move your arm or leg, you’re likely using the very muscle that I’m trying to relax. For example, think about how your neck feels when you spend a day looking at your computer, or down at your phone. Now think about how you’re moving your head when you left it up off the massage table. Seem familiar? Instead of helping, just let your head be heavy and give those hard working neck muscles a break.
Protect Your Modesty
Here’s another thing. More often than you might think, a person moving their arm or leg as I’m covering or uncovering it gets tangled in the sheet. Or worse… *cringe* exposes a bit of skin not meant to be exposed. Also, you won’t kick me in the head. If you want to know more about what to wear (or not wear) for your massage, check out this post.
Don’t Make Me Work So Hard

Yeah, yeah… this one is a bit self-serving. BUT. I am often using your body weight do get deeper into a muscle. Maybe I want your arm a bit floppy so I can work underneath that shoulder blade, or give it a good stretch. I may be testing the range of motion of your shoulder or hip. If you’re holding a limb tense, I have no idea if it’s restricted or if you’re restricting it!
So Now What?
Just give yourself a true break on the massage table. See if you can let go of your limbs. Just hang loose. One trick that works for me when I’m having a hard time letting go of my arm… I think about the other arm, maybe wiggle or count the fingers. It distracts me from trying to “help”. Give it a try. Just hang loose. I think you’ll notice a difference.