In addition, touch is a physical need like oxygen and nutrition. People require touch to truly thrive and massage provides a safe and caring way to receive the contact we all need. Because of the various benefits that massage offers, it is unlikely a person could receive too much. Therapeutic massage has a cumulative effect on both soft tissue repair and decreasing stress, therefore regular massage is recommended to achieve the best result. Therapists use many different methods, and individual styles vary.
Therapists also have different levels of training and talent.
Massage is a very personal service and should be adjusted to suit each client's needs. These needs may change subtly from one session to the next as for what a person needs one week may differ from what he or she needs the next week. A good therapist is a great listener, is intuitive and applies that knowledge to better serve the client. Massaging healthy tissue feels very good. Some deep tissue massage to areas of trauma or inflammation might be uncomfortable, but should never be extremely painful.