Children are nurtured through touch. Massage therapy is a great way to start introducing kids to relaxation concepts as well as helping with tension and anxiety.
What is it?
Children’s massage offers soothing hands-on care by way of gliding massage strokes, gentle compressions & stretches, low grade joint mobilizations and breathwork. Here at Sore Spots, we always say that massage therapy treatments are a great space to practice advocating for your body & that’s certainly no different for children. RMT's working with children here at Sore Spots also teach basic concepts of breathwork, self care movements, self massage as well as on-going healthy touch dialogue and consent with our pediatric patients.
What are the age requirements for Massage for Children?
They are never too young to receive massage therapy care, but here at Sore Spots we will work with ages 3 & up. Earlier than age 3 and our platform for treatment falls under baby massage. As a team of RMT’s we love teaching some basic baby massage techniques to our parents for colic or sinus troubles but if you feel your baby would benefit from massage therapy we advise seeking the advice and treatment of an Osteopath.
How long should I book a treatment for?
For ages 3-6 we advise a 30 minute session to start. Your RMT may suggest trying our an initial session on one of our cushy Sore Spots Stretch Mats & keeping your little person fully clothed during the first session. This first session could include playful breathwork, playful self care movements, guided self massage and soothing massage movements and techniques from the providing Massage Therapist.
For ages 6-9 we also recommend an initial 30 minute treatment. In this age range we want to ensure your child’s interest and comfort during treatment is maintained. Future sessions may be longer.
For ages 10-13 you may book an initial treatment upwards of 40 minutes.
Massage therapy treatments are adapted based on the age category of your child so we ask for 48 hours notice for all bookings so that we may also screen over the phone to fine tune your child's session goals for care.
Set your child up for massage therapy success!
Make sure you talk about your massages and how they helped you
Tell them if they are interested that they can have their massage through their clothing, & on a cushy floor mat or on a soft table
Specifically ask your child if they would like to receive a massage ~ it’s important that they say yes and ok if they say no
Ask them if they want to come watch you receive a massage (make sure to tell your therapist first and only do this if you also feel comfortable and can receive quality care while they are around)
We also would like to stress that if your child shows up for treatment and does not want to receive treatment at the time, we will waive any last minute cancellation fee. At Sore Spots, we believe, it's very important that we teach healthy touch consent concepts to kids and understand that once in clinic, some children may change their mind around receiving massage therapy care & that's ok.
Administrative Tip! If your booking on-line, please create a family account in our booking system & add your child as a ‘relationship’. This makes it easier long term as you’ll only need to login under one account to manage appointments for the whole family.
Once you have booked your child’s massage, please email hello@sorespots.com to indicate your bringing your child into session, the age of your child and any particular reasons that have prompted your booking. We require that a guardian attend and stay in treatment for the first appointment.
Relieving the mind, spirit & the littlest sore spots too!