Sports Massage

Sports massage is bodywork planned around the physical load you carry and what is coming next. It can use focused pressure, stretching, movement, or lighter circulation-focused strokes. The pace and the areas I work on come from your activity and your calendar. The goal isn't to prove how much pressure you can take — it's to leave you feeling more at home in your body for the road, trail, field, court, or just a busy week. And it's not only for competitive athletes. I work with weekend hikers, golfers, gym regulars, runners, and people whose activity is simply keeping up with work and family. In my experience, most people who book this are not looking for a complicated routine. They want someone to listen to what their body has been doing and make a sensible plan. I support training and recovery, but I do not diagnose or treat injuries. If something is torn, sharply painful, or newly injured, see a medical professional first. Once you have the right guidance, we can talk about what is appropriate within massage therapy.

Pre-event and post-event sessions do different jobs. Before an event, I keep the work brisk and lighter: shorter strokes, active movement, and nothing so deep that your legs feel wrung out at the start line. Two or three days before a race is often a sensible window. Afterward, the pace changes. The work is slower and calmer, chosen to help you settle after a hard effort. If you are racing near Murrieta or Temecula, the session before the weekend and the one after it can feel like two different services because your body needs something different. For example, a shorter and brisker session two or three days before an event tends to leave people feeling readier than a deep session the night before.

Between training blocks, the session can be more focused. I look at the places that have been carrying the work: calves and quads after running, hips after long drives, shoulders after a week that asked too much of them. What I learned early on is that the useful session is not always the firmest one. We adjust the pressure, pace, and time on each area to the day you are having. A rhythm of every two to four weeks can work well when it matches your heavier and lighter weeks. Sessions run 30, 60, or 90 minutes. Current rates are on Square. PNF stretching can fit naturally into this work. It is an assisted contract-relax technique: you briefly engage a muscle against my resistance, then let it lengthen. If hip or hamstring mobility is part of what you are working on, we can discuss using it in a longer session. Read about PNF stretching, or ask me to blend it in when you book.

Related services: deep tissue massage, trigger point massage, cupping therapy, lymphatic drainage, or browse all services. The studio is in Murrieta, a short drive up Jefferson Avenue for Temecula athletes.

Before we start, I want a quick picture of your week: what you do, what is coming up, what feels worked over, and what would make the session feel like a win. A runner and a tennis player can both say their hips are tight and need different attention. The question I hear most is whether you have to know exactly what you need before you arrive. You don't. Tell me what is ordinary for you and what is new. I especially want to hear about anything sharp, sudden, swollen, numb, or unfamiliar. I am a massage therapist, not a doctor. If it sounds like an injury, I will ask you to get medical guidance first. For instance, if you tell me what is in the training week, I can keep the work lighter near a race and go deeper in a recovery block.

DOMS (delayed-onset muscle soreness) is the sore, heavy feeling that can arrive a day or two after hard or unfamiliar activity. It is different from a sudden injury. Most clients tell me they can usually name the difference once we slow down and talk through what happened. A plain-language overview of sports massage makes the same distinction: it is work chosen for training and activity, not a substitute for an injury assessment.

Sports massage

Sports massage starts with the activity in front of you. I may use focused pressure, stretching, movement, or lighter circulation-focused strokes, but the choice comes from timing and load. A session before a long ride should leave you feeling awake and mobile, not drained because I spent the hour on the heaviest pressure I could apply.

Deep tissue massage

Deep tissue massage can be a better fit when your main goal is focused work on a persistent area and an event is not shaping the session. It can be part of sports massage, but it does not have to be the whole plan. Read about deep tissue massage if that sounds closer to what you need.

What I recommend

You do not need to pick a category perfectly before you arrive. Tell me about the event, your training block, and the part of your body asking for attention. I will explain the options in ordinary language and adjust pressure as we go. If focused tenderness is the main concern, trigger point massage may also belong in the conversation.

You undress only to your comfort level, lie down under professional draping, and can ask for a change at any point. Some people like to talk through the plan. Others want a quiet room after a crowded week. Both are fine. I may ask you to move a leg, take a breath, or gently engage against my hand. Those small checks help me keep the work responsive instead of using the same routine on everyone. Pre-event sessions stay lighter and quicker to fit the days before activity; post-event sessions are slower and calmer for the days after it. The methods collected under sports massage include strokes, kneading, stretching, and friction work; a review in the National Library of Medicine describes that range. You will not get all of it just because it has a name. I use what makes sense for that day.

There is no universal schedule. A person building toward an event may want to check in more often than someone who plays a weekly round of golf. The rhythm changes when travel, sleep, work, or a training plan changes. The useful question is not “How much massage should I get?” It's “What is my body doing next, and how do I want to feel for it?” For example, imagine you have spent a month adding hill work, then have a long run on Saturday. We would not approach a Thursday appointment the same way as a quieter week with no event ahead. Or say a busy shift has left your shoulders doing more work than your sport did. That belongs in the plan too. Sports massage is specific, but you are still one whole person on the table.

Firmer work can leave an area temporarily tender. It is never a badge of honor to leave bruised or unable to move comfortably. Tell me if pressure is too much, and I will adjust it. If you have a fresh injury, unusual swelling, numbness, fever, or pain that feels sharp or alarming, skip the massage appointment and speak with a medical professional first. Once a doctor has looked at it, come back and we'll figure out what massage can safely add. You can choose a time on Square, or review studio hours and contact options first. If you would like to know who will be working with you, read about my training and credentials.

Most people book sports massage after their event — even though the pre-event slot is often the more useful one. I learned to ask what is actually in the calendar, because the training week shapes what belongs in the hour far more than the name on the booking does.

At a glance

• Monday, Tuesday, Thursday: 9:00 AM - 5:00 PM
• Saturday and Sunday: 8:00 AM - 8:00 PM
• Wednesday and Friday: closed
• Sessions from $85; the traditional 90-minute hot stone session is $160
• In-office only, by appointment, at 25109 Jefferson Ave Ste 120, Murrieta