Post-workout recovery massage in San Francisco

Heavy legs. Sore shoulders. A spot that grabbed during a lift. General tightness a day or two after training. Normal training soreness is dull and spread out.

A sharp pain in one spot, a joint that's hot and swollen, or a pop you felt during the workout is different. If you think you tore something, or you can't put weight on it, see a doctor or a physical therapist before you book.

I ask what you trained and what still feels off. Then I work.

Swedish strokes for the general soreness, to move blood through the tissue. Deep tissue on the spots that are actually tight, not on a fresh bruise. Myofascial release if a line of tissue feels stuck, like a hip flexor after running or squatting. If you're puffy, I keep some of the work light, closer to lymphatic drainage. I won't grind a muscle that's already angry.

If you want the session to feel quieter and less like a workout of its own, I can lean on Esalen and still visit the sore spots.

You should feel looser, and sometimes sleepy. Soreness can bump up that evening and settle the next day. Easy movement beats lying still.

If a spot gets sharper, or a joint swells after the session, see a doctor. Don't book another deep session on top of that.

Take a slow walk the same day. If the hips were the complaint, try a half-kneeling hip flexor stretch, 30 to 45 seconds a side. Ribs stacked over the pelvis. The glute of the back leg lightly on. Skip it if the front of the hip pinches.

That's the corrective exercise piece. I'm NASM CES. One drill, done cleanly, beats a list you won't do.