Massage Therapy for Riverdale, NJ

Where the day ends up

For a lot of people the day’s stress settles in one place: the band across the tops of the shoulders, the back of the neck, the base of the skull. Hours at a desk, looking down at a phone and long stretches behind the wheel all load those muscles, and Riverdale has Route 23 and I-287 running through it, plus the 194 bus to the Port Authority in Manhattan. A massage built around that top half is a different session from an all-over unwind.

Building a session for the neck and shoulders

• Deep tissue as the base, 60 or 90 minutes. Slow, targeted work into the deeper muscle and the connective tissue around it. When the whole back needs attention as well as the neck and shoulders, the longer session gives your therapist time to work without hurrying.
• Trigger point therapy, a 30-minute add-on. Firm pressure on the tight knots inside one muscle group. It pairs with a Swedish massage too, if the rest of you simply wants to relax.
• Scalp massage (craniosacral therapy), an add-on. Centered on the head, neck and spine, for stress, a stiff neck and headaches.
• Hot stones, an add-on. Warmth that helps tight muscles let go of their tension.

Each add-on carries an additional cost. Sessions are with Maryann Constantino, LMT, who asks what is bothering you before she begins and changes pressure and technique as the hour goes on.

When it is more than a tight muscle

Massage may ease muscle tension and discomfort for some people, but neck pain has more than one cause. Pain that lasts more than a few weeks, keeps returning, or comes with headaches or with tingling, numbness or pain in an arm is a reason to see a doctor. Because the practice is also a pain center, that doctor can be down the hall: Dr. Donna D’Alessio, MD leads non-surgical neck pain treatment, beginning by working out whether a tight muscle or an irritated nerve is behind it. Frequent migraines have an option of their own, Botox for chronic migraines.

The drive

From the middle of Riverdale it is roughly seven miles: Route 23 to the Pompton Plains exit, the Boulevard south, then Jacksonville Road to Main Road in Towaco. About 11 minutes without traffic, so a Tuesday session straight after work is realistic, since we stay open until 7 pm that day.

Riverdale clients ask

Will I be sore afterwards? After deep tissue, a little soreness for a day or so is normal, rather like the day after a hard workout.

How firm should the pressure be? Strong is fine; sharp is not. Ask for lighter pressure at any point.

Is there anything I should mention first? Yes: recent injuries or surgery, a blood thinner, a past blood clot, pregnancy or osteoporosis.

See the full massage therapy page, or read Swedish or deep tissue: which should you book?

Book NowCall (973) 794-3958Text (973) 834-7074