01/22/2026
What is a one hour massage?
There seems to be an obvious answer to this simple question, but depending on where you go for your massage, the real answer might be surprising. A full body massage treats scalp, neck, shoulders, arms, hands, legs, feet, hips and back. In massage school, therapists learn a flow. Some of us start at your head face up, some start at your feet, some start with you lying face down. But we all have a basic flow allowing for a certain amount of time treating each area. We adjust that flow based on what you tell us when you arrive and to fit within the time you have booked.
In addition to relaxing muscles, an hour of massage increases dopamine and serotonin. These are the feel good neurotransmitters and one study showed a 28-31% increase in a 60 minute massage. That study also showed a reduction in cortisol. This is a natural steroid that reflects the body’s response to stress.
Many facilities book their therapists on the hour. This means that any time you take getting ready and on the table comes out of that hour. They also need to stop in time for you to dress, leave the room and for them to then clean the room and prepare it for the next client. This is why many places advertise a 50 minute hour.
At Still Waters Therapeutic Massage, an hour massage is exactly that. Sixty minutes of massage. What this means is that when you arrive for your massage, we quickly review your experience last time, any new or continuing issues, and then leave to wash up while you get on the table. Your hour starts when we return to the room. After the hour is over, we have an additional 30 minutes cleared in the schedule for you to take your time getting dressed, pay and rebook, and for us to wash up, clean and turn the room over and have a small break so that we aren’t rushed with the next client.
So when you compare us to other providers, be sure to consider the differences. Those extra 10 minutes of hands on therapy can help get that annoying knot to go away. Those extra minutes increase the feel good chemicals and reduce the harmful ones. That cushion between appointments means you don’t feel rushed and neither does your therapist. And for the numbers crunchers,those extra minutes lower your per hour cost.
