Policies, Guidelines & FAQ

Guidelines for massage:

Prepare

Before your massage

  • Review rates & policies.
  • Arrive on-time (and allow a few minutes extra for your first time)
  • Make sure you’ve had a chance to use the restroom
  • Provide updates on any injuries, conditions, medications, allergies or preferences
  • Remove watches, jewelry including earrings, bracelets & rings if possible
  • Completely power down any digital devices – they need some rest too!
  • Disrobe to your comfort level and get under the sheet (bottom undergarments optional, removing tops helpful for access to back.)
  • Provide feedback as to your comfort level:
Experience

During your massage

  • Relax… You don’t have to do anything right now – I’ll take it from here, but you can:
  • Provide feedback anytime on your comfort level at any time (pressure levels, temperature, bolstering, smells, sounds, draping, etc.)
  • Feel free to request more pressure or let me know if a spot feels like it wants particular attention.
  • For any moments involving deeper pressure, assisted stretches or traction (pulling) on limbs, let me know as you approach the edge of your comfort level. The goal might be to come within 80 or 90% of that edge of discomfort and take a few good deep breaths there, but we never want to hit or exceed that edge. 
  • Communicate any discomfort immediately – you can pause or stop the session at any time. You are the authority on your own experience and should never “endure” any pain or “tough it out” if something feels too intense or uncomfortable. 
  • If you notice any thoughts arise, use that as an opportunity to take a big deep breath and focus on the present moment and sensation.
  • Move slowly and carefully when getting up and off the table: it is not uncommon to feel dizzy or clumsy for a moment after receiving a massage.
Enjoy

After your massage

  • Drink plenty of water.
  • Share any questions or observations that you’d like.
  • If you can take some time before turning devices back on, do so.
  • Take it slow and easy, give your body time to integrate the session.
  • Take note of how you feel immediately after, and in the following days.
  • Feel free to provide feedback – reviews and referrals are always appreciated.
  • Take anything that you’ve learned about your body (tight spots etc) and make plans to integrate wellness practices (stretches, exercises, self-massage) into your routines.
  • Schedule your next session.

Frequently Asked Questions

A: First and foremost, an experience where you feel safe and nurtured and that supports your whole self. 

We’ll talk about what’s going on with your body and what your specific goals for the session are. Each session is different, as I combine the information that you share with me with what I observe and intuit in your body. 

As we work together, I may bring in various techniques from my training to see how you respond to them. Questions & feedback (during the session and after) are always welcome as we learn to work together to care for your body. 

A: Wear whatever feels comfortable. For most full body / table massages, you’ll disrobe to your comfort level and be covered by a sheet, with the only body part exposed being the one that I am actively working on at that moment. Certain areas (groin & upper chest) remain draped at all times. That’s not just my practice, it’s the law in Pennsylvania.

If you would be more comfortable remaining fully clothed, (or if if opting for a Thai or chair massage where you will definitely remain fully clothed) please wear loose clothing w/ as few seams / pockets / buckles as possible. (yoga pants or leggings, scrubs or sweatpants, etc)

I have some clients who keep on everything but their shoes, and others remove all of their clothes when on the table. This might influence which techniques I use, but I’m equally comfortable working with folks fully clothed as well as with folks completely bare and draped. The number one factor here is what feels best for you. 

If opting to expose the belly for abdominal work while on the table, I will cover your upper chest with a towel before sliding the sheet out from under it to expose your abdomen. I don’t usually do abdominal work with new clients in a first session unless it’s specifically requested, and will always check in specifically beforehand as the belly can feel like a particularly vulnerable area.

A: No problem. This practice is all about your body, exactly as it is. We’ll work together to figure out what kind of techniques & experience suit you best.

A: No problem! We come in all shapes and sizes and I am used to providing massage for bigger / taller / curvier bodies. My number one priority is making sure that you feel comfortable, safe and supported throughout the entire session.

The massage table that I work with in my home studio is an Earthlite Spirit model that supports a static load of 3,200lbs and a max working weight of 800lbs. It is 32″ wide and 73″ long, with optional armrest bolsters that add 10″ width to the table. 

The table that we use in the space at The Cedar Works is a little bit narrower at 30″ wide, also with optional armrest bolsters. It supports a static load of 2400lbs and a max working weight of 700lbs. 

I’ve also got a 10″ table length extender so that taller folks can avoid having their feet dangle off the edge of the table. If you feel like you might be more comfortable with a wider or longer table, feel free to let me know before a first session working together. 

If the massage table feels a bit narrow or short for you and you’d like more room to let your arms and legs relax wide or avoid your feet hanging off the edge of it, you can also consider a Thai massage session which I offer on a mat on the floor for even more room & stability.

A: No problem! There’s all sorts of reasons why folks might prefer to avoid a certain position during massage.

While most of my table sessions tend to default to face up & face down, I’m also totally comfortable working with you in side lying positions on the table. 

Or we can avoid the table altogether with a Thai massage session, which is done on a mat on the floor.

I can also offer full sessions on a massage chair, which can be configured both ‘face down’ and ‘face up’.

A: That’s all absolutely normal and ok. Massage can sometimes help the body release whatever it is that it needs to let go of. Sometimes that’s pent up emotion, and sometimes it’s gas. There’s never any judgement. 

If there’s an intense emotional response, that’s generally a cue for me to slow down and hold space while you breathe through it. You can always tell me (and should tell me) if you want to pause or stop altogether. 

Sometimes there might be a an intense spot that triggers unexpected fits of laughter. Again, that’s an opportunity for us to communicate and check in on if/how you’d like to explore it further, or if it’s time to ease off. 

And one of my former massage teachers used to say “it’s not a good massage unless somebody farts.” If you experience this release, then congratulations.

A: My job isn’t to “cure” any diseases, but rather to provide a nurturing environment that helps facilitate the body’s own healing processes. Anyone making claims of guaranteed magical “fixing” may be broaching some ethical guidelines in our field.

Massage also shouldn’t be seen as your only treatment for an ailment, but rather as a complementary practice that supports other health and wellness practices such as a health diet, regular exercise and stretching, etc.  

That said, many of my clients have experienced relief from our work together (see some reviews) – I hope that my work will support your body in moving towards optimum health, whatever that means for you in this moment. 

A: Absolutely. I can certainly focus on areas by request, but I generally always recommend working the whole body because pain that you feel in one part of your body may be related to tension elsewhere that you aren’t aware of.

That said, if there is a part of the body that you specifically do not want me to address, just let me know. There’s a specific question about this on my intake form, but this is also something that you can (and should!) let me (or any massage therapist) know about immediately in the moment: if I accidentally forget and start to work on an area that you’d rather avoid, or you suddenly find yourself feeling like you don’t want a certain area worked on, please just say so (or use any cue to communicate discomfort and I’ll immediately pause and check in.)

A: As regularly as you are able to, and in conjunction with known stressors. I think that a regular massage is a wonderful part of a self-care / preventative health regimen, and encourage you to consider a regular session on your calendar.

If you want to make massage a regular part of your wellness regimen, I recommend scheduling your next session with me while we’re in the room together before you head out – both because my schedule sometimes gets tight in the seasons when I’m busy with my other projects, and because this way you’ll already have it on your calendar to look forward to.

You might also consider scheduling a session to prepare you for or help you wind down from a specific event that you anticipate will be physically or emotionally demanding. For example, towards the end of my wedding photography career, as I became more aware of how hard that practice was on my body, I began scheduling massages for the day after every time that I scheduled a wedding. 

While I appreciate when clients are able to pay towards the higher end on my sliding scale, if cost is a barrier to you then I encourage you to choose a lower rate that will help you make massage a more regular part of your wellness practices.

A: Yes! A gift certificate for a massage is a *wonderful* thing to share with someone that you care about, and I’m always honored when folks entrust their loved ones to me in this way. I ask that folks use the ‘standard’ or higher end of my sliding scale when purchasing gifts for others.

As of right now I don’t have an online gift certificate system, so the way to set this up is to send me some $$ (cash, check, @venmo, $cashapp) and telling your friend that they’ve got a credit with me. 

Make sure to connect us via text & email, and ask them to please take a look over info including FAQ & policies at before reaching out to schedule. 

As to packages: 

If you anticipate being a regular client and would like to pre-pay for a series of sessions, I can factor in a discount and reserve time on my calendar further out for you.

A: Care and healing should be available to everyone. To that end, I offer a few pro-bono and discounted sessions for community members in need.

I also need to value my time and work in a way that recognizes its value, makes this practice sustainable for me and helps support my other artistic and community pursuits that are not revenue-generating. I offer sliding scale rates, and encourage you to pay as high a rate as you are able while also allowing you to make massage a regular part of your budget and self care practices.

People who pay higher rates help me to provide care to others who require the discounted & pro-bono services.

Here is a real quick self-assessment that will help you decide how to interact with this sliding scale: 

  • How many people are you close to who have vacation homes or travel internationally for leisure? 
  • How many people are you close to who have been incarcerated or unsheltered?

If you know more of the former than the latter, consider a higher end of the sliding scale. If you know more of the latter, consider asking for the community or pro-bono sessions. 

A: I run an air filter in the massage room, and wearing a mask as the practitioner is the new normal for me, but I don’t require one of my clients. I ask my clients to join me in complying with any public health guidelines as they arise, and I’m happy to discuss specific risks or additional precautions on a case-by-case basis.

A: In this country, massage is regulated state by state. This means that in some states, all that you have to do to become a massage therapist is print some business cards and say “I’m a massage therapist”.

In Pennsylvania, “massage therapy” is licensed and regulated, whereas several other modalities of “bodywork” aren’t. So someone could be practicing Shiatsu or Thai Massage or any number of other somatic practices that overlap with the work that I do without needing a license. But if they’re calling themselves a “massage therapist” then legally they should be licensed, which you can verify here. 

I’m of two minds here: 

Therapeutic touch & healing can come from anyone, and some of the requirements of the massage license & renewals can feel like a lot of bureaucracy & profit-motivated hoops to jump through. And there are a lot of folks out there offering high-quality care without formal structures or licenses (including the folks who’ve taken my partner-massage workshops!)

But on the other hand, there might be folks practicing as ‘bodyworkers’ who might not meet the requirements of the massage therapy license which include a minimum requirement of education, background check etc. When you’re working with a licensed practitioner, you know that there’s a governing body to hold them accountable to certain professional standards. 

If opting to entrust your care to someone who isn’t an LMT, I’d advise extra caution to make sure to get personal referrals / reviews from folks that you trust. 

If you work with someone who is licensed and encounter any unprofessional/unsafe/inappropriate behavior, please report them to the licensing body. And talk about it with your trusted community & police as appropriate. 

I’m sad that I’m saying this explicitly here because a dear friend told me that she’d been sexually assaulted twice while in the care of massage therapists and hadn’t reported it, which means that they may have continued to practice & abuse others.

A: Yes! Here are a couple other resources worth knowing about:

Policies

This is the basics of how I work and the fine print that I need you to agree to so that we can work together.

Scheduling

  • I am NOT available for last minute sessions with new / unknown clients.
  • My schedule varies week to week, but I currently generally offer sessions on Monday, Friday & Saturday days, Sunday afternoons, and some evenings, and occasionally have other flexibility. 
  • I aim to schedule sessions 1 – 4 weeks ahead of time, via email or text.
  • Repeating sessions can be scheduled further ahead for regular clients or if you pre-pay for a series. 
  • Last minute / emergency relief sessions, when available, are at 2x regular rate, and are only available for existing clients and folks already in my network.
  • For first time clients, please allow an extra 10 mins for preliminary intake paperwork & conversation.
  • I like to schedule a quick ~5 minute introductory call with new clients before a first session working together. When reaching out, please let me know a few times when I might be able to catch you for that.

Cancellations & late arrivals

  • 50% of fee is due for cancellations w/ less than 48hrs notice and 100% is due for cancellations with less than 24hrs notice. 
  • If you arrive late, that time will be deducted from our session; the full fee for the scheduled time will still be due. Please be on time.
  • If you are late enough to miss more than half of the session, that counts as a cancellation and the full session fee is due. Take a breath and relax wherever you are – there’s no sense in stressing to scramble to get less than half of a massage.
  • Everybody gets one pass for an emergency or unexpected illness, as those do of course arise. But please be respectful of my time.

Payment policy

  • Payment is due at time of service – I don’t have an accounts payable department!
  • I prefer cash, check, Venmo (@jjtiziou) or Cashapp ($jjtiziou)
  • In a pinch, I can accept credit cards via Stripe or PayPal but those shave off a fee so please

Gratuities / Tips

  • Gratuities are never required but always accepted and appreciated. Since I have a sliding scale, tips are basically you choosing to pay higher on that scale, and there’s no upper limit! Every extra bit helps me provide care to folks in need who cannot afford my regular rates. Revenue from this practice also helps support my artistic & community practices. 

Documentation / Confidentiality 

  • Client intake forms & notes are kept private, and will only be shared with your permission unless subpoenaed by a court. 
  • Information shared during our conversations will be kept private and confidential with the following notable exception: 
  • Licensed Massage Therapists are Mandatory Reporters – this means that I am required by law to report any knowledge or suspicion of child abuse. 

Hygiene and sanitation / infection control

  • Please be clean, having recently bathed before coming in.
  • Please do not come in if you are experiencing any symptoms of infectious disease (cough, fever, etc) or if you have recently been in contact with anyone experiencing such symptoms
  • Long before the covid-19, massage therapists had prioritized sanitation and infection control. As a healthcare practitioner, I wear a mask with all of my clients, but don’t expect you to.

Allergies

  • I do my best to use hypo-allergenic products.
    (my default massage oils are coconut or grapeseed oil, and I use unscented laundry detergents.)
  • Please notify me of any allergies, skin or respiratory sensitivities, etc. 

Draping procedures

  • Any unclothed parts of the client’s body are to be covered at all times unless being specifically worked on by the therapist with client’s consent.
  • Chest/breast & groin regions are to remain draped at all time. That’s PA law.
  • If any draping is ever arranged so that the client does not feel appropriately covered & safe, they should immediately request an adjustment / redraping.

Required communication

  • It is your responsibility to notify me of any changes to your condition since our last session (injuries, diagnoses, pregnancies, changes in medications, new allergies, etc.) 
  • To help avoid injury, it is your responsibility to provide feedback about your comfort level during the session, particularly with regards to levels of pressure or amount of traction applied.
  • It is my responsibility to check in with you about techniques used, areas of the body worked on, general comfort etc.

Right of refusal

  • Every moment of a massage therapy session requires continuous consent of both client and therapist. 
  • Either client or therapist have the right to refuse / terminate a session at any time for any reason. 
  • Once a session is terminated, the therapist will step out and the client will promptly get dressed and leave the premises. 

Sexual impropriety 

  • Massage therapy can be an intimate practice, but not a sexual one. 
  • Any inappropriate behavior, by either therapist or client, is grounds for immediate termination of the session.
  • Any such inappropriate behavior is grounds for a massage therapist losing their license. If you encounter any such behavior from any massage therapist in Pennsylvania, please notify the Pennsylvania State Board of Massage Therapy.
  • If I encounter any such behavior from a client, I will immediately cease working with them, and may take other actions as needed to keep myself and my colleagues safe.

Adverse effects / Limit of liability

  • The practice of massage therapy involves contact with and manipulation of the body and all of the innate risks inherent therein. 
  • My first goal in all of our sessions is to do no harm.
  • Massage may sometimes result in adverse effects (nausea, dizziness, etc.)
  • By consenting to a massage session you agree to hold me harmless and not liable for any accidental injury or adverse effects that you might experience during the course of the session including transmission of covid-19 or any other disease and you agree not to sue me for any reason. 

Here’s what they have to say:

  • JJ is an outstanding massage therapist. The combination of his knowledge, compassion, intuition and technique manifest in bringing healing on a number of levels. I’ve been a massage therapist for 30 years and feel very fortunate to have found a massage therapist with his gifts. I went in having had chronic knee pain for at least a month and left the session pain free. What a relief and how much more energy I feel not having to deal with nagging discomfort! JJ created a very safe, respectful space and gave me some helpful tips in self-care between sessions. I recommend him enthusiastically!
    Kevin Hulbirt
  • Became a monthly client of JJ’s earlier this year through a Google search, and I can unequivocally state that his style is unique and innovative. Easily, JJ’s approach to body work is the very best I’ve experienced.

    He seeks out lesser-addressed muscles in a practical and invigorating way. Rather than focusing solely on the front part of the thigh, for example, JJ will also work on the sides of the quadriceps while using a multitude of approaches, such as kneading, applying direct and consistent pressure, and stretching.

    I love JJ’s approach to a painful or tight area. Rather than simply hyper-focusing on it, ​he will work on loosening the muscles surrounding this space, which makes the resulting hands-on work so much more relaxing and productive.

    I’ve left a few times thinking to myself that it was the best massage I’ve ever experienced, and it happened to be true each time. ​
    Margarita Theodorakos
  • I contacted JJ to get a massage to help with chronic pain due to back injuries from a car accident in 2022. Scheduling and communication were a breeze, JJ is very responsive. It was clear that JJ wanted to both make sure we were reaching my goals and keep me comfortable. We had a phone call before the session to discuss all this and get on the same page. Instead of focusing on my just my back/pain, JJ went through a whole body massage which highlighted all these other areas I was holding tension. It really felt like a journey through different groups of muscles and JJ was sensitive to any discomfort I was experiencing and adjusted his technique/stretching accordingly.

    While I’ve only sought massage in the past for a shoulder injury or on vacation/special treat, JJ’s approach and philosophy about massage make it more likely that I will continue to have massages on a regular basis. Over the next few weeks after my massage, I noticed it was easier for me to regain range of motion or reduce tension with my own physical therapy stretching. Plus, JJ gave me advice and pointers for other stretches and self care I can do at home to help with other tensions he found (Thank you!!). It is clear he cares a lot about his clients and is very empathetic about why they are getting a massage in the first place. The session was a great way to leave the outside world outside and JJ helps you focus on your breath and the moment.

    If you are looking for regular massage or just treating yourself or someone else, I highly recommend considering JJ. His sliding scale is very reasonable and just goes to show his commitment to the community and massage as a way to help others.
    Thomas L