Swedish Massage: Ay, There's the Rub

I couldn't pinpoint when he switched from Swedish to acupressure to deep-tissue, but I didn't care, because it all felt good.

As soon as I stood up, I felt lither, leaner, lighter -- but I suspected that I'd be sore. Matt didn't think so. Getting a massage doesn't usually produce sore muscles, he said, a sentiment later seconded by Robert MacDonald, Exhale's director of wellness and healing.

Of course, there are exceptions.

"Sometimes when muscles are tight, there can be a buildup of lactic acid," MacDonald explained. "Deeper-style massage ... can sometimes leave a little soreness in the muscles, like when you've had a good workout and you feel it in the muscles the next day."

Evidently, while hibernating, I was also stockpiling lactic acid.

My soreness settled in about an hour after the massage, its intensity ratcheted up at the slightest postural slump. It was as if Matt had rigged my muscles to provide a painful jolt whenever my shoulders crept skyward or my head drooped. Was this what Robert meant when he said "a shift to a more functional resting posture," along with increased range of motion, would accompany any soreness?

The soreness lasted for nearly 48 hours before starting to fade, but somehow it left the imprint of proper posture -- and me ready to shake off winter and walk tall into spring.

Details
The spa: Exhale mind body spa has eight locations and offers spa therapies at six of them, in Boston; Chicago; Dallas; New York City (two); and Santa Monica, Calif.
The treatment: The Fusion Massage is $85 for 30 minutes, $115 for 60 minutes; it's also available as four-handed and couples massages.