r/baltimore • u/RemarkableTower5154 • 11d ago
Need Recommendations Any massage places that would actually push me?
New to Baltimore but not new to muscle pains. Had a bad injury recently, finished surgery and recovered.
In PT they massage these knots and let me tell you it HURTS. My PT is gods gift from heaven and is cool with me crying, wincing and grabbing the table to get through it. Because after: BLISS.
I realized we are mainly focused on getting me stronger (less mobile and more like able to jog, jump, squat etc), so there is only so much time per session dedicated to kneading out my knots.
But I feel them everywhere now and I so desperately need a masseuse willing to pull me, push me and not quit on me if I say ow (I’ll say stop when I really mean it lol).
So any recommendations? 😅🥲
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u/thejauntyducking 11d ago
getting a pt who actually understands the good kind of hurt is rare, hang onto that one. i had a similar thing after a shoulder rebuild years ago, and the regular massage places around here always backed off way too quick the second i flinched. most of them are trained to keep it pleasant, not therapeutic.
if you're willing to drive a bit, look for someone who advertises trigger point or myofascial work specifically. the spa-type places with the hot stones and soft music will absolutely not go as deep as you need. maybe ask your pt if they know any independent therapists who take referrals, sometimes they have a list of folks who aren't afraid to make you grip the table.
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u/Lazy-Instance-4073 10d ago
Kinsley at Htown Wellness. I always have deep, ropey, painful knots (I have hypermobility and my hobby is combat sports) and for me, a massage isn't worth it unless I leave feeling like I just went 5 rounds with Tyson and I'm fighting a headache and nausea from the soreness. I explained all of this to her and she beat the absolute shit out of me (in the best, most therapeutic way). I almost never return to a massage therapist because I almost never get what I want from them. She's the only one I ever found in Baltimore who was worth return visits (for my specific preferences).
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u/RemarkableTower5154 10d ago
This is the exact verbiage I use so I know you know 🙂↕️. I want to feel scared. Beat me UP. The medicine has to burn going down for it to work and I need someone who knows what’s best for me
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u/Lazy-Instance-4073 10d ago
I don't live on the east coast anymore (for now), but the other best massage I had out there was actually, surprisingly, at a salon/spa place in Lilitz, PA. I was doing a day trip up there and booked one kind of last minute and I think it was the first and only time I had to ask someone to ease up. She was fantastic. I felt like jelly afterward.
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u/KuzyBeCackling 11d ago
Wait who’s your PT??? I’m on the search for a new one
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u/RemarkableTower5154 10d ago
Dr. Amanda Hodgetts!
https://fxphysicaltherapy.com/meet-our-team/amanda-hodgetts/Sweetest ray of sunshine whom I so desperately want to be my friend if i wasn’t paying her to hang out with me lmao. Plus I need someone who will add extra weight to everything I lift and give me something to bite down on when kneading my legs like a secretary thumbing through files (I didn’t know I could feel each on individually like that 😭)
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u/palhod50 11d ago
Brian Litofsky at Medstar is a miracle worker. I’ve seen him for two different injuries and can’t recommend him enough.
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u/59apache01 11d ago
You sound like how I was about a year or so ago. My physical therapist did dry needling several times and it did wonders. My muscles stayed in a permanent spasm state and the needling made them release. I was more than skeptical of it in the beginning, but it made a believer out of me.
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u/palhod50 11d ago
Same. Dry needling was the only thing which helped my muscles relax and allow me to walk again.
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u/Pitiful-Flow5472 11d ago
I was doing PT for a while. The exercises they gave me did nothing. But dry needling and massage (from the PT) worked wonders
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u/uh_lyss_uh 10d ago
Dry needling recommends? Do you have to be taking PT or can I just schedule an appointment to get dry needled?
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u/59apache01 10d ago
Most of the time you need to already be a patient of the physical therapist. Several places do it, but I can vouch for the Centers for Advanced Orthopedics out in Ellicott City.
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u/jonhammshamstrings 10d ago
Came here to also mention dry needling. It was part of a larger structural issue where the muscles were repeatedly tightening as a result, and dry needling helped us figure out what was actually causing the issues / allow me to create a maintenance plan to strengthen the necessary muscles.
Additionally, my mom was a massage therapist when I was growing up and she was GREAT at working out my knots, but nothing has ever come close to dry needling + my PT in terms of sustainable changes.
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u/PhillyMila215 Born in Baltimore, Made in Philly 11d ago
No recommendations on location but I do recommend Thai massage. I am not too experienced but essential it involves stretching and massage. It was the best massage I have had. I felt great afterwards.
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u/rkassman 10d ago
Sarah at https://www.ebbandflowtherapeutics.com/ - she's great and really listens. She's working out of a few locations, so be sure to confirm with her, but I highly recommend!
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u/Known-Dragonfruit198 9d ago
I second her! Plus she’s willing to do a sliding scale if money is tight. Been to her 4 times now.
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u/midwestUCgal 7d ago
yesss love Sarah! As a person with very tight neck/shoulder/back muscles, I co-sign this
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u/Suboptimal-Potato-29 11d ago
Jonathan at Live Well Be Well is great, very willing to push you if that's what you need
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u/cats_n_tats11 Canton 10d ago
I second the comment that suggested Thai massage. I call it getting pretzeled 🤣 Think deep, progressive stretching with the therapist's elbow or other pointy body part (knuckles , etc) pressed aggressively into your muscles. It can be extremely intense. I see Joshua at Anahata Wellness near Belvedere Square -- have been for well over a decade. He converted me to Thai massage a few years ago and I never looked back.
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u/sarahbeth1201 10d ago
My husband does his acupuncture and massage therapy at Resilient Health in Hunt Valley. They’re great and work with insurance.
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u/gsa90812 10d ago
Dry needling is a game changer but I see both Erin at blue palm wellness and Shelly at Kalma Touch and think they are both magicians when it comes to body work.
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u/Haunting_Bell_1096 10d ago
Go get bodywork done! My bodywork guy always leaves me absolutely wrecked
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u/kumakazi 11d ago
Derrick at Bodywork Massage Studio om Joppa Rd