Telling clients that they should drink more water is almost so universal and ubiquitous that it feels like it shouldn’t even need to be said anymore, and yet it should—over and over again.

When we have sufficient water in our body this will help all the toxins that have been released during the massage to get comfortably flushed out rather than reabsorbed into the tissues.

Even though water is one of our most basic needs in life, a lot of clients are chronically dehydrated.   A client may walk in and you notice their lips are chapped and their skin is dry & flakey, or there are more or deeper wrinkles than normal.  Plus, you can feel it when they’re on the table, when you notice that their upper layers of fascia feel particularly tight or sticky.

Dehydration affects so much more than just their muscle soreness or stiffness. It can be the reason behind chronic headaches, irritability, or even poor posture. Should we remind our clients to hydrate? Absolutely. Dehydration in their bodies can limit the effectiveness of our work. So, keep bringing them water, and keep reminding them to drink it—even when they’re not in your massage room.