Three massage therapists from the Indianapolis area work out their best answers for rubbing your body’s stress, kinks or cramps the right way.

Sandy Pearson, owner, Therapeutic Massage Works, Fishers, Ind., themassage4u.com
Monica Clark, owner, Mission Massage, Indianapolis
Arty Clark, licensed massage therapist, Heal Thyself & Co., Indianapolis, healthyselfandco.com

What types of massage therapies do you offer?

Pearson: I offer a variety. We have therapeutic massage combined with techniques such as Swedish massage, deep tissue massage, active isolated stretching, trigger point, lymphatic drainage and others.

Monica Clark: I administer Swedish massage with hot stones along with energy techniques such as jin shin.

Arty Clark: It's medical massage. We're looking at specific pain syndromes, such as any kind of injury, headaches, lower back pain or sports-related injuries, and working with the body so it can heal itself.

Where is the massage performed and how much does it cost?

Pearson: It's by appointment in our office. We do half-hour massages for $45, one-hour massages for $75 and 90-minute massages for $95.

Monica Clark: I do in-home services by the hour. The pricing is $75 per hour.

Arty Clark: It's in our office. It's $85 for the hour, $100 for 75 minutes and $115 for 90 minutes.

What can a client do to maximize the benefits of massage therapy?

Pearson: Drink water before and after the massage. Massage moves a lot of fluids in the body and stirs up toxins. Water will help flush your system.

Monica Clark: Drinking a lot of water beforehand is good because massage releases toxins in the muscles. Stretching is also good.

Arty Clark: Depending on what they're here for, we can give them recommendations for stretching.

How long can the beneficial effects of a massage last?

Pearson: The better shape you're in, the longer the effects last. Generally, you'll feel the beneficial effects for a day or two. If you're able to continue to be relaxed, and not do something like immediately go back to a high-stress job, those things help.

Monica Clark: Coming in once a month will get you into the process of regularly getting a massage, which will help get you past those initial huge knots. If someone can come in once a month, the benefits can stick with them for a whole month.

Arty Clark: The effects can last days, weeks or months, depending on how long they had the problem beforehand and if they take our stretching advice afterward. If they take our recommendations to heart, they can maintain that massage for quite a while.

— reporting by Joshua Palmer