Is Rolfing® Structural Integration a type of massage?


​Rolfing is hands-on like a massage, but it is different in many ways from what most people think of as massage.  

The primary goals of massage are to relax the muscles and improve circulation.  It feels great... until you go back to your stressful life and all your tension returns just as before.  

Although most clients leave a Rolfing session feeling very relaxed, that is not the goal of Rolfing Structural Integration.  The focus is on making lasting changes to the structure and movement patterns of your body, so that when you go back to your stressful life your body can keep feeling great.  

Many Rolfing clients continue to notice improvements in their physical functioning months and even years after receiving the Ten Series.

Like massage... 
It leaves you feeling relaxed,
but the feeling lasts longer.

Like chiropractic...
It improves your alignment,
but it adjusts more than just your spine.

Rolfing® S.I. is uniquely focused
on balancing your whole body in gravity
by freeing restrictions in the fascial network
caused by overuse, poor posture, and aging.

How is Rolfing s.i. different from deep tissue massage?

Rolfers®, unlike most massage therapists, do not use massage oil or lotion, since sliding over the skin is rarely a valuable technique for structural integration.  The speed of touch tends to be slower and less constant.  

An important part of the Rolfing process is the visual assessment of the client, which helps to determine how best to work with the client at that moment.  Unlike most massage therapists, Rolfers may ask their clients to stand, walk, or perform other simple movements while the Rolfer watches carefully.

Even during the hands-on portion of the Rolfing session, the client is not naked, lying passively under a sheet.  Rolfing clients play a more active role.  It is common for them to receive work while seated and standing, as well as when lying on a massage table.  They will be asked to move in specific ways, and coached to pay attention to specific sensations that will help them to learn how to use their bodies more efficiently.