Rick Johnson, Massage Therapist, Reston - Rigorous, Hands-On, Deep Tissue Massage for Physical Therapy

[DonRocks]

If you guys are looking for a soothing, relaxing massage with exotic, peaceful background music played by a zither, well, you can get it here, sort of (yes, the music is there). But that's not why you want to see Rick Johnson.

You want to see this guy if you're an NFL linebacker with injured tissue that's so deep that you think you'll need a jackhammer to reach it. Not really, but Rick's calling card (which is actually sitting beside me as I type) is his ability and willingness to dig into deep tissue. He is professional and methodical, has a surprisingly detailed knowledge of anatomy, and also has forearms as strong as Popeye. You may feel relaxed when you walk out of his office; in my case, I feel like I've been beaten up.

He works at Virginia Therapy and Fitness Center in Reston as a contract massage therapist. Considering they probably take a percentage, and given the level of skill and work required to do this type of "massage" (and I say that in quotes because this is more physical therapy even though it technically isn't), his rates are relatively inexpensive at $90 an hour. They don't work with any insurance for massages, so you'll have to pay this out of pocket - you should talk with your insurance company first to see if this type of work is covered. Please leave a tip also as this is standard protocol.

I've seen physical therapists charge insane hourly rates to insurance companies ($200, $300, sometimes even more), and they don't even come close to being as effective as Rick Johnson, at least not with me. Rick is also a golf instructor, of all things, so I suspect if you have any type of rotational injuries associated with a golf swing, he'd be about as good as it gets.

You can make an appointment with Rick through their website here, and their phone number is (703) 709-1116. He may also do work independently (His "main" webpage seems to be here, he has another one here, and a little blurb here).