Frequently Asked Questions

 Does Rolfing hurt?

For the answer to this question, please refer to the Articles page and read “Rolfing: It Hurts So Good”, an article that I wrote for the December 2010 issue of Austin’s All Natural magazine. 

How much does it cost?

This is often the only question that people ask when searching for a Rolfer.  A question which is every bit as, if not more important is “How long have you been Rolfing?”  Another is, “Where did you receive your training?”   Yes, there is some variance in price from one Rolfer to the next, based on experience.  You will find that the “per minute” cost of Rolfing is slightly more than massage therapy, but then Rolfers accomplish so much more in lasting postural improvements, body awareness, movement efficiency and relief from pain.  Sessions are between 75 and 90 minutes.  In my practice I accept check or cash, but at this time do not accept cards.  Discounts are available, as well as Gift Certificates. 


Must I commit to a given number of sessions?

Classic Rolfing is traditionally performed in a series of  ten sessions, with occasional “tune-ups” to follow.  It is extremely important to realize that Rolfing is a “process”.  The effects are cumulative, and each session builds upon the previous one.   Yet while I encourage each prospective client to weigh the benefits that a ten series would bring, I personally do not demand that a client commit to a give number of sessions.  I believe that after only one session, you should be able to feel the difference.  That in itself should be high incentive to continue with the process.   However, targeted Rolfing sessions can be highly effective for pain management such as in TMJ issues, sciatica, plantar fascitis, hip and shoulder problems, back pain, headaches, etc.

What do I wear?

Because in Rolfing the client is up and moving about throughout the session, standard massage draping is not used.  Therefore it is important that the client wear something in which they are comfortable, yet which gives access to a large percentage of the skin surface.   Traditionally the work has been done in underwear, and many clients are fine with this.  Other options include a sports bra and light running shorts for the ladies, and a pair of light gym shorts for the men.  If a woman is particularly sensitive about her body, a tank top or camisole may be substituted for the top.  Of course, two piece bathing suits are suitable.  For those who don’t normally wear underwear please note that nudity is not permitted by the State of Texas.  Please bring appropriate clothing to your session.

How often should I be Rolfed?

Early in the ten series, or when working on particularly stubborn issues, at least once a week is preferred.  After five or so sessions, it becomes possible to begin to spread the sessions out just a bit. 

Can I use other modalities while being Rolfed?

Rolfing works well with other methods, such as acupuncture or chiropractic for example. 
A Rolfed body makes a chiropractor’s adjustments easier, more efficient and more effective.  Remember, it’s always better to see the Rolfer first, then schedule your adjustment.

Can I do anything to make my Rolfing experience more effective?

Absolutely!  First:  It is essential that you increase your fluid intake.  That means HYDRATE!  The fascia consists mainly of collagen, which is mostly water.  In order to re-condition it, we must restore the moisture that is lost as we age.  Second: STRETCH!  Take a yoga class.  Support the work that we are doing together.  Third:  Be AWARE of your body, your posture and how you move.  Awareness insures the long-term success of your Rolfing.

Articles ~

Rolfing: It Hurts So Good!

Over the years, when meeting new folks and answering that ubiquitous question, “What do you do?”, I invariably hear some form of this same response…”Rolfing, oooh that really hurts!”  Or my favorite, “Rolfing.  Isn’t that where you tear the muscles away from the bone and then re-attach them?”  Gee, what could possibly be unpleasant about that?  From that moment, on some level they regard me as a sort of hold-over from the Spanish Inquisition. 

Full disclosure:  There was a time when most Rolfing hurt like the dickens.  Ida Rolf herself was frequently described as “formidable”.   She began to teach the first Rolfers at Big Sur’s Esalen Institute during those heady days of the late sixties that brought us Primal Scream, another genteel practice.  Apologies to the Primal Therapists for my artistic license.   Early Rolfees who had completed the Rolfing Ten Series wore it like a red badge of courage.  They were bad.  They were tough as nails.  They’d been Rolfed, and lived to tell about it.

It’s really no wonder that a “reputation” persists to this day.  The truly remarkable fact is, most gory tales of relentless torture are usually passed along by folks who have never even experienced Rolfing. 

So, to once and for all definitively answer the question, “Does Rolfing hurt?”, I give you an unequivocal and resounding “NO”…and “yes.”

Gasp!  How can that be?  Which is it?  No, or yes?  Well, first consider this.  Each individual has a vastly different tolerance for and perception of pain.  Over the years I’ve had tiny, eighty-year old great-grandmothers and twelve-year old gymnasts who think Rolfing is a piece of cake.  At the same time, I’ve seen two hundred and fifty pound construction workers fighting to hold back the tears.   

But while the various techniques and tools that comprise the process of Rolfing have endured, there is one significant, modern-day innovation.  Nowadays, most Rolfers ask their client, “By the way, how does that feel?”

As a Rolfer, I try to stay below what I call the “flinch factor.”  I’m attempting to assist a client in releasing a lifetime’s worth of tension and trauma that’s being held in the fascia.  If that individual is tensing up to the point of discomfort, I’m probably being counter-productive, and I will try a less invasive approach.  And yet, when I hear a client say, “oh that hurts”, I always ask the question, “would you like me to stop?”.  In most instances, their response is, “oh no, it hurts good.  Don’t stop.”

The Rolfer’s intention has always been the key component in successfully effecting a change in the client’s body.  And ultimately, Rolfing is about change.  Change in the structure.  Change in the emotional response to the world around us.  Change in the body’s very relation to gravity.  And intention, the most effective and indispensable tool in the Rolfer’s tool bag doesn’t hurt a bit.

Here’s the secret to being Rolfed, at least in my practice, and I suspect in that of most modern day Rolfers.  This is a team effort.  As a client, you have control over the proceedings.  Naturally, there will be moments in certain areas that are challenging.  But learning to breathe into the work and to adjust the range of your movement around that work are usually sufficient to control your experience of it.  If the intensity approaches a level with which you aren’t comfortable, we want you to say so.

Almost without exception, clients tell me after their first session that it was nothing like what they were told to expect.  The comment that I hear most often is, “Rolfing.  Where has this been all my life?”

Jim Ruggiere ~ Austin's All Natural magazine, December 2010



Rolfing:      

     Not Roofing.  Not Rafting.  Not Golfing. 

     Although, it will significantly improve your performance in all three.  Rolfing Structural Integration is a dynamic blend of hands-on therapy and movement education designed to tune you up.

     By addressing the body’s connective tissue, or Fascia, Rolfing will literally turn back the clock, giving your tissue a much younger and vibrant quality.  All those years of poor posture, accident, injury and emotional trauma have left us with stress patterns in our bodies that we deal with every day.  The process of Rolfing works to eliminate those patterns and the memory of that trauma, as well as undoing the many compensations that the body has creatively invented in order to cope.

     Every day, we burn so much of our vital energy just being up and about.  As Rolfing frees up our bodies from the compression and the twists and torsions that our tissue has developed, we may then invest that energy in more productive pursuits such as relationships, career and leisure time.

     With less pain, better posture, improved balance and increased range of motion comes a greater sense of well-being.  Give Rolfing a try.  You will feel the difference.

Jim Ruggiere ~ Austin Medical Research Center Newsletter, October 2010