steering wheel & brake pedal tighter after service?

I used to get my car service at the dealer thus far because
I've had the extended service plan. Now that I have > 100K
miles, I got the service done at an independent shop.

One thing that I used to notice immediately after getting
the car serviced at the dealer was that the steering wheel
and brake pedal felt somewhat tighter, almost as if the
car was new. This feeling would last for a few days and
then things would go back to usual. I didn't feel the same
way with my most recent service. Everything feels
the same as it did before the service.

Am I just imagining things, or is there something the
dealer does when servicing the car that would make the
steering/brake pedal feel that way?

Anoop