Job as a Massage Therapist

I get quite a few questions from clients, especially clients who have never had a massage before, and I thought I'd answer some of them here.

1. Most women will say something like "Oh I didn't shave my legs beforehand, I'm so embarrassed". Now, trust me ladies when I say that as a therapist I do not care. You have NO idea just how hairy some of the men are who come in for a massage and your leg hair stubble just does not compare. So no worries there.

2. Some will ask if I have a "body preference", meaning does it matter if the client is really heavy or really thin. Honestly? No. No preference. If someone is REALLY, REALLY thin I find it difficult to give them a deep tissue massage because I feel like I might break them. And if someone is very heavy its hard to massage them properly as well. But for the most part, no preference. If you can get on my table, I can give you a massage.

3. Is my husband okay with me performing massage, asked primarily by male clients. Yes, yes he is. I think this question is more like a "is my husband okay with me touching naked men" question. And yes, he is. Mainly because, it's a massage. Not a date. For the most part, each guy is just another guy and then another guy and I really have no interest in anything beyond that point.

4. Underwear, on or off? I prefer you to take all your underwear off. But that's me and I can work around it if you keep it on. Though I do prefer that women take their bra off, it's easier to massage your back without that in the way.

5. Do I get under the sheet? Yes, please for the love of everything get UNDER the sheet. I so do not want to see your bits and pieces all on display.

6. What are the terms?
Swedish Massage - generic massage, usually a light massage but it can be used to describe just about any therapeutic massage session.
Deep Tissue Massage - just what it sounds like. Now a LOT of people say they want a deep tissue massage and they don't. A true deep tissue massage will leave you sore, and you will be limping and bruised the next day. It will hurt like hell.
Hot Stone Massage - a massage session done withe heated, flat stones. Usually the stones are warmed in a crock pot like container and they are placed on different points of the body and also in the therapists hand. This is a relaxation massage, it warms and soothes tired muscles, it is NOT good for deep tissue or injury work.
Sports Massage - good for specific injury work and includes a lot of stretches and specific focus on a particular muscles.

7. So what do I want? Most people want a massage that incorporates stretches, deep tissue work, and light Swedish massage all in one nice little session.

What have we learned? Talk to your therapist, tell them SPECIFICALLY what you want and what areas of the body you want worked on. Your therapist should listen to you and do what you want (within reason people!!!), and also make sure to tell your therapist if what they are doing hurts. Remember they have no idea what your pain tolerance is so you need to speak up. Long and short, you will not hurt my feelings if I'm doing something you hate. I will change my technique to what will best suit you to the best of my ability.

Any questions?

Update: Roxanne brings up a good point - its sometimes nice to "switch things up" a bit and try a a different therapist. I have no problem with my regular clients doing this and will generally spend a few minutes before their next massage with me asking what the other therapist did, what they liked, and what they didn't. That way I can maybe bring in some new things that we might not have previously tried. It doesn't hurt my feelings, and I promise you I don't hold it against you as clients if this happens! ;-)