You Do Massage Therapy?!

When people find out I am a massage therapist I get one of several responses and I will admit that sometimes I just want to sigh and walk away from some people's replies. However, professionalism and my bubbly personality usually win. I say usually because there's always the possibility of something being said in the future that walking away is my best option. I will let you know if that does ever happen.

1. That's awesome! You know, I have this knot in my shoulder that I just can't seem to get out. Would you mind?

I don't mind giving someone a few minutes of my time to massage that knot in their shoulder. I became a massage therapist because I want to help people over come pain. This just helps to strengthen my passion. It is also a great way to spread the word about massage therapy. If a five-minute massage releases a shoulder, think of what an hour long massage could do! 

2. Do you give happy endings?

Let me just clear the water now on the issue of happy endings. I do not, never have, and never will give happy endings. The number of people who do such things are actually very low and they do not usually call themselves massage therapists or therapists at all. Unfortunately, it's one of those only-takes-one-to-ruin-it-for-the-rest things.

We massage therapists work hard in maintaining our professionalism and strive to provide the highest quality of therapeutic bodywork to aide the body's healing processes. We respect and honor everyone's bodies and maintain proper boundaries through proper sheeting and covering during every session. 

3. I don't like massages. 

For those of you who respond that you don't like massages, expect my first question to be "Have you had one before?" If your answer is no, I will retort, "Well then how do you know you don't like massage?" You can thank my grandparents for teaching me such language.

If you say yes, I may ask you where and what kind. For example, a deep tissue massage differs from a Swedish massage in the pressure and techniques used. Deep tissue implies what it is. Deep. The pressure is hard, but slow. On the other hand, a Swedish massage uses light, flowing strokes which can be slow or somewhat vigorous depending on the stroke being used, but the pressure will remain light and gentle. If you are a body builder who received a Swedish massage, chances are you hated it, felt like the massage did nothing, or that the therapist just rubbed skin the entire time. You may want to try a Deep tissue massage or a sports massage instead. With deeper pressure and other strokes utilized to target the underlying muscle tissue and break up lactic acid buildup (which causes soreness in muscles, among other things), this will feel as if the massage did something. The opposite goes for someone who says they felt beat up and bruised after a massage. You may want to try a Swedish massage, Reflexology, or Reiki instead. If this is your first time experiencing massage therapy, ask your therapist what he or she recommends.

Please note that I will respect your opinion. It is okay to not like massage. I don't like certain foods. So certainly there are people who won't like massages. 

4. But you're so tiny! 

It does not matter the therapist's size when it comes to giving a good massage. The key lies in proper body alignment. Yes, I am of small stature. Petite, some may say. Yet I can give a solid, deep massage through proper body mechanics and with my table at an appropriate height. If I need to go deeper, I can sink and/or lower the table. If I need to go lighter, I can straighten up and/or raise the table. Amazing what the correct leverage can achieve. Physics! Who knew?

~The Kneadonator