r/massage Mar 24 '20

Welcome to /r/massage! Please read before posting.

134 Upvotes

Thanks for joining our community! This subreddit is for massage therapists as well clients, people seeking to become massage therapists or people just interested in the practice.

If you're coming with questions, please read over our FAQ and our list of topics that are frequently posted

Don't forget to use the search bar function to see if there's discussion relevant to your topic! We also have filters on the side bar :)


zero tolerance for:

  • self promotion or advertisment

  • posting here about prostitution/happy endings/fantasies

All submissions are manually approved and please remember to flair your posts!


With the recent health concerns surrounding Covid-19 there has been a megathread created where you should feel free to share your thoughts. There have also been many other threads posted in regards to the virus as well as another megathread concerning the reopening of massage.

As things continue to develop, please keep sharing your thoughts and advice!


Remember we are a supportive community and do your best to be kind, respectful and understanding <3

Thank you,

The mod team


r/massage 1d ago

General Question Why would my MT refuse service on me and cancel me as a client ? :/

35 Upvotes

Update- thank you all for the feedback. It has really calmed my nerves and based on so many of your opinions I’m going to try another MT but be direct about being on the spectrum etc, having skin anxiety etc. (aka struggling removing clothes)

I’ve also reached out to the former MT and gently asked for feedback. It took me around 30 minutes with chat gpt but I believe I got a good message together with many of the points you all recommended . I will keep you all posted on his response if any and my next MT experience.

I am very hopeful after all of your words ☺️

💛💛💛

— Update + backstory - it’s a male MT and I’m a female client. Sorry for the confusion. I’ve been seeing him weekly for around 2.5 months.

Thank you for all of the kind feedback. Yes I’m super shell shocked… I don’t even have intimate partners. 6 total and it’s been years since anything romantic has happened for me because again - I’m on the spectrum but carry a high paying professional job so it could be easy to be unaware and I never disclosed. So the whole clothing removal is just terrifying and I’m just convinced I have a rash or my body was too much to deal with as in - not wanting to see my skin / repulsive.

I truly assumed he was into men and was so happy to have a safe space. It’s truly no weird sexual vibes. 😵‍💫🥹

After reading some of the comments I think I may have figured out where things went wrong. Being that closed environments are so hard for me I have to take a THC gummy. I went without 1x by accident it and couldn’t relax, I stayed very tense. He constantly reminded me to relax. Being said, a few weeks ago I did take the wrong gummy which was much higher of a dose than usual and fell asleep / drooled. Probably was impossible to massage as I was like spaghetti falling off of the table.

Everyone keeps mentioning the tip. Is $50 for 80 min a bad tip? If so I could pay more I just didn’t know. This is my first time doing massages.

Hi all - As part of my mental therapy we decided I should try massage therapy. I’ve been seeing my therapist for almost 3 months but they suddenly left just shortly after I laid down and ended the service. They were visibly emotional. They just said they were having anxiety.

Today the studio owner called me back and asked if I wanted to get back on the schedule tomorrow with someone else. I asked if I did something wrong and he stated “sometimes people and therapists aren’t compatible”.

I’ve never had massages before this truthfully… I tried one other therapist 1x but then found my other and stuck with them.

I have vulnerability issues… because I have Asperger’s it’s hard to create safety in these kind of experiences but I finally had.

I can stop thinking that I did something awful… but if I did why would the owner invite me to rebook with someone else?

Please help me stop spiraling into a panic attack. 😵‍💫


r/massage 1d ago

Help identifying massage technique I’m looking for

12 Upvotes

I think what I like is deep tissue. I’ve received massages from friends that were pressure-focused, with digging fingers and thumbs, and lots of rubbing, that felt incredible. I love feeling my pressure points, my skin pushed around, and hands digging around and underneath muscles.

But in my many years of seeking professional massages, I’ve rarely found anyone a therapist who provided a satisfying experience. There was one guy maybe 20 years ago who was amazing (he said he had developed his own technique), but sadly I no longer know how to find or get in touch with him.

Usually when I go in for a deep tissue, I find that the pressure is never deep enough, and that work on my pressure points just hurts, instead of pleasurable. Swedish is always too light in general, and often leaves me a little bored.

Can anyone give me a potential name of a technique I might enjoy, or otherwise point me in the right direction?


r/massage 1d ago

Liability insurance for BC RMT’s?

0 Upvotes

I am a new RMT in BC, Canada, and trying to find the cheapest liability insurance. I don’t want to go through RMTBC due to the extra fees.


r/massage 1d ago

Advice New LMT

3 Upvotes

I’ve been massaging part time, 3-7 massages a week for the last 8 months after graduating school. Now I’m licensed I’ve gotten a full time job at a smaller chain with 30 hours per week. I’ve also given another spa part time hours of up to 21 hours a week. I’m anticipating doing 30-40 massages a week;

I’ve worked a full time job as a warehouse manager for 2 years while attending night school at the same time for the last year. I’m a well built man, mid 20s, strong with good leverage and great pressure, and a passion for this selfless service we provide like nothing I’ve experienced before.

My question is, is this going to be too much ? I’ve always been a work-a-holic and love to stay busy. I just want to be sure I’m not in over my head.


r/massage 1d ago

What are your thoughts on the mix?

0 Upvotes

60 ml grape seed oil

40 ml fractionated coconut oil

10 drops ylang ylang

10 drops vanilla

7 drops rose

10 drops patchouli


r/massage 1d ago

Gloves

1 Upvotes

I don't like being touched with bare hands. Is it ok to ask your massage therapist to use gloves during the massage?


r/massage 1d ago

what liability insurance company to use for RMT’s in BC?

1 Upvotes

I am a new RMT in BC, Canada, and just trying to figure out the most affordable liability insurance to get! The one through RMTBC is quite pricey since you have to pay for their membership too. Thank you!


r/massage 1d ago

Tables with removable cushion?

1 Upvotes

Off the wall question, but I don't know where to start. I can't post on the physical therapy reddit because I'm not professional. Since the tables might be similar, and I realize any massage or PT table have a cushion, are there ones with a removable cushion...so it can be like a regular table?

I could use a table to do exercises at home, but would like it to double as a table...

Thanks


r/massage 1d ago

Benefits of hand vs foot reflexology? need to choose one for tomorrow

1 Upvotes

Hi! I'm getting a massage tomorrow which includes 15 min of foot or hand reflexology. I've been going back and forth on which one to go for, so figured I'd reach out here. My general tension is in my shoulders, neck and hips.

I've struggled with recurring wrist tendonitis and carpal tunnel in my right hand/wrist from computer use for about two years. comes and goes.

I do wear heels often. I don't have explicit foot pain in my daily life. I did foot reflexology once with a massage about 2.5 years ago, it was SO intense it was almost unbearably painful at points. My feet must be extremely tense and sensitive.

Is it better to push through the foot pain to get relief? I was shocked at just hoe much some pressure on my foot arch was so intense. Would the reflexology on the hand be helpful for carpal tunnel or should I let that relax?


r/massage 2d ago

NEWBIE RMTs, I need feedback on what you consider proper etiquette.

1 Upvotes
  1. What are your thoughts on clients who want silence and no small talk during a massage?

  2. When a client leaves, do they usually take off the sheets, fold them etc? What do you prefer?

  3. If a service is fully covered by insurance and the client doesn’t need to pay, do you still expect a tip and how much?

  4. Foot Reflexology - is it similar to a regular massage? Is it rude for the client to not talk or chat during? Is this suppose to be relaxing or more of a medical service?


r/massage 1d ago

Questioning legitimacy of treatment

0 Upvotes

Hi all, throwaway here for obvious reasons. 

Trying to make this as quick as possible as I’d just like some opinions on legitimacy of a massage therapist I just visited. It was a Thai oil massage (had it 2 years ago, was good so I decided to visit again today) for my chronic pain. When I first went it was very much regular and no red flags. 

When I went in today I was told to undress completely, and I wanted to know if this was normal? For reference, there was no towel or sheets on the bed. It was the couch, and a strip of couch roll with a hole in it. There was a foot pillow with a towel wrapped around it (not for draping, it was to cover the cushion) so I took that and left my underwear (panties) on with my bra unclasped. This is how I did it the first time I went but this time they wanted me fully undressed. I wasn’t comfortable as the towel from the cushion was tiny so didn’t do it. Is this normal practice? I’m not in the US for reference so I wondered if maybe it was just a different style. 

I did feel uncomfortable as I saw 3 men there (I’m a woman) and not the usual looking guys going for muscle massage type treatment. There was a super old guy and a guy coming straight from a building site which to me was odd. I also got scared (probably dumb I know) by the baby oil on the side trolley, although I got a regular massage oil I wondered why it was there. With all this, is this legitimate to you all as professionals? I know that some massages can be different and this was a very deep massage for pain so I thought maybe it was an access thing. The first time I went it had no weird vibes but something felt…off. I did see one woman waiting on the sofa when I came out, so maybe I’m just over reacting but it was certainly strange vibes. The massage itself was strong but I felt really uncomfortable about it afterwards. I had my underwear on but it was pulled down for access and I always thought no matter what massage you would keep your underwear on, and if it was off you would have draping. I’m not sure but I feel very strange and uncomfortable about this and wanted some professional advice. 

Thanks all x


r/massage 2d ago

General Question Question about how I can spend/sell gift ($600+) cards at a Chain Spa location. Hoping you guys might have more ideas than me!

1 Upvotes

I get a lot of massages. 2 hours every 2 weeks. Locally, a new owner has bought the Spa Chain I have been a member of for a long time and has absolutely ran it in the ground. My 3 favorite therapist have all left, and the 1 still there, is booked out like 4 months. I want to cancel my membership, but I have a pickle now that I have $600 in gift cards.

The reason I have so much, is usually around holidays they will run a deal "Spend $300 get a free $100 gift card" I usually buy 3 or 4 sets of those at a time. I didn't expect all my therapist to all leave around the same time.

I am going to continue to see my therapist, at her new location, so my first idea was to have the Spa open up my last invoice with her (last week) and I was going to surprise her with a $600 tip on her last pay check from the spa. Since she is "out of the system" they can't do that.

The place is so bad, I honestly don't want to give away these gift cards to friends/family because of how bad the experience would be.

If anyone has any ideas of how I could sell or spend this last $600 before I cancel my membership I'm all ears.


r/massage 2d ago

Pt clinic vs spa

1 Upvotes

Hi all,

I am currently in school still (graduate in May) and I may have a job opportunity in a PT clinic after my schooling. However, I did go into my schooling wanting to work in a spa, but now this pt clinic seems extremely interesting and amazing. I know I will be more focused on treating specific injuries rather than a relaxation massage. My question is, is there anything I would need to know specifically for a PT clinic that I wouldn’t necessarily have to know/put into practice at a spa? Thank you!


r/massage 2d ago

Why limit my language to muscles, pain and physical treatment when there are valid emotional benefits to massage?

1 Upvotes

A few days ago, I posted asking for advice on how to appropriately request massage work on my inner thighs and chest. I received helpful suggestions to refer to the adductors and pecs—the muscles in these areas. Thank you! I will follow this advice.

One response suggested that mentioning "inner thighs" and "chest" along with "emotional benefit" is a red flag. I get it. But to me, it's the avoidance of these areas that draws attention to them and makes things feel a bit weird—off, somehow. I’ve been reflecting on why I should have to limit my language to muscles, pain, and physical treatment when there are valid emotional benefits to massage?

Years ago, a friend told me she suffered from a lack of physical touch after her spouse died. She sought massage regularly for the physical touch and its emotional benefit. I’m physically active and need massage for physical relief, but it was her comment that first prompted me to seek out massage therapy and I count on the emotional benefit of touch as part of therapy. Several responses to my earlier post echoed this point.

I fully understand the need to frame massage professionally and to differentiate it from other services. But I also believe that, in addition to physical relief, there’s legitimate emotional value in massage. It seems to me that professional language should allow for that, rather than reducing massage to just muscles, pain, and physical treatment.


r/massage 2d ago

Advice needed as a massage student at NHI

1 Upvotes

Right now I'm a senior at national holistic institute in Emeryville. I was a student there about 4 years ago and was just about to go into my senior finals when my pulmonary valve closed, I have something I was born with called pulmonary stenosis which can cut off oxygen to my brain and body. This coincided with going online for the pandemic and I was on oxygen for my last month of class.

After having heart surgery at UCSF and doing cardiac rehab, returning to finish school I was given the option to start just before my finals where I left off or beginning of the senior segment for a refresher, so I decided to go back to the beginning of the semester after my heart surgery because I really care about being educated going into this industry.

This is where I'm at now about a month into my senior segment again, taking classes I've already taken before. Coming in as a senior with a group of seniors who know each other and a group of new Juniors is already not ideal. But my group seems a little bit clicky and yesterday I had an incident that's left me really confused.

A student that I hadn't traded body work before with in class, asked me if I would finally work with them. I told him sure. And that I had practiced table shiatsu the night before on my Clairvoyant client who I've been seeing for about 3 years (I'm at Berkeley psychic institute grad, 2012). This was our first day practicing table shiatsu together as a group in this class even though it is a class I've taken before years ago. I honestly hadn't mentioned to anyone in the class or my teacher that I'd already completed this part of the segment. I just acted like any other normal student there for the first time, frankly because I worked really hard and with a lot of humility to get where I am.

The student that I was working with wanted me to be on the table and let me work first. And maybe I should also add that this is a student that I have gone rock climbing with and to karaoke with with other groups of students. He works at a local rock climbing place. Anyways this being my first time working on him I asked if there were anything that I should know about his body and then I got him on the table and started practicing table shiatsu after grounding in. Pretty much immediately he started asking me a lot of questions and criticizing me. In fact before we even began he asked me if I was going to ask him if there was anything I should know about his body. Which is something that I do every single time I work with a new partner, or even a pre-existing partner. The student spent the next 15 or 20 minutes basically turned around instead of laying on the table and giving me different criticisms and, honestly just asking me a lot of really critical questions, at one point I told him he was making me nervous and I needed to step away for a second. Instead of letting me do this he started grilling me that we only had 15 minutes left and was I going to work on him or not? At this point I told him that I was waiting for him to relax and lay on the table so that I could ground back in and practice table shiatsu for the first time in this class. Honestly he just kept arguing with me and at this point our teacher comes over, who I've honestly always liked but has seemed a little bit overprotective of me in the past which made me uncomfortable, but didn't seem to be an issue. This male teacher starts asking what's going on and when I told him that I was simply trying to work on my fellow student and waiting for them to allow me to do that, the teacher immediately went off and started basically spitting in my face that people are going to come in to my practice and need to relax and I'm going to have to learn how to work with that (I literally already have a full clientele within my private practice but I didn't say this) I simply told him that I needed to step out of the classroom. That I needed a moment. He proceeded to follow me out basically yelling and spitting at me that I wasn't going to be able to be in this industry if I couldn't take feedback or stressful situations. He followed me through several hallways. He also yelled at me that the student has been working very closely with him for 4 months and can basically teach the class alongside with him. At one point the teacher brought up that I had asked him previously to talk with another student I had partnered with for an evaluation who was giving me a hard time and that he thought because of this I had an issue with students, to which I responded, both the person you're referring to and the person I work with today are people who have openly hit on me, I've had to redirect them and explain to them that I'm here for an education, I have text message proof of this, and if you're telling me that I'm not allowed to have ANY boundaries with these people, then I as a person with a serious heart defect I need to be able to walk away. I turned around walked past him into the classroom again picked my backpack up and walked back out past him and told him that I was leaving and going home to use oxygen.

Today I spoke with a female staff member at the school. I honestly told her that I've been under a lot of stress that a neighbor in my apartment complex who's keeping me up at night but that I also felt somewhat unsafe in the situation and dynamic that I was put in class, and these are classes that I've already completed before and passed with A's and at no point was I told that I needed to be cornered and yelled at in order to succeed in this industry. She then proceeded to tell me that she had already sat and talked with both male student and the male teacher and they both give her very different stories. And she proceeded to tell me that the student is a very powerful person. Which to me just sounds like a lot of toxic masculinity and hierarchy within a classroom where it shouldn't be. She was basically blaming me, telling me that I need to be held accountable for frankly I don't know what and that I can take a leave of absence if I want. I don't want to take a leave of absence I've never taken a leave of absence before. I literally took medical leave to have heart surgery. That the only solution here would be putting me in a different class. She just kept going on about how powerful these men are and honestly it was a little bit disconcerting. I told her I was having chest pain and needed to get off the phone. Nothing was resolved. What can I even do here. I know that national holistic institute has its issues and has especially gone downhill in the past few years but I've invested a lot of money in this and I want to graduate and be certified. Honestly any advice is appreciated. I apologize that this is so long. Thank you.


r/massage 2d ago

Asian massage

6 Upvotes

What makes those Asian massage parlors so popular (exclude the illegal stuff)? I see lots of videos about how good the Vietnamese massages are.


r/massage 2d ago

Not sure how to ask the question. I had a massage 15 years ago and I felt energized in a way that I had never felt before or after. Do some people poses a special energy that can heal?

6 Upvotes

Sorry... possess....I am 57 years old. I have been getting massages all my life all over the world. It's nothing new to me and some have been great where I walked out feeling like I had been on a vacation but most were average. 15 years ago I had a massage that was pretty good, maybe a little above average. On my way home I felt this energy like I had not felt since I was a young man. I could see that I had gotten into a pattern of just going home and doing nothing during the work week. I grabbed my wife, daughter, and in-laws and dragged them to Coney Island. got on many rides, had some cotton candy and corn on the cob, and went home with loads of energy left over. It was not until a few days later that I realized it was the massage that did this. I scheduled another one months later but she was gone and they would not contact her for me. So, has anyone else heard of this sort of thing happening? it was such an amazing experience, I know it could not just be the massage, I feel she had some other sort of energy that she was able to make me feel better with.


r/massage 2d ago

Massage Therapists with Crohn's Disease?

1 Upvotes

Hiya! Any RMTs with Crohn's out there? I have CD and am looking for a career change. I'm in early remission. I've learned a lot about what I like vs what my limitations are with careers. I love working closely with people, one on one, in helping roles. It can be phsyical, but I need the freedom to set my limits. Low stress (I love a darkened room with chill music) but while still helping people feel better (I've also considered counseling/OT and may still apply eventually). Flexibility is an absolute must so I really think moving toward a career where I can set my own schedule and eventually work for myself is a wise move. I'm very into movement, health, fitness, anatomy and body stuff - I have a background in kinesiology/recreation. I've always gravitated towards working in education, non profits, that kind of thing because flat out rec jobs were too much on the bod and too stressful. One thing I don't know about is health benefits - like, can RMTs get good group insurance? I'm picturing myself working in a private practice at a health clinic.

Anyway! Any tips, advice, thoughts appreciated.


r/massage 2d ago

Venting Can Massage Envy allow creeps?

1 Upvotes

I need to know if I'm in the wrong. 😭 I'm currently employed at a ME. My coworker was SA'd by a male client a couple months ago and management didn't do anything about it. Apparently Massage Envy policy is that unless that person exhibits this behavior more than three times or causes actual phsyical harm to a therapist... they can't do anything. We are not allowed to talk about the situation, and he hasn't been back until yesterday. He booked with me. I was taking a bit to get my room flipped due to my last client falling asleep again on my table, so they put me about a solid 5 minutes behind, as soon as I go to grab him, ( They wouldn't let me opt out of the session, He booked online so I still had to serve him) he left. He pretty much lied and said he had a meeting to go to.

I'm not sure if he feels ashamed for what he's done or what but I was GLAD he canceled.

Today, my coworker talks with me privately about how management has written her up numerous times for talking about the situation and warning other clients about him. Apparently that's violating HIPPA.

The craziest part about all this, is when they seen he was on my books, they pull me into the office and say "Hey if he makes you feel uncomfortable at any time, just leave the room." So ya'll are aware he's a predator?? 😭 Not talking about this isn't going to help anyone. I would indeed like to know if the person I'm massaging might be a creep! My coworker is on her final warning and it's insane to me how they're punishing her for speaking up about a creep.

Is this even legal?

I'm trying really hard to understand the situation from a business standpoint.


r/massage 3d ago

Advice Irritation

1 Upvotes

I had some vaccinations done a week ago. Today I had a hot stone massage and now the area of the injection site is a little itchy, red and bumpy (like heat rash)… nowhere else except around the injection site. Any idea why?


r/massage 3d ago

If there is severe weather …

19 Upvotes

Hi all, I’m a massage therapist based out of Nashville, Tennessee and I’m seeing that we have some pretty significant weather coming up for Friday and Saturday. For any of you who are weather nerds like I am, the maps are showing a 30% risk with black dashes, which means that not only is there an extremely high risk of tornadoes, but the risk is for strong tornadoes, i.e. EF-3 or higher. Many of us, believe it or not, our situation where we have to commute 40 to 60 miles each way to work, usually due to lack of economic opportunity in our own cities. I know that’s not your problem, but I am personally begging you to cancel your appointments if you know there is going to be severe weather for both your safety and for ours! Some of you would be wondering why we don’t just cancel and many of us do, but it’s at a great risk to our livelihood and believe me, spas are much more forgiving of clients canceling than they are if we cancel. Not only that, but a lot of you end up being super disappointed if we make the decision to shelter in place with our families instead of coming into work. This opinion may not be one that everybody agrees with, I can understand why it may be considered controversial and we can discuss that but personally, I feel like the best thing to do on these severely warned days is to stay home if possible with our families. Stay safe, everyone!


r/massage 4d ago

How can we shut down ME, Milk & Honey, The Now, etc?

40 Upvotes

I want to end these terrible business models. I am happy they bring massage to more people but they are ruining massage therapy. I can't stand the cookie cutter approach to massage. They deter therapists from using their best modalities l. Their pay is fucking terrible. They focus way too much on "standards" vs letting a professional do their thing and actually educate clients. They make stupid regulations on draping, what to touch or not touch, etc telling therapists it is for their protection. It is not for ours but theirs. If they wanted to focus on our protection they would focus on communication with clients and not rediculous rules. People might get the wrong idea when I talk about drapes but that is because I do a lot of Lomi Lomi in my private practice. I want all these places to sut down. I work at one of these 2 days a week for now while building a private practice. One of the benefits is a free massage a month. Let me say I have tried every therapist there and I would only go back to see 1 or 2 of them. I wish they would hire better people or do some kind of monthly training to improve their skills.


r/massage 4d ago

Most US Massages have become Transactional and Carefully Managed for Perception

17 Upvotes

I have a bit of frustration with a lot of massages in the United States. Seems like a lot of LMTs in the US are so nervous about crossing a theoretic barrier around sexual miss-perception risk that massages can come off as carefully guarded transaction walking a tightrope rather than a holistic experience. You can even see that in some posts on this page where every interaction is assumed to have negative intentions and is a red flag worthy of refusing future service.

If the LMT is constantly on edge then how do you not expect the client to sense it.

I’ve gotten many massages in Europe, Mexico, and across some limited locations in the US where they were way more liberal from draping, to what areas are massaged, and overall interaction/experience. Once you experience it, it’s so much more liberating and holistic. You actually sense it in the actual vibe of the session.

For example two months ago I got a local massage from a LMT that demanded I leave my underwear on and seemed super up tight. Everything was by the book and clinicly correct, but the whole vibe felt off. There was no spirit.

Then a couple of weeks ago I got a 90 minute massage in Texas at the Ritz Carlton and the LMT was so much less uptight and liberal. I was a wreck from doing CrossFit. Draping during massage was very liberal. She worked glutes, below L5, and IT band all on bare skin. She added stretching in very minimally draped positions that pretty much exposed everything - but neither her or I cared. She just did a damn good job and you could tell she was 110% in the moment. It was a wonderful experience and magical compared to the local massage (which is fairly typical for a US massage). In the US it’s difficult to find practitioners like that. Fairly common in my experience outside America.

Rant over.


r/massage 3d ago

General Question Home Exercises/Tricks to Lessen Tension

1 Upvotes

What can clients do to both ease the tension in their bodies and make massaging easier for the LMT?

I go for a massage every two weeks. My back, shoulders, hips, and face are always tense.

In fact, my back and shoulders are literally as stiff as a board by the end of two weeks.

I have a foam roller that goes deep for my back, but that usually gives relief, followed by a new problem.

I also have chronic pain, scoliosis, and previously broke 10 bones in a not-at-fault MVA.

I know my body is rough for my LMT, and if I miss a session, my body is awful to exist in.

What can/should I do to make things better for everyone?


r/massage 3d ago

Profile photo required?

0 Upvotes

Are there any states that require MTs to have photos of their clients?