Expectations

There's a general rule with massage... if you wear clothing over an area of your body, the signal you're sending your therapist is that you don't want it massaged. The biggest example of this is people leaving on underwear. It's not a hard and fast rule. Some people may leave on socks because their feet get cold, but are fine with me taking them off when I get to that area. I've even had a nursing mother leave her nursing bra on when she got on the table, but let me unhook it while I worked on her back.

I think the underwear is part of a bigger issue. While there are several muscles in the gluteal area, and massaging this area can help relieve lower back pain among other things, many folks are uncomfortable getting... well... a butt massage. Or even possibly just exposing their butt. 

I get it; I've been there, and sometimes, I don't really feel like having that area worked either. I'll leave my underwear on, and that tells the therapist that I don't want much work there. I'm okay with some over the sheet stuff, though. Here's the moral of the story: if you are uncomfortable taking off your undergarments, but want some compressions and such in the glutes, make sure you tell your therapist!

Insider Trading

I worked on a fellow massage therapist this week. I'm still new to the profession, so I always find myself feeling unsure and nervous when I start out working on someone that in my head I'm sure is so much more knowledgeable than me and is judging my every move and stroke. She was perfectly nice, helped me get the perfect spots, and gave me a couple of tips.
The nervousness I feel around advanced bodyworkers is part of a bigger thing in my head. Why would someone pay me full price for a massage when there are other people more experienced? I go back and forth; I think I give a good massage and while I may not use advanced techniques, I put my heart and soul into my sessions and really care about giving the client what they need. That intention and beingness are important and help me feel proud of my work.
Working on her made me realize just how much I still have to learn, though... and how much I need to get work by other, more experienced therapists rather than relying on the school clinic massages I've been getting. I'm at the point now in my career where I know I need work, in fact my lower back has been screaming for some work, but I have trouble relaxing in session. I want to remember what the therapist is doing, analyze how I feel as they perform their techniques and try to remember techniques I want to steal.

Random

I worked on a new client a few days ago. She was about my age and sportily clad. She had excellent muscle definition and as I was working, I found myself wondering what her fitness regimen is, and if it would be inappropriate to ask. I never did bring it up. I know that's pretty tame, but it seems like I'm often wondering something while my client is on the table.

Counting my lucky stars

Had a client yesterday that made me realize that no matter what I think I've been through, things are a lot better than they could be.

She has a college-age son; he should be looking forward to spring break and doing all the things that kids his age do. Instead, he lives at home and is nursed full-time by his mother while his body recuperates from over a year of chemo and radiation from his first cancer which has led to leukemia. He is neither physically nor emotionally able to handle the treatments the new cancer requires... and so they sit and wait.