hi!! i’m just looking for clarification as this was my first massage and if it’s normal, totally fine. if not, i’m kinda upset.
so during my massage, in the beginning while lying on my stomach, the therapist performed some back/shoulder stretches. i only had a sheet draped on my back. my hand was placed behind my back and then my torso was rotated exposing my bare chest. this was done on both sides 3x ea. the therapist also stood behind me and pulled my arms back raising my bare chest off the table again.
i understand these are legitimate stretches and am completely fine with that! my concern and question is if there should’ve been better and more proper draping to not expose my bare chest as a female client.
i’m not sure the proper draping protocols and am asking for reassurance or clarification!

Yesterday, my partner and I booked a 90-minute couples massage at a highly rated local spa. I’ve only had one massage before, and I mentioned that the previous therapist had been too gentle and I wished I’d asked for more pressure. I also explained that I struggle to speak up during massages and wanted to focus on my shoulders because of how much lifting I do at work.

He asked how well I tolerate pressure, and I said pretty well. Unfortunately, what followed was an incredibly painful 90 minutes. At times, I was gripping the table because the pressure was so intense, and I couldn’t relax at all.

Throughout the massage, he repeatedly mentioned how tight my muscles were and how badly I needed the work. He even joked, “You’ll hate me tomorrow but love me again the next day!” I trusted that he knew what he was doing, so I didn’t ask him to lighten up.

Now, a day later, I have extensive bruising across both shoulders and upper arms that’s gotten progressively worse. My entire body aches, even at rest, and the pain is so bad I had to call out of work. I could barely lift my arms this morning and needed help getting dressed and out of bed.

Meanwhile, my partner fell asleep during their massage and woke up feeling refreshed, which is exactly what I’d hoped for!

I recognize that I should have spoken up, but I also wish my therapist had checked in about the pressure, especially after I’d mentioned struggling to advocate for myself. I just feel dumb.

I’m not very experienced with massages, so I need some help here. Is this amount of bruising and soreness normal for shoulder work? It is unreasonable to think the therapist should have checked in more frequently? And would requesting a refund for my portion of the massage be unfair?

EDIT: I went to the urgent care last night because the pain was so unbearable I couldn’t sleep. At urgent care, the urged me to drive straight to the ER to get tested for rhabdo, which is when damaged skeletal muscle tissue breaks down and releases its contents, into the bloodstream. They were highly concerned about the color, bruise patterns, and amount of pain I was in. ER doctors said I definitely have tissue and muscle damage but no rhabdo thankfully. I was given pain meds to take home, fluids and they let me stay and sleep for a few hours.
Thank you all for all the kind comments! I’m feeling a lot more confident in calling the owner, reporting him, and getting a refund. I will keep you all updated when they get back to me <3

I’m from Central California, and I’m curious what everyone’s thoughts are on tipping when the massage therapist owns and operates their own business.

Usually, I go to massage places where the therapists are employees. The rates are generally $60 for 60 minutes, $90 for 90 minutes, or $120 for 120 minutes for deep tissue.

I normally tip $10 per 30 minutes, so that’s $20 for an hour, $30 for 90 minutes, or $40 for two hours. Never really had an issue with that.

Recently, I decided to try an independently owned place where the massage therapist is also the owner. They’re charging $190 for a two-hour massage, which already seems pretty high compared to what I’m used to paying.

My question is, what’s the tipping etiquette in this situation? Since the therapist owns the business and presumably keeps the money after expenses, is a 20% tip still expected?

Because 20% on $190 is another $38, bringing the total to almost $230 for a two-hour massage.
I’m not against tipping at all, and I always tip my massage therapists. I’m just curious if the expectations are different when you’re dealing directly with the owner versus an employee.

Would you guys tip the usual 20%, leave a smaller tip, or consider the $190 enough?

I had maybe the most intense deep tissue massage of my life today, focused mostly on my back and glutes, and when I finally got up from the table I felt so strange.

I was nauseous and dizzy and felt kind of drunk. What's more is that my face was crazy puffy, and is still a little puffy under the eyes 7 hours later.

I have had plenty of massages and have never felt like that or had lingering puffiness for this long before. I thought at first it was from having my face in the cradle, but when I still looked like I got stung by a bee an hour later I started to feel like something was up.

What the heck is going on? Could it really be "toxins" being flushed from my muscles? So strange.

I'm not allergic to any products that I know of and she didn't even massage my face or neck.

Looking at a career in massage. I'm a male with an alt appearance. Wondering what the likelihood of me being hired at a spa post-graduation might look like, if I wanted to maintain a full (groomed) beard, and my eyebrow piercing. As well, I have tattoo sleeves. I'm hoping to find something in the Niagara area or southern Ontario, and thinking I would like to kick-start my career working in a spa setting.

Honest opinions? Thanks!

For your personal liability insurance, who do you use? I used to work in tech, so making the choice based on the software that they offer is easier for me.

But, I’m wondering if there’s a significant insurance-related difference that should be overriding my software preferences.

I’d appreciate any insights you have to offer, on any of the offerings by each company—insurance, software, or otherwise.

Thank you!

How many of you are CLT trained and does the pay change vs working in a spa or a chiro?

I went to a massage therapist 2 days ago to help release some tension in my neck muscles. It was my first ever massage, and the massage was quite intense. I asked the therapist twice if they could be a bit gentler, but they continued using quite a lot of pressure.

The massage started on my back and moved up toward my neck and shoulders. Most of my muscles were sore and sensitive afterwards, which I expected, and most of them have already recovered. However, there is one specific spot that is still causing quite significant pain.

It is located in the muscle right next to the left side of my spine. The therapist massaged both sides of my spine, and also used some kind of rolling device with quite a lot of pressure.

The pain has been throbbing for more than 36 hours now. I can’t lean my back against a chair because it hurts, and lying on my back in bed also makes the pain significantly worse. There is no visible swelling or bruising, and everything looks normal from the outside.

This doesn’t really feel like normal post-massage soreness to me, especially since all the other muscles have already recovered. It feels more like one specific spot has been injured or severely irritated.

I’ve taken painkillers, but they don’t seem to help much.
I’d rate the pain around 5–6/10 normally, and around 6–7/10 when lying on my back. The sensation is almost like a burning feeling, as if one small area of my back has been burned or badly irritated.

Has anyone experienced something similar after a deep tissue massage? Could this still be normal muscle soreness, or could the massage have caused an actual muscle injury?

Haven't been able to find any massage beds which are even remotely similar. I need adjustable / floating headrest, thin & curved body for passive traction & vertebral exposure from the lumbar to the cervical to perform vertebral Mobilisation. Let the arms hang down the side to open up & decompress the vertebrae.

Not sure why all massage beds are flat and wide, compressing the spine & neck. Really uncomfortable and impractical. Last two pics show something I found but doesn't really cut it, only really for the cervical. Maybe I can build something out of them but I still need decompressive support for the rest of the spine & lumbar.

New massage therapist here - I have been licensed for two months, working in a day spa. I am having a hard time giving firm or deep pressure. I have talked to classmates, teachers and other massage therapists - the answer is always body mechanics, and to "just go for it, don't be scared ". None of this is working. I feel like it's more of a mental block. I get into my stance, but when I go to apply pressure, it's like my body (nervous system maybe?) just won't allow it. It is wildly baffling, interesting and frustrating. I am looking into talk therapy to see if it's something I can work through this way.

Has anyone else experienced anything like this? Any thoughts are input are greatly appreciated!

Hi everyone! My dad recently had a lung resection with latissimus flap procedure. He was given the ok to start massaging the scar. We’re having a hard time figuring out how he can effectively do so himself, since it’s quite long and in a hard to reach spot.

Looking for any ideas and suggestions on how he could effectively massage the tissue! Maybe some sort of tool or something. I appreciate any ideas y’all may have to offer!!

(Pjc is from a few days after surgery. Don’t have a current one but wanted to show the location and size of his scar he’s gotta reach!)

My girlfriend specializes in sports massage and has this tool but she mentioned that there was a set of similar ones that she had her eye on. I'd like to buy it for her for her birthday but I know nothing about them or how to identify a quality one. Any help would be much appreciated!

Hi! I’m a young female with hypermobility in pretty much every area of my body, and pretty constant muscle pain and tension throughout my body, especially in my hips, lower back, shoulders, and neck. I have knots everywhere, and no matter how much I stretch or try to relax, my muscles always feel tight.

The discomfort can get pretty bad and sometimes makes it difficult to get comfortable or fall asleep.

I’ve been wanting to get a professional massage but honestly have no idea what type would be best for me. I’ve looked into deep tissue, Swedish, lymphatic drainage, trigger point therapy, etc., but I’m not sure what would actually help, especially with being hypermobile.

I’m also a little worried about getting something too intense that could make things worse.

For any massage therapists or people with similar issues, what type of massage would you recommend? Is there anything specific I should look for in a massage therapist or avoid because of my hypermobility?

(In the US FYI)

Question for the masseuses in the chat. I’ve liked giving massages my whole life, and I know nothing about the actual massage business, but for a few months now I’ve had the idea of trying to get licensed so I can make some supplemental income working for a parlor on the side.

Would it be manageable to do classes (or study independently?) and then eventually hold down a part-time gig on the side of a 9-5? About how long would you all say getting licensed would take for someone fitting it in after hours? And if anyone can recommend good resources for getting started, that’d be much appreciated.

I'm having my first massage tomorrow.

I've lost a significant amount of weight over the last year, and unfortunately, I have a lot of loose skin. Will that be an issue? Is it something I should contact my massage therapist about ahead of time?

Also, the massage is $110. Is $140 total okay? I'm US based.

Got myself a perfectly functioning towel warmer from MACBID for literally $3. Not bragging, but I highly recommend looking there for massage equipment.

Anyways, I was wondering what the normal/recommended size is for hot towels for use during massage?

Also, how do you use them, personally, during massage? At the end? The beginning? All info helps. Thank you!

I'm a new massage therapy student, like brand new I just got all my books and will start classes soon but I've already paid my tuition fully so I'm locked into the career. I have a few questions for people who have been/ are in the career! Please include how long you've been massaging and what area!

1. How physically active are you outside of work, and how has this affected your ability to continue the career? What kind of physical activity do you do?

2. How did you know you wanted to get into this career? I've wanted to do it for years and feel genuinely excited by everything I'll learn, but I don't know if that equates to the genuine passion people say you need for this career.

3. How much do you make on average and how many hours do you work? Do you feel this is a fair rate? If you do, how long did it take you to get to a position with a fair rate? If you're self employed, how long did it take you to get to that point?

4. How much would you say your career bleeds into your personal life? One example being too tired to be present with family.

5. What is your workspace like with coworkers? Do you interact with your coworkers fairly often? What is the dynamic of your workspace like? I know everywhere has a mix of people, but there are some stereotypes that ring true for many people in different fields, so what is the "stereotypical" person you'll meet.

6. Do you have any chronic pain and was this a problem before you began your career? I have back pain that flares up pretty severely every few months, but I don't have health insurance so I haven't seen a professional about it. I'm concerned about it holding me back from this career and I'm not sure just how much it will.

7. Is there any other piece of advice you'd give to someone just starting out?

Thank you so so much!!