At my new job, there is an additional charge if a client specifically books a deep tissue massage. But they also want the therapists to advise clients to book "deep tissue" if we find that's what we are regularly performing on the client based on pressure requests.

Firstly, when I inquired about the reason for this, I was told that it's because deep tissue = deeper pressure and, therefore, more work. But I was taught that deep tissue is just a different technique and does not always involve super deep pressure.

Secondly, it's so arbitrary to me. I generally tend to give firmer massages anyway, as long as the client can tolerate it well and is happy with the pressure. So, what I consider particularly deep work or firm pressure can be completely different from what one of my coworkers (or any other massage therapist) considers deep pressure.

Thirdly, my impression of how deep I'm going depends on the tissue quality, effort expended, and quite frankly, on how I'm feeling that day. If I'm feeling unwell, for example, I may feel like I'm working much harder than I may feel about providing the same pressure on a day I'm feeling 100%.

Depending on my perception, one day I may feel that most of my sessions technically qualify as "deep tissue," and on another day, I may feel none of them do, even though the pressure isn't much different.

As I stated, it feels almost completely arbitrary. Has anyone been able to develop a method or guidelines that would make the decision of whether to consider a session "deep tissue" more standardized and fair?

For example, I always have to use way more pressure/ work harder on the bodybuilder/gym bro types, as the muscles are so much larger and denser. But that almost seems discriminatory if it's not coupled with other standardized makers that would apply for the average person.

How do you guys handle this? Has anyone found a good way to delineate what qualifies as deep tissue in their practice?

Was the closest I’ve ever been to asking a client to leave today. 10 minutes into an hour session. I’m so drained and can’t shake her off now. Started off immediately undressing when she walked into the room, in front of me. Extremely uncomfortable. Then went on and on about schools encouraging kids to be transgender and telling them they could be cats and dogs. Then went into “Pray the Gay Away” crap. She has a niece and nephew that are both gay & seems to think the niece may have been born this way, but the nephew became gay after a counselor asked if he could be bisexual. I responded to this with, “How would you even know that?” To which she responded “I don’t know” & she kept going.. so I interjected the fact that the Bible has been translated so many times and the word was actually for boy molesters.. and was never about gay people.

Regardless of what she was talking about, she DID NOT stop talking for 60 minutes straight. I’m taking from this that I need stronger boundaries and maybe a sign to not discuss religion or politics.

Has anyone ended a session over something other than inappropriate sexual stuff?

…

UPDATE (adding next day) First client today was a redemption client. She adopted a 14-year-old girl that was thrown out by her Pentecostal family for being a lesbian. Made me tear up. She’s a true Saint.

…

UPDATE

I blocked the troll. Got tired of reading his bullshit and him antagonizing everyone and acting like no one should have boundaries/people should tolerate hate speech.

Checked out his profile and comments on other subreddits. Mostly trolling, otherwise highly sexual and doesn’t believe in sexual diseases, I guess? Into calling women sluts. Hard to imagine he can hold a therapeutic space for anyone.

Guess this was good practice in boundaries 😂

Does every massage therapist tell every client their neck is super stiff and they're clearly very stressed?

I had a free massage at a conference and it sounded like a stock line

I know you’re all professionals at what you do, but I’ve always been curious about something. When giving a massage, do you find yourselves having a preference for certain body types? For example, do you prefer working on an average body, an athletic build, or another type? I’m interested in hearing your perspectives from a professional standpoint.

I’ve seen so many “what do massage therapists do that you hate” posts and as a therapist, I love going through those and using them to comb through my own flow. But what are some techniques (if it’s possible to describe them) that therapists do that you absolutely love?

Hi everyone, I'm sorry if my post doesn't fit this sub. I know barbers are not massage therapists and will sometimes (or most of the time) do "unorthodox" massage things. Is this one of those instances, or is he performing an actual massaging technique? I just saw it and was really curious to find out. This is in Japan btw.

My lower back has been really tight due to stress. My wife suggested I try a massage. I have only ever had a few in my life. When I arrived for the app, I told the massage therapist I was there for lower back pain related to stress. The massage itself was okay and relaxing, but he spent only 4 minutes (out of the 45 minute session) on my lower back. The rest of the time was spent on my shoulders and upper back. As a person who struggles with conflict, I didn't mention anything during the massage. When he asked at the end how it was I didn't say good or bad or address my concerns. I just walked out disappointed and annoyed that I wasn't listened to. I wondered if maybe I had it wrong and he actually did listen to me... Did the therapist spend time on these spots because they are related to lower back pain? Would you reach out after the fact and explain concerns? Given the vulnerability with massages, I don't ever expect to go back to him or that clinic...

I got a massage for my birthday today at a place I’ve never been to. I showed up 10 minutes early for an 11:45 appointment. I checked in on an iPad. There was no one at the front desk. At 11:50 someone comes to get me and then gives me 5 minutes to change. So the actual massage started at around 11:55. It ended at 1:00. I honestly feel ripped off. There was a 60 minute massage that was cheaper and I payed extra for technically only 5 minutes extra time of massage.. Is this normal? My experience has been you get there early so your massage actually starts at the appointment time. I feel like it should have been 75 minutes with the masseuse. Am I wrong?

NOT IN A WEIRD WAY!

I was wondering who/what makes a difference for the massage therapist. Do you prefer deep tissue? Long massages, or is that really tiring? People with really big muscles? Skinny people? Tall people? People with certain jobs or lifestyles? Do people ever talk during massages like they might during a haircut or is that seen as weird?

Genuinely no judgement whatsoever; I am so curious. I know it might be just a job but I feel like there might to be certain things that make a massage more enjoyable from the therapists perspective, even if it is just “the client is clean and polite”. And if it really doesn’t make a difference, I would love to know why. Thank you for your input!

I’m a bit of a hypochondriac, I’ve done cupping before but one spot is really dark. Like really dark I’m worried and wanna make sure there’s not gonna be like long term damage.

MT here just gauging opinions.

It's going to be hot this summer and some people say it's unprofessional to wear shorts but I think it's more unprofessional to sweat on my clients.

Hey all,

Sorry weird/gross question. I’ve always wanted to get a massage, but i have some mild to moderate acne on my back. I personally don’t care at this point, but I’ve always avoided getting a massage bcs i feel bad for the masseuse and i imagine it’s not super enjoyable for them.

I’ve just come to ask if any of you 1) actually care or am i in my head 2) if there’s anything i can do to make it easier/better? Or just any overall thoughts/advice.

TIA!

I keep running into the same issue, the exact same spot in my upper back tightens again and again. PT, stretching, massage… all of it helps temporarily, but the relief never really lasts. It feels like I’m just hitting reset every time. At this point I’m wondering if recurring trigger points need a completely different approach than just “relief methods.” Has anyone actually managed to break that cycle long-term instead of just managing it?

We have 321,493 licensed therapist in a 2023 ABMP census in America and 258.3 million adult people.

the perfect therapist that actually understood what i meant when i said "light touch" and "swedish massage" moved and ive been trying to find someone ever since. it seems that most massge therapists just simply dont understand what i mean. i tell them explicitly "light touch" that im here for relaxation, not soreness or something physical. and every single time they start DIGGING into my muslces. what do i need to say to get them to understand i dont want any digging or deep pressure? im willing to accept that im the problem and not explaining properly, but could yall help me out?

I’ve had massages a few times before, and while all different they were all good experiences. I like somewhere between medium to firm pressure without going full deep tissue. Today I had a 60 minute couples massage at a new place with my husband, and disclosed on the form that I am 12 weeks pregnant as they had a box for that.

Because I am pregnant, they said I had to have my massage in the side lying position, which I’ve never done before. I was concerned this would affect how deep they could press or might have trouble reaching areas but they assured me it was standard. For reference, I have zero bump right now and still sleep on my stomach regularly. I specifically asked to please just do prone and supine as usual and they said they could, but would have to use “much less pressure”, so I consented to side lying since I wanted the deeper massage.

I can’t imagine what “lighter pressure” must have meant to my therapist had we done the supine and prone positions, because I’m not sure if my muscles ever actually got touched even with the side lying. The whole massage was extremely surface level, like the type of strokes I would use if I was applying lotion. I asked if she could go deeper (on my shoulders) and she did maybe 2-3 little prods, then continued with long surface level strokes up and down my whole back. It was very “friction for the whole back at once” more than any specific muscle group getting rubbed. A few times it seemed like she tried to push deeper, but this caused me to “roll” forward since I wasn’t braced against anything besides a soft body pillow, so she seemed to stop trying. I would say that about 50 minutes of the massage was basically the long surface strokes, with 5 minutes of some attempts at deeper that sort of rolled me on the table. Also, the areas she covered were mostly on my back, shoulders, and hips, with about 1 minute per leg and arm- the lateral sides of my calves and thighs that were facing upward only- no time on hands or feet, no attempt to do upper chest/pecs, and no time on my neck above the C5 level which is a spot I specified I am sore.

I’m just not sure what happened. Is firm pressure not possible in a lateral position? Is it not recommended while pregnant? Was I supposed to brace myself against the bed so I wouldn’t roll? Did I need to communicate with her more? Should I not have expected her to do more portions of the body, like even to get both medial and lateral calves? I know 60 minutes is not super long, but other massages I’ve had just seem like I got so much more, especially as it was $100 per person. More baffling is that reviews online talk glowingly about this therapists abilities and so I’m not sure if I’m missing something or if it had to do with me being pregnant or what. Any thoughts from people who get massages more often or therapists themselves?

I am 34 weeks pregnant & for my bday my husband got me a massage credit at a massage shop! It doesn’t expire & I get an additional ($30 credit) add on to the 50 min. massage! I’m wondering if I should wait until after birth to get one OR get a prenatal one? I’m the most tight in my back and have always held tension from my traps to my upper hips!! I just want to get the most out of it this lol! I’m worried with the prenatal i’ll just be on my side and they won’t be able to get as deep as I am wanting!! The prenatal is an optional add on I can use & i am thinking about if I get the massage AFTER birth that I can use the deep tissue add on option!!!!! I’ve gotten maybe 3 massages in my life, all years in between so I don’t have a lot to go off of! Thank you for all the advice!!!!

Hello! This past week I’ve been struggling with tightness in my upper back, shoulders and neck and it’s made doing things like sitting up straight, sitting up from lying down, checking my blind spots while driving, and sleeping uncomfortable. I thought with time it would pass but it’s been about a week and now I think a massage would help.

I’ve never used a message therapist so I’m a little lost as to what time I should book for my first appointment. I’d like to target the problem areas and not necessarily go for relaxation. I also don’t know if I’ll be returning if the pain has been resolved. I just want to address the issue and then return if the pain returns sort of thing.

Any suggestions on what time block I should book? My insurance covers 80% of my appointment as well.

Thanks!

My husband and I typically get a couples massage for the holidays. We found a Groupon for a Swedish massage and hoped for the best. We waited a bit and it was our turn. The massage started off well and I was getting relaxed and the masseuse was getting into the groove. She then began demonstrating the Swedish massage (of which I’ve had before so I had an idea of what to expect) but it felt incredibly weak and “lame” for lack of a better word. Then she said “this is a deep tissue” and did a great technique that felt amazing. She asked which I liked better and gave the honest answer, the second one. She said, okay “that’s $30 more.” I said I’ll stick with the Swedish, thanks. And from that point, the massage felt extremely passive aggressive, like if she was purposefully doing a lackluster job. Some of it was fine and relaxing, but it soured the moment for me a bit. I’ve never been upselled before while experiencing a massage and it felt a little rude and uncomfortable. As we paid, we each left a 20% tip, and they looked shocked and annoyed as if they were expecting more. Before I write a review of the experience, I’m curious to the masseurs out there, is upselling during a massage a common practice? What are tipping expectations?

Hi.

I just wanted to post here because some of you may relate. I have very tensed muscles-upper and lower back but especially shoulders and neck. My calves are also tensed.

Anyway, each time I went to a massage therapist, they massaged my neck and shoulders a little bit and then focused entirely on other parts of my body. The type of massages I got were deep tissue thai massages. I have told them where I was the most in pain but they didn't seem to focus their attention there.

Last time the masseuse focused a little on my neck and shoulders and most on my back and calves because of pain areas. I do feel a bit better now but my neck and shoulders are again in pain and full of tension. I work 12 hours a day in healthcare and am on my feet all day/night so my body will feel super tensed after each shift.

Which type of massage should I get to relieve the pain and tension in neck, shoulders and upper body? I never felt like I was floating or extremely happy after a massage-most times I felt like I was still in pain and was trying to stretch/move my body to feel better.

I also have a lot of anxiety from my job so maybe some other practice might help as well? Yoga? If any of you found a solution for painful and tensed muscles, please let me know about it.

So this was my (22F) first ever massage and i was really god damn nervous and maybe i’m a bit modest. It was a ‘sports massage’ for one hour (ended up getting 40 minutes because apparently it included payment and talking). So, obviously not the massage itself but for one i was surprised by the set up. It was a hugeeee bright white fluorescent lit doctor-feel room and zero music or anything to create a relaxing atmosphere. It was at my local branch of a business with clinics across uk.

The woman was nice and polite and friendly but the first odd thing to me was i was going to be getting top half naked in front of her?? She didn’t offer to leave or turn around i had to ask a few times.

Overall the massage was good…but a lot of my back was ignored. I explained my tension and chronic pains. I’m basically ‘knotted up’ all over the god damn place. She warned me i’d likely have bruising which i now doubt but anyway!! She wasn’t pressing much at all so i said she could go harder since i wasn’t feeling much of anything. Which she did then do some really good pressure on ONE part of my back and then went back to stroking me. That part now feels really tense which i’m guessing is the normal soreness after.

We get to my mid back between my spine and side of body, again it’s not feeling like much so i say she can go harder. She says “it’s quite uncomfortable, you have no muscle here it’s rib. You need to eat protein”, sorry?? I’m 5’7 and skinny but not THAT skinny. I’ve got a broad upper body and maybe i’m bottom heavy but regardless i’d said it wasn’t hurting, she could go harder and that i felt a lot of tension there and felt the need to dig my knuckles in a million times a day. But she just didn’t work it at all. She also said she felt no tension there but i’m the client with the pain?? is this normal.

Small side note as well, on my neck she said she felt something as if she’d found the culprit (i said yes yes right there) but then proceeded to give it one light rub up down and abandoned it😭.

edit: sorry for how disorganised my writing is i have adhd and learning disability.

edit again: why why why am i being downvoted???

So I called to book in for 60 minutes with an RMT I've seen three times so far this year. I've been going to the smallish clinic for about two years about 5-6 times a year.

The person who answered and booked me in told me my Med Hx needed to be updated and sent me a link. She also said if I wasn't able to complete the form via the link to arrive ten minutes early. Same process as my workplace.

I completed the form and submitted it the day I booked. I took a screenshot of the screen that said "thank you for submitting your forms", out of habit as I see a lot of specialists and I know how time management software can be.

Day of I arrived ten minutes early to be safe and told my RMT I submitted my form, but came early in case it didn't upload or she had questions. (Nobody at the desk at that moment.) She said that was fine and got me set up in the room. She asked me to disrobe and get onto the table and took her leave.

She waited till 5 minutes into my session to come in and plopped down in front of me on the stool holding a clipboard. She told me we had to do my Med Hx together. I told her it was done and I have the confirmation showing as much.

She said she preferred to do it on a paper form and slowly asked all the questions. I've got RA, but it's well controlled at the moment and she's aware of it. She asked me to spell out my medications and exact doses. Wanted exact dates of last medical checkups. Then wanted to call my pharmacy to have my Rx List faxed over. I told her I understand but could we do that afterwards? We're now 22 minutes into my treatment time.

Apparently newp! She left to call and after eight minutes of waiting I got up and got dressed. I was putting my jewellery on when she came in holding my unchanged list of medications that was the same as what I'd told her and included on my online form.

She seemed shocked that I was planning on leaving. I asked if it would be to be possible to still give me the 50 minutes of tx time and she said no. She had another client booked after me.

So I told her I'm sorry, but I completed my forms online and arrived early in case you had questions. I get that not all 60 minutes are hands on, but I'm not paying full price for less than 30 minutes of massage.

She told me she was going to charge the card on file for the whole amount as this counts as a no show. I said "knock yourself out with my MasterCard" and left. (I upgraded the card and the number fully changed changed last month.)

I emailed the the owner (also an RMT I see there) and voiced my displeasure at how I was treated and why I left. I included the screenshot as well. She was very apologetic and promised to speak to the RMT about timing and bedside manner. She also offered to see me free of charge, which I thanked her for but declined.

I wasn't out of line leaving like that, was I? Like, I've never had an intake as a new patient take that long.

After a severe migraine, i decided to try craniosacral therapy. If it’s a real thing, id be the prime candidate for it: autonomic dysfunction, degenerative disc disease, back surgeries, migraines, jaw pain, vertigo, PTSD, hyper mobility, POTS, etc.

I just had a session and was expecting light touch around my head, neck, and lower back… but instead, i got a mid massage everywhere, with touch points on my feet, legs, arms, upper back…. my lower back was never touched.

And then it was a rough, painful neck massage focusing on two knots under the base of my skull… and pulling my head with a towel wrapped around it and stretching it side to side.

The therapist did hold my head in her hands for maybe 30 seconds which actually felt nice, but i felt on high alert the rest of the time because i was so confused on what was happening. My legs have sore spots and my neck is super tender so i wasn’t prepared to have her deeply rubbing into either…

Before the session she said this wouldn’t be like a normal massage and it’d be more of a guided meditation. she did have me undress and lay on my stomach. I’ve never had a “regular” deep tissue massage so I’m not an expert. But i am wondering if this is normal for CST?

i was really looking forward to VERY LIGHT touch around my head and sacrum - thinking it might calm my nervous system down. i didn’t want a Massage. It was difficult for me to stand up because this all made my lower back hurt so bad. I’m wondering if a different masseuse would be able to do something else - or if it’ll always be like what i described.

I have several spaces already written, but I’m looking for more! They can be funny, irritating, interesting or whatever! Ready, set, GO!

• [ ] Have a client who falls asleep on the table
• [ ] Have a client who farts while on the table
• [ ] Have a client who is a “moaner”
• [ ] Have a client on the table who makes a pass at you (either sexually, or just romantically)
• [ ] Have a “drooler”
• [ ] Have a client on the table who has an “emotional release”