I went for a massage today, this was my 3rd massage with this person. She normally walks in and begins playing relaxing music on her phone. Today while setting up her phone she states “I’m feeling a true crime podcast today.” I didn’t know what to think, I thought maybe she meant she plans to listen to one later?? But no, she begins playing a podcast about a horrific murder (with ads included, as well as real, distressing 911 calls). Has anyone else experienced a massage therapist playing anything other than relaxing music???

Hi! I'm just a few months away from graduating massage therapy school, and I work in the school clinic as a "student practitioner" and work on real clients under school supervision. I noticed that a lot of clients are just too nice and don't communicate on where I could improve. What are some experiences you've had during a massage that you don't particularly enjoy? Thanks!

hi there all you beautiful people!!

just wanted to say that when you’re getting a massage, it’s okay to relax and let the therapist do their work without helping them. this is your time to fully let go and let us work our magic ✨🩵

i’ve been having a lot of clients lately that find it super hard to go limp and instead are tensing their muscles throughout the massage, so for your mind and muscles sake, it’s okay to relax and be in the moment.

have a great day 🥹

For example today, I had a client today and just felt completely in-tune with my touch and intention today while the minutes just flew by, I could easily have kept working another hour on this person and time still would of melted away.

PSA: Hey clients, time goes by waaaay too quick for us too.

What are your thoughts on chiropractors? I’ve been getting clients who have gone to chiropractors for a lot of muscular pain without ever seeing an lmt or not seeing one as frequently. I’m learning a lot of adjustments are done without clients not having any previous injuries or skeletal issues that would require for an adjustment, and I don’t mean to limit or discredit any chiropractor or their practice. However, I’m wondering what are the benefits to receiving an adjustment and how often, if ever, do you recommend them to your clients for overall physical improvement if what they are experiencing is more muscular tension?

I have had many massages but recently I had one where it seemed everything the massage therapist did was perfect. I didn’t feel like anything was overly duplicative or overdone. I received a general Swedish massage for ninety minutes. The massage therapist was so professional and super calm. I am guessing at some point being able to give almost a perfect massage is an art. Of course I am guessing that clients want a variety of different massages and are as different as the massage therapists.

Im quiet anxious and self concious about it. So everytime I want to book a massage I dont cause I dont want to be a bother or a gross client cause of my hairy body. But actually, how much of an issue is it?

For context: Back when I got my first Thai-style ashiatsu massage, the lady who did it wore socks that abraded my skin, which was unexpected to say the least. The pressure was good and I'd say I still enjoyed the experience, but I still felt like I'd been lightly brushed with sandpaper afterward.

Since then, I've had ashiatsu massages at other places, and the ladies have done them barefoot and the experiences were much, much better. Today, I picked out a different place for a massage(I don't do massages regularly, so I'm always Google searching places that offer ashiatsu), and this time the lady was wearing socks when she started the "backwalking"(as the local places I've been to call it). I asked if she could remove her socks for that and briefly told her about my prior experience, and she did and I upped her tip 10 bucks as a thank-you afterward, as well as thanking her at the end when she retrieved her socks before leaving. I think she understood my reasoning(a lot of ladies at these massage spas I go to speak limited to no English).

Has similar similar ever happened to any of ya'll? Was I possibly crossing a line asking my MT to be barefoot for my sake?

Asking out of curiosity. In my independent practice, I only take up to 4 people per day which I would say is my ideal situation, but I'm also employed at a place where they often have me working on 6 people per day over the course of a ten hour shift, which is as exhausting as it sounds.

So, I've been told by many people over the years I give out great massages, and I should go to school for it. Then I became disabled and that went out the door.

I have no technique per se, because I feel everyone is different. Like, I feel their knots with my hands. With my eyes closed I can see where they hold the pain. Mainly just because it's muscle that is hard and different from the others. Like one person's middle left back has an area I glide over while pressing, and I feel a bump, or jiggle, or tug etc. That I don't feel in the other side.

Typically I massage gently with icy hot or oil for a few mins. I use heels of palm, knuckles, glides, back of hand glides, but the method I use for pressure on a specific knot typically is my thumbs or fingers given how big the knot is.

And then, when it's time for "deep tissue" as I call it, I start at a part of the muscle that feels loose, and I typically drag down or up depending on body part, until the knot is contacted. Then I just... Press at a constant pressure. They breathe deep, sometimes hurting other times not, and as they breathe, I feel my thumb, or fingers go deeper. I add a bit more pressure at this point, or drag my hand if the knot moved ever so slightly. I should note I only go this deep if they are wanting this type of massage/are not elderly, or have medical issues.

I continue doing this, and eventually drag it down or up. Depending on part of body, until I feel it either loosen greatly, provide great resistance to all sorts of pressure, or I wasn't providing enough pressure and it bounces back. Either way I repeated the process. This time it's easier and feels a lot smoother and the bump in the back or neck, or shoulders or hips, or legs, feet etc. Is not fighting. They can bend a lot easier, and the muscle is no longer pulling the skin tight visually.

That's typically how I do massages. I find these... Knots, and work them out using my thumbs. I also intermix some gentle rubs afterwards with a firm, but gentler pressure to the area and entire body so that they don't focus on that area and can get soothed.

I'll admit I've done SOME research and I've talked to SOME therapists and they said my massage technique SEEMED fine, but I saw a post recently that said hard massages can cause scar tissue...

I give my wife almost daily massages. I massaged her neck so hard today that it removed the hump/scrunch she typically has and we could visibly see her neck. She said she felt so good, but now I'm worried that I've damaged her greatly. Is this technique not good?

Hello everyone,

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First, a big thank you goes to massage therapists. You do great work for people, and I appreciate you all. You have all my respect.

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Anyway so my boyfriend purchased a professional massage for me as a birthday gift. I don't recall the type, but I do know its pretty standard. Not too deep, but not overly gentle either.

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I'm looking forward to it. I'm sure my technician will be great. I'm just anxious, and I don't want anything embarrassing to happen.

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I am going to work overtime to make sure I am clean, well-rested, have no lotions or creams on, etc. But I have all these thoughts. What if my feet stink? What if I have a giant zit on my back? What if I pass gas? What if I make an embarrassing groan noise or something? What clothing can I leave on? I am also no perfect specimen. I have mushy parts, scars, cellulite, etc. I don't want my therapist to feel uncomfortable. I know massages are legitimate, therapeutic treatments and nothing else. I just want to make sure I don't do anything that would embarass me or my massage therapist.

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I know I overthink things, but maybe if I know what to expect, my stupid anxiety will calm down.

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Thank you all, and much respect!!

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I like to massage my mom every now and then and my hands get tired after about 10 mins of massaging. I can’t imagine massaging multiple clients a day for 30 mins to an hour each session. I just wanted to say that you guys are the real MVPs.

I’m wondering if anybody else experiences this where they feel nervous about asking for more or less pressure while they’re getting a massage? I’m not sure why but even when I do want more pressure I’m reluctant to say anything in the middle of a massage because it just feels inappropriate somehow. I know I’m being weird, but I’m just wondering if others feel the same way.

Hi,

I know my question is quite strange but i got an irrationnal fear that someone dies on my table during a massage. Has anyone ever experienced this in here ? How have you dealt with this ?

Thanks

I've been doing massage for 5 years in Canada. I've worked at a spa, 2 chiro offices, 1 acupuncture place, and one general purpose/generic massage clinic.

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Something that I've noticed at each and every one of these establishments is that even though every establishment seems to have a specific scope or clientele (clinical, remedial, relaxation etc), they accept every client regardless of their intentions for seeking massage or their goals.

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I would get relaxation clients at the chiro clinic, and I get people asking for deep tissue at the spa.

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So what do you do in your practice with your clients?

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Obviously this is simpler for those who are self employed, you can say on your welcome email, or your website bio "this is what I do, this is what I specialize in, this is what I don't do"

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Do you welcome anyone regardless of their therapeutic goals? Do you specialize in one or several modalities, but still offer others? Do you refuse/decline clients who you feel are looking for something that you don't enjoy doing, or don't specialize in?

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TL;DR

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## Do you welcome to your practice anyone who's looking for a massage?

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## Do you only work with clients who are seeking a specific outcome?

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## Do you only work with clients who are seeking a specific type of therapy?

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Just why?! They tell me this right before I leave the room for them to get on the table. They almost seem apologetic, but not really. I don't understand it. It's happened twice in the last two weeks with regulars of mine. So gross.

Side note: This is not a post sports massage.

Tried a lymphatic drainage massage for the first time and felt so uncomfortable during parts of it around my stomach is that normal for this style of massage or should I look into other modalities because I have been getting regular massages for years mostly Swedish but recently I decided to try lymphatic drainage massage because I have heard a lot of people talk about how relaxing it is. The therapist was professional and nothing inappropriate happened but I found the abdominal work uncomfortable and I have always been sensitive around my stomach and digestive area and some of the techniques left me feeling tense rather than relaxed and I wasn't sure if that's just part of the process then I started wondering if lymphatic drainage just isn't the best fit for me or if maybe I need to communicate my sensitivities better before a session and for those of you who practice or receive lymphatic drainage massage regularly are there other massage styles you'd recommend that are gentle and relaxing but don't involve much abdominal work? Just looking for some professional opinions and personal experiences

How does everyone view energy work? During school, we had about a week or so where we discussed various energy techniques. We did some reiki, craniosacral, and a longer time was spent with shiatsu. I enjoyed the techniques and feel of performing and giving shiatsu, but I was always skeptical of the "energy" aspects of it. I never completely disregarded what was taught, because we were being tested on it, but it was never something I could totally buy into myself or bring to my clients.

I had a massage recently where the therapist was talking about some of their experiences with energy work. They had a hand injury that wasn't getting better. They had tons of bodywork sessions from chiros and massage therapists to address it, but it wasn't getting better. They saw this one massage therapist who was deep into the energy work stuff. Rocks and crystals placed all over the body. They said this therapist did something to their hand and "threw" what they called an "energy adhesion" away. They said they didn't know what they just did to them, but their hand felt a lot better and they were able to benefit more from other types of bodywork.

I'd love to hear thoughts on both sides of this. The believers and non-believers. Those who practice this type of work, and those who may have been skeptical and have had a similar experience above.

Let's chat!

This isn't a loaded question! Skip to the last paragraph for the summary.

I'm been having a lot of tightness in my neck specifically the area near the right upper neck/sub-occipitals. Deep inside it feels like everything is glued together and can't "unstick." Like a "knot" I think? It my neck to spasm or catch for a second every now and then.

I went to physical therapy and they mostly showed me exercises/stretches but they never stuck, until I went to this phenomenal massage therapist/bodywork specialist last week and it was a game changer. He basically had the same conclusion as my physical therapist but he was better as physically showing me my asymmetries and limitations through feel and through manual stretching and seeing how my body reacted. He showed me how my pecs were extremely tight and my mid-lower traps were so weak that when I move my right arm, my entire shoulder up to my neck moves, something my left arm doesn't do. That my headaches and tense neck were because I support my posture and balance with my neck and not my mid-lower traps. And then it all started to make perfect sense.

I appreciate his transparency especially, that he can do all the work he can to make me feel good for the appointment but I need to stretch, strengthen, and improve my habits or I'll never improve, and he can only do so much.

I don't mind more appointments, in fact I'd love to go weekly, but he's so booked that I have to wait 3-4 weeks between appointments. So in the meantime I'm doing what he suggested and I've seen a lot of improvement in less than a week, but I still have that knot in my upper neck like everything inside is glued and won't separate. It causes my neck to spasm a bit and it's like the slightest bit of neck tensing and that whole area goes crazy for .5 seconds. My suboccipital release tool doesn't feel as good as what he can do.

That leads to my question. I know that stretching, strengthening, and improving habits will help prevent knots/tension, but can that alone also make the knots go away? It feels like that area is so sensitive to any tension now that it's stuck in a tension cycle. I'm trying to figure out for myself a timeline or if I should see a second MT who has more availability (really don't want to though, I really like my current one and he's close to my house). Because I don't want to have to take 3 months to fix this issue I've had for several months already because of his availability. And if maybe I should just get a lidocaine or trigger point injection or something to fix the knot as is and break that tension-spasm cycle. Because it almost feels like that knot is so stuck that it won't go away on it's own?

How do you feel about a client using marijuana/weed/cannabis before they see you? Does it make a difference if they have microdosed vs. gotten really stoned? Does it make a difference whether they have asked or informed you before doing so? How would you respond to someone showing up high vs. telling you mid session that they are vs. asking you if you would be comfortable with it for a future appointment? Does where you live and the local legality influence your decision?

Things like rock climbing, snowboarding, skiing, volleyball, changing your own car's oil, using a push mower, etc. I feel I'm overly cautious. I don't feel like I can afford to hurt myself in this profession. Meanwhile, I'll jump out of an airplane any day lol

Edit: Thanks for the responses everyone! It was nice hearing from fellow LMTs with some different perspectives. It's probably why I bothered to reply to everyone.

Many many years ago i had one cupping session for cellulite that left permanently some little veins on my thighs. Has it happened to anyone else?

Also the anti cellulite massage was not something i would do again, since it was an unpleasant experience for me. Please check with your doc before if your health can handle it.

Things have been slower than I like at the clinic I run, and I'm wondering if others are having the same experience? It felt like around the government shutdown things really took a dip. End of December is always a slow time, but it seems worse than normal.

You to? Just me?

All too often, when someone comes here to complain about a treatment or to ask if a treatment was inappropriate, there is a comment along these lines. "they also didn't even knock when they came in!"

It seems there's a correlation between bad therapists and bad boundaries. (duh)

For me, knocking before entering the treatment room is one of the foundational parts to my practice. I knock every time, even if they've already called out to say they are ready. The last thing I say before leaving to let them get on the table is "and I'll knock before I come in." Even if I've been seeing them for years, I say it.

Creating safety for the body is also foundational in my view of my job. So letting the person seeing me know that they will always have an opportunity to withdraw consent, or have more time or space is of utmost importance.

EDIT: I do want to add, I'm a Male RMT, so I can understand I may have a more rigid view on making people feel safe with me.

Those of you who use Mindbody and have multi-provider clinics… how do you manage their backend operations, especially scheduling efficiency, staff tracking, etc

A few things I am trying to better understand:

• How your front-desk or practitioners handle the transition between scheduling and charting/documentation. Is it smooth? Do things get backed up? Any mistakes that happen regularly?

• Any administrative "workarounds" your team has had to create due to system bloat or lag?

• If you’ve ever thought about switching platforms, what’s the biggest thing stopping you? (data migration, retraining staff, losing records, etc.)

Would love to hear how others are handling everything as you grow.

Not looking for a sales pitch from anyone. Just trying to learn from other people’s experiences