It’s your massage… SPEAK UP!
– Massage Therapy “Hot Topic” series.
It is so important for you as a client to speak up during your massage.
In the massage therapy field, we find that most often our clients are too embarrassed or feel bad about speaking up and telling their massage therapist if there is anything that isn’t up to their standards or likings. When a massage therapist asks the client “why don’t you just tell me?” The response is almost always that they are nervous to offend the massage therapist so they would rather not say anything.
This is not what we want-
In fact, we want you to speak up during your massage- and here’s WHY!
Before going into all the details:
First of all- you are the boss of your massage. Secondly, we want you to have the best experience while with us. Thirdly, we cannot read your mind, so if something doesn’t feel or seem right, please just tell us!
Here are some examples of things you may want to speak up about:
#1 The Pressure. Most of our clients book a massage, already knowing what pressure they like- of course as Licensed Massage Therapists (LMTs) we will normally check in with you a few times to ensure that it is the pressure you like, but often times, we will stop asking you after we “find” that pressure because we don’t want to annoy you.
Sometimes we may assume that the current pressure that we have previously “found” is the perfect one and stop checking in… Some areas of the body, for example, the legs, may not be able to handle as much pressure as your back.
So please speak up about the pressure . If you want more or less, please feel empowered to let us know! This is your massage and you decide what pressure you want.
We will not be offended as LMTs - in fact our goal is to ensure that you have the best massage experience. If you're not speaking up about what pressure you want, we can't give you your best experience because we cant read your mind.
#2 Massage Technique. This is a less common thing to speak up about, but a great example of something you might want to mention.
Most clients are okay with their LMT taking charge and using their expertise in specific techniques… however, here is an example of a client who wanted something different:
We had one client who did not like her arms being worked while they were hanging off of the table- (when she was lying facedown). It wasn’t very comfortable for her, so she made sure to ask her therapist to work her arms when she was face-up.
That’s just one example… there are many techniques that could be bothersome, for example maybe theres a technique that ticklish and you really don’t like that either.
Speak up about anything that is uncomfortable, because we want to fix it. As was stated before- we will not be offended. We have a lot of different “tools” in our “tool-belt” and will try different techniques specifically for you.
#3 Conversation. This is a big one! Some LMTs can be chatty- and because of this, we have made a “conversation” section with checkboxes on our session menu (you fill out before your appointment). It asks what kind of conversation you would like so that you are empowered to choose.
If you are normally chatty, but are having a rough day and just need a quiet, relaxing massage, feel free to speak up about that. Let us know what your needs are.
I cannot say this enough: we will never get offended!
As massage therapists, we want what's best for you and will never get offended at any requests. Speak about your needs.
#4 Amount of product used (oil/gel/lotion)
You might not have thought about this one. There have been a few instances where a few clients need a specific product and a lot more on their skin than others, as it absorbs too quickly and becomes uncomfortable/irritating on the skin. If your therapist isn’t using enough product and it is starting to become uncomfortable, let them know!
#5 Draping.
Draping is when we uncover the areas that we work during a massage session, for example: when we are going to massage the back- we uncover it and tuck the sheets underneath the hip area. This keeps everything secure.
If theres a specific drape that does not secure, please tell us.
As you've read through this blog post, I hope you have felt some relief in knowing that we care about you and have your best interest at heart.
Please let us know. This is your massage. You are the boss.
We are so passionate about this! We want you to have the best experience possible, and we cannot read your minds! So please speak up about any adjustments you need during your massage. We will be more than happy to make accommodations so you have the best experience with us.