Your First Massage Four Ways to Feel Better About Your Body
One of the most common anxieties experienced by the client who comes in for their first massage is about their body. The comments start right before or right as she gets on the massage table. She hates her feet or is out of shape. She has a zit or has not shaved. I hate my body!
Self-consciousness is not only specific to women. Men suffer, too. Sometimes the anxiety and resulting self-consciousness is enough to keep the client from enjoying their first massage at all. These clients are tense and flinch, and often times may never get another massage.
Is this you? If it is, as a massage therapist I can assure you of two things: one, you are not alone in how you feel about certain parts of your body; and two, your massage therapist has seen it all.
We have seen clients with feet you would think are bad and worse. We have seen clients with acne and worked on overweight clients. We perform massage therapy on hairy men all the time, so your unshaved legs are no problem. And all of these clients have one thing in common. All of them worry about their bodies. Just like you.
If that doesn’t make you feel better, understanding certain basic aspects of massage therapy will help you relax during your first massage.
- Your therapist won’t see your body – or not all of it at once, anyway. During your massage, your therapist will only see one part of your body at a time. How? It’s called draping. All professional massage therapists will have you get under a sheet when you get on the massage table. This sheet will stay on top of you as the therapist works around your body, massaging each part, one at a time. If you feel too exposed during a session, speak up immediately.
- Don’t get naked! Plenty of massage clients – especially first-timers – leave their underwear on during a session. I had a client who left his briefs on for a year during a monthly full body massage. Almost a year to the date, they came off and have never gone back on again. Women on their menstrual cycle often leave their panties on. Massage therapists are not at all surprised by underwear, and most of us can work around the garment just fine.
- Just don’t go there. Did you don’t have to have every part of your body massaged? A professional massage therapist will ask you to complete an intake form when you arrive for your first massage. This form asks for your contact information, medical conditions and massage preferences – including what parts of your body you want touched. Don’t want your therapist to work your abdomen because you feel fat that day? Don’t check the box labeled abdomen.
- Skip Swedish. Swedish is the most common massage modality performed in spas, but it’s not the only type of massage. Several massage modalities are performed with the client completely clothed. Look into Asian Bodywork techniques like Thai massage or advanced modalities like Zero Balancing to determine whether those types of massage will provide you with a better experience for your first massage.
People are self-conscious about their bodies for a number reasons. You are not alone in feeling that way. But being self-conscious should never keep you from the benefits massage therapy can provide you.
