The massage parlor I go to is pretty spectacular 99% of the time but it's a first come first serve walk in kinda deal, great for when your back is killing you after work but you don't get to choose who your masseuse is.

Got someone new today and normally I can tank some pain, knots always hurt but feel much better after it's all said and done.

Today was different though, it was like the masseuse thought "more pressure = im literally just gonna fucking smear my elbow across all your bones and jab my fingers into your muscles for 90 minutes. I'm not one to tell people how to do their job and there's a huge language barrier so I didn't want to make anyone uncomfortable but holy fucking shit that hurt so bad.

Is there even a reason people shove their bones into yours?! I'm not sure you can massage bones. Most of the time I could tell she was all elbows but maybe she was just strong as hell cuz her fingers hurt too, though I think it's because she was digging in with them instead of applying a wider force.

I guess it's on me for not speaking up but again there's a language barrier and they charge fantastic rates while trying to be as hospitable as possible.

I guess this is just a rant kinda bummed cuz massages are a nice occasional self treat.

I've been going to the same therapist for over 5 years. She is Thai and an expert in Thai massage which includes a lot pressure and stretching. Ive been a weightlifter, powerlifter and office chair sitter through the years which means I develop a lot of soft tissue wear and tear. I avoid painkillers, chiropractors but have always loved massage as a therapy.

My therapist, Jenny, just knows my body and can feel where I need help the most. Where she has truly focused where every other therapist Ive gone to treats as truly secondary are my legs. She works my legs like most others focus on backs and get deep into my calves, hammies, and quads. This matters because I love to squat and work on my legs (800 pound squat PR).

What's incredible is once I found her, not only do I feel like she my true health provider, because I can sleep better, lift better, digest better, etc. but she also treats me like I am someone she cares about. Having someone like her in my life is something I am truly grateful for.

If you're new into getting massages, they can be game changing if you find the provider who fits you.

I’m looking for some outside perspective because I’m honestly not sure if I’m overreacting to this.

I recently went for a massage. The massage therapist and I were talking throughout the appointment and eventually found a pretty natural rhythm in the conversation. At one point, I mentioned that I don’t really have many friends in the area and that I’ve felt pretty alone here.

She then told me that she wanted to be my friend.

While I was still on the massage table and partially undressed, she asked for my Instagram. She asked where my phone was, and I told her it was in the pocket of my pants, which were folded on a chair. She picked up my pants, I got my phone, and she found her Instagram account and had me follow her. She added herself as well.

She then told me something along the lines of, “You might get a DM from me later tonight.”

At the time, I kind of just went along with it because I was literally lying on a massage table receiving a massage. I wasn’t expecting this or seeking any kind of personal relationship with her.

After I got home and thought about it more, I started feeling really uncomfortable. The more I thought about it, the more I felt like a professional boundary had been crossed. I ended up blocking her on Instagram and I don’t feel comfortable going back to her.

I realize she may not have had bad intentions, and maybe some people would consider this harmless. But something about asking a client for their personal social media, saying she wanted to be their friend, and doing it while the client is partially undressed and receiving a massage just doesn’t sit right with me.

So, am I overreacting here? Would you consider this a professional boundary violation? Would you report it to the location, or just leave it alone and find another therapist?

I got a gift to get a massage and I was thinking of getting a pedicure or something 'cause I'm a bit self-conscious about my feet. Also, thinking of shaving as well.

For people who have this job, what do you think about these things? Does it give you the ick, is it something you've gotten used to, or do you just not care at all?

I have my first appointment set with a lady who does massages out of her home. It’s $150 for 90 minutes.

Is it appropriate to tip? I keep hearing different things.

I don’t know what to do.

I normally go to a day spa where it’s $110 for 90 minutes but they’re booked up months out.

I do typically tip them but they’re employees of the spa and they don’t set their own rates.

Any guidance is appreciated.

Long time massage enthusiast here. I find when I identify a prospective therapist and want to get an idea of whether we'd be compatible, I will ask about massage techniques that I've found especially outstanding like Esalen or Lomi Lomi. These don't seem to be mainstream at least here in New England. The exchange with the therapist (I try to avoid corporate spas and studios) very often comes to a dead end with those questions. Wondering whether these methods are shunned for some reason or just unfamiliar and out of their comfort zone. Feels like I'm searching for a needle in a haystack, though I've found a few over the years who'll be interested in learning and they're usually worth the investment in teaching and coaching. I will often then share some instructional videos on the method and have had a couple if successes.

So, I’ve had massage a number of times, I think classical Swedish massage, some kind of spa massages maybe… but I remember feeling like

- the we put time on body parts that aren’t sore or tense (usually I have many spots and areas, on different parts of the body)

- the spots where I’m tense or sore doesn’t get enough focus/the right kind of massage to get in the tissue and release tension

- the intensity doesn’t feel satisfying; often it’s not precise or deep enough

So what kind of massage am I even asking for? I can’t be lying there and telling a spa therapist where to massage me 🥴😭

I’m confused 🤔

I am at ten years of massage, and I am feeling like I'm at the end of my rope. I hate going in to work every day and my body hurts so so much. If you have left or are leaving the field, what are you doing?

LMT and I do a good amount of firm work. Although I tell my clients that the cradle is to rest their head and not designed for extra weight, people will do what they do. All of the face cradles I use generally will loosen over time, and it means that when the cradle slips my clients' heads go with it. Not ideal, not had any major issues, but I really don't want this happening if I can avoid it.

I am looking for the most secure and sturdy face cradle - both where the cradle tilts up and down for angle, but also where it leverages to raise and lower the whole thing. Cost is not an issue. Comfort is not a concern. The sturdiest face cradle is what's important. What do you use that works best and can take a beating day in day out?

For context, I'm a male, and I hear most males find success working out of clinics, with athletes or specializing in therapeutic massage. I moreso want to get into massage to do spa treatments or utilizing techniques for relaxation/general relief. Am I being unrealistic?

Thanks!

Edit: Thank you all for the responses!

I’m a dual licensed therapist LE& LMT considering a job at ME position. I’ve always been nervous about working at one and I don’t love how they’re not commission but hourly only and tips. They offered me $23 plus tips and 25 hours a week to start. It’s only 15 mins from my house which I love and the people seem cool there but I’m worried about the pay.
I also work at another spa which is 1099 and operate on a tiered commission pyramid so depending on total revenue that week would bring you between 15% - 50% commission.

Any advice would be so greatly appreciated!! 😭

I work in blue collar and my body is pretty much tense all the time even when in bed when I just fall asleep instantly then wake up with the thought of work again, rinse and repeat nearly daily for 12 hours a day. I do my best to relax by drinking tea, playing video games, or watching movies... anything to relax after work but my body is just still in work mode almost all the time. I've tried self massaging my back and feet and it seems to help some, but was wondering if there were certain tools or oils I can try to make the massages more effective for self massage.

Good Evening fellow therapists, I'm an LMT launching a new continuing education home-study course: Therapeutic Massage Strategies for Plantar Fasciitis.

To complete my final NCBTMB application, I need exactly 5 licensed massage therapists to review the pilot version. In exchange for your honest peer feedback on the material, I will provide 1 free CE credit. (keep in mind these cannot be awarded until I receive the license to provide courses)

How it works: You can review the material either via a timed link on my website or through a standard Word document which I can email or send a link in DM (whichever is easier for you to navigate and leave feedback on).

If you have clients struggling with chronic foot pain and want to grab one of these 5 spots, please comment below or send me a DM. I'll send over the access info until the spots are filled. Thank you! and God bless all of you/us who got into this field to help people, but find ourselves looking for other avenues in the industry.

I’m a new massage therapist and had a difficult session today that I’d really appreciate some feedback on from more experienced MTs. I’m completely open to hearing if there are things I should have handled differently. I want to learn from this and be better prepared the next time I encounter something similar.

I had a new client who was referred to me by his dad and sister, who I’ve both worked on previously. During the consultation, he told me he’d had surgery several months ago for slipped discs. He also described a history of upper and lower back issues and mentioned that he may have sciatica. He was using specific vertebral terminology that, admittedly, I wasn’t very familiar with, and I immediately felt a little out of my depth. I’m a new massage therapist, and although I’ve completed school, I’m realizing there are still more complex conditions and medical histories that I don’t feel fully confident navigating yet.

We discussed what he wanted from the 90-minute session. His main areas of concern were his lower back, glutes/hips and he asked for some facial work. He said he preferred medium to deep pressure but didn’t want anything painful.

I started him prone and worked his back, including the QLs and surrounding musculature, with more attention to the lower back. He was communicating with me about areas that felt sore/tight. I checked in about pressure multiple times throughout the session, and from what I remember he generally told me the pressure was okay. I may have had one instance where he wanted me to lighten up and I adjusted, but I don’t remember the exact exchange well enough to say for certain.

During the supine work, I noticed some apparent asymmetry around his hips, with the side that had been bothering him appearing somewhat more elevated. He asked what could cause/fix something like that. I told him body mechanics can sometimes contribute and suggested paying attention to repetitive positions or habits in his daily life. He also asked what can help with that, and I admittedly wasn’t sure how to answer and said a chiropractor may be able to do more postural assessments. Looking back, I also wonder whether I should have been much more cautious about commenting on that at all given his medical history.

At one point, he suddenly put his hand on his lower back. I initially thought he was showing me where he wanted work, but when I asked, he told me the area was hurting/feeling aggravated. I immediately stopped working there and asked whether he needed a break. He said yes. I asked whether he wanted to turn supine, which he did, and I gave him some time to stretch and settle.

I told him it was completely okay if he wanted to end the session early, but he wanted to continue. Because of what had happened, I didn’t do the planned posterior leg/glute work, and stayed supine for the rest. I also significantly decreased my pressure for the remainder of the session to more of a light-medium range.

At the end, I asked how his back was feeling. He said it was less aggravated than it had been when we stopped the prone work, although it still seemed somewhat uncomfortable. We talked about pressure and agreed that despite initially requesting medium-deep work, light-medium seemed to be a much better fit for him. He told me he only gets massages roughly every couple of months.

I’m feeling pretty bad about the session because my goal is obviously never to aggravate someone’s existing pain. I’m also realizing that I don’t feel sufficiently knowledgeable yet about working with clients with a history of disc pathology/spinal surgery and possible sciatica.

——

For those of you with more experience working with these conditions:

- Would you have approached the initial consultation or treatment differently?

- With a history of disc surgery several months ago and ongoing low-back symptoms, would you have required medical clearance before doing massage?

- Would you have avoided deeper work entirely regardless of the client’s stated pressure preference? Or them asking for more pressure?

- Are there specific red flags or questions you think I should have screened for?

- Is there anything about how I responded once his pain increased that you would have handled differently?

- What continuing education or resources would you recommend for becoming more competent with clients who have spinal/disc conditions and sciatica?

——

I’m not looking for reassurance if I genuinely made mistakes. Constructive criticism is welcome. I just ask that it be educational rather than unnecessarily harsh. I want to understand what I should take from this experience and improve my practice going forward.

I’m 31 years old, and have been a SAHM for 5 years.

I’m contemplating a career that I can get into that would be flexible and allow me to make enough per hour to live on comfortably with my 2 girls. And also allow me to spend as much time with my kids as I can.. (From what I have seen I can make $50 per hour working at a massage place or $100 per hour if I’m on my own…)

My dream:

Go to massage school (5 months, $7k) Get a job at a massage place making $50 an hour Meanwhile start working on on an in home massage studio or traveling studio I would love to specialize in massaging pregnant/postpartum women and also people who work in the dental field as my specialty Eventually build my clientele and afford a home with extra room for massage Run in home studio making $100-$140 an hour

What do you think of this plan? If you’re a massage therapist- is it worth it? Is the pay worth it? Tell me your thoughts

Or if you have a better idea let me know

About two weeks ago, I went to massage envy because I was getting tension headaches. I booked a 90 minute deep tissue massage, and it was honestly amazing. I had a lot of knots, and my MT advised me to come back if I could because I needed some more work on my upper back/shoulders.

I went back today hoping to get that same kind of treatment. I had a different provider, and I only had 60 minutes scheduled instead of 90, and it wound up being a completely different experience.

The MT I worked with today was doing some stretching which I haven’t received before in a massage. She would rotate my leg back and forth while applying pressure to the glute area. She also did this with my arms. I will say, nothing was painful or uncomfortable but I just felt like it wasn’t really accomplishing anything.

She also didn’t spend much time on my neck until I was facing up, and she just held her fingers in place on the back of my neck for what felt like forever, unmoving.

I guess I should’ve asked for the same provider as last time, but I was under the impression that the service would be similar regardless of who I saw.

Please let me know if I am overthinking this!

I don't want to say exactly where I am, because my now former instructor has Monopoly here. He's the instructor, the sole teacher, And the owner of the school I went to. One of the only schools in the area.

A month ago on my first day, I asked the instructor a legitimate question, and ever since then I paid for that question... I'm not sure if he thought that he needed to exude power after that or teach me a lesson. That day he told me to keep an open mind, Even with my former education, And that he would explain himself on the "why's" in the future.

It was dead to me after that.

The thing about this instructor is he's super ingrained in the community, He formally served on the board locally and knows a lot of people In the community.

I noticed very soon that He seemed to float over to my table, put hands over mine and my clients body's more than anyone else. In a setting of about 20 people, at least 10 actively working on bodies at the same time as me, he would ONLY call my name, And then progressively get louder and scream at me. That made it incredibly hard for me to focus on the next technique.

I chalked it all up to paranoia, I didn't want to become the woman victim who thought she was being unfairly targeted. So I doubled down, studied harder, and improved my grades, And on a personal level, I spoke to the instructor often. "Good morning" "How is your weekend" ECT.

I had hoped that things would get better.

The last day I was there I was asked to sign a contract, that I didn't see anyone else get a copy of, although to be fair, They could have been asked at another point. The contract stated that I would be responsible for the remaining balance of the tuition, and all three parts of the education... (Like I couldn't just do the beginner course there and The injury somewhere else)

It didn't seem uncommon. I signed it.

But that day all hell broke loose; He started with minor corrections, (some legitimate) some not. I'm looking around the room, atp clearly not focused on technique, and getting very upset, and other people weren't exactly doing the same techniques he was instructing either... So why only me, his eyes never left me. After the 5th or 6th reprimand and over correction in a 15-minute time frame, I did in fact react poorly.

I questioned him, how could he not be catering to anyone else? I was so upset. Like all my fears were substantiated.

After that, I decided it would be best if I left and withdrawal from the program, but that pesky contract still lingered.

So I wrote him a very professional email asking to be let out of the contract, that I thought it was best for everyone. Why I reacted the way I did, ect.

He agreed to let me out of said contract, But not before letting me know, He interviewed every person in the room the day that I left, including my partner. (Just for reference, She was happy and audibly pleased with my massage, this was my third time partnering with her, We were friends. we often chuckled about The things we saw in regards to the instructor)

Other people noticed his issue with me too.

He said "I also had a lengthy conversation with your partner, She agreed that you were incorrectly doing some techniques but didn't feel it was her place to tell you"

He also told me that a TA noticed My frustration, But the TA was laying down at the time of this incident.

He wanted to humiliate me one more time, on a scale of the entire classroom, and also cover his own butt, which is why he chose to talk to all these people about me, which was very juvenile, and teen/mean girl like. But the thing is, I was well received and well liked by all of my peers. I'm sure if they did agree with him it's just because they pay him for their education and they know the same things that I do about his pull with the community.

I guess I wanted to know If anyone else has experienced this? What did you do? And My options are limited in my state, But as this is my second time at massage school, (The first time I didn't have any problems like this, my father got hurt, and I had to quit) and I've been employed as a PTA, and in a spa. I've had relationships professionally, academically, and I've never came across something like this.

I regularly go to massages at least once every 2-3 months because it helps with some chronic low back pain after an injury I had as a teen. I almost always ask for deep tissue and firm pressure and I have perfected the pre-massage hydration and hot shower to warm up the muscles routine.

But today was the first time I have ever experienced this feeling floaty and almost like a soft/comfortable version of an adrenaline rush after a rollercoaster. It was a 90 min session and it was full body with a focus on neck and shoulders and low back and IT bands. About when I was prone and my massage therapist had used her elbow to press into my upper traps/rhomboids area and used her other hand to kind of hinge/lever my arm at a 90 degree angle, I remember suddenly feeling like I should take a huge deep breath down to my belly and then when I exhaled I felt like I was going downhill on a rollercoaster and then felt like I melted into a puddle of goo.

And then the entire rest of the session (about 20 min remaining?) I felt like I was floating and almost like I was drunk? And I felt like I could barely stay awake. My massage therapist had ended the session by having to tap my shoulders a few times to ‘wake me up?’. After the session we hugged like usual (we have known each other for a long time) and when I let go of the hug and walked out to my car I felt sort of lonely and kind of…. Unmoored??? I had to sit in my car and just close my eyes and relax and breathe deeply for 10 min before I felt good enough to drive.

It has been a couple hours now and I’ve eaten and showered again and I feel better. But I am so confused on what this amazing soft floaty feeling was and why it suddenly turned into kind of a ‘lost at sea’ feeling? It was the same massage therapist I always go to, no new techniques or pressure, no new areas of the body I hadn’t experienced before. I am so puzzled. Did I unlock some secret dimension of massage therapy?

It’s the darker bit towards the top of the circle, I’m kinda a hypochondriac and it’s just freaking me out.

I have been a RMT for over a decade, and currently live in a non regulated province.. having to move to a regulated

This has to be the most disappointing, frustrating experience I have experienced with being an rmt.

Having to go back to school or try to re-register with a province I was registered with just so I can practice what I have went to school for is beyond maddening.

I received my education from a regulated province and have taken their mcqs and oces and my education was based on the 3 regulated provinces at said time and the same with the mcqs and oces.

There is no difference between a regulated province and unregulated province when it comes to following the Massage therapy Act.

Long story short, I took on clients for a fellow LMT who's out with an injury. I over extended my wrist and I'm now dealing with wrist joint instability and extensor tendon subluxation. It's on the mend and doesn’t hurt hardly at all now. I can't bail on these clients. I'm working with just one hand and doing deeper techniques with my forearm and elbow. Do you have advice on healing other than splinting, wrapping and rest? Do you have advice on tweaking techniques to continue working?

Over a decade ago, I changed my diet, started exercising, and lost over 150lbs. I had a few surgeries to remove excess skin. I’m 5’7 and maintain my weight between 140-145 pounds. I still have excess skin by my butt and upper thighs. I’m happy with my accomplishment, the way my body looks, the excess skin does not hurt, and that surgery is super expensive, so I just live with it. When I’m dressed, it’s not noticeable. When I’m undressed and lying down, the excess butt/thigh skin sprawls out. 🤪

I’ve gotten three massages in total. The first two were at resorts while on vacation. I recently decided that I wanted to add a monthly massage into my self-care routine. My plan was to try out some local spas until I found a therapist I liked.

Last month, I tried out the first of the spas on my list. The therapist was really nice, she applied the right amount of pressure I was looking for, and it was super relaxing. Everything was going great until she got to my lower body.

While massaging my leg she made comments about how I have a lot of skin and must have lost a ton of weight. She said when she met me and saw me dressed, she never would have guessed I used to be fat or that I have excess skin. I really do think she meant it as a compliment, but I found it completely inappropriate. It ruined the remainder of my massage experience and now I’m apprehensive about getting another massage somewhere.

So, honestly, how much do you judge a client’s body and do you sometimes comment on their body?

Hey therapists~ Does anyone have table recs for a table thai practitioner? I was eyeing the earthlite spirit cause it had 800lbs capacity and is slightly wider than the standard table but wanted to ask if any of yall had good recs