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Draping versus No Draping
So from what I gather, draping is really a state thing first and then based on the state's code of ethics, a client-therapist consideration.
With that said, I believe TX's current regulations states: draping will be used during the session, unless otherwise agreed to by both the client and the licensee
I read this to say that draping is NOT a state requirement but a client-therapist consideration. This may explain why I get a lot of requests for non draping sessions.
Just yesterday I got a request from someone looking for a professional massage but states that he does not like draping. He also offered to pay more if I would allow this.
My first instinct with all these clients is that no draping request = wanting something extra than a professional massage. However the state regulations says contrary.
So am I foolish for turning down a session because of this? I know I must follow my intuition, so I have already written him a note thanking him for the interest but letting him know that it would make me too uncomfortable. I explained that this was not how I was taught or how I practice, and therefore doing such a session would not be giving him the best I could give.
But I am curious as to other's thoughts and practices with regards to draping. Do you get a lot of requests to exclude it? What are your state's regulations? Have you ever worked on someone who wasn't draped?
Let the dialog begin...
With that said, I believe TX's current regulations states: draping will be used during the session, unless otherwise agreed to by both the client and the licensee
I read this to say that draping is NOT a state requirement but a client-therapist consideration. This may explain why I get a lot of requests for non draping sessions.
Just yesterday I got a request from someone looking for a professional massage but states that he does not like draping. He also offered to pay more if I would allow this.
My first instinct with all these clients is that no draping request = wanting something extra than a professional massage. However the state regulations says contrary.
So am I foolish for turning down a session because of this? I know I must follow my intuition, so I have already written him a note thanking him for the interest but letting him know that it would make me too uncomfortable. I explained that this was not how I was taught or how I practice, and therefore doing such a session would not be giving him the best I could give.
But I am curious as to other's thoughts and practices with regards to draping. Do you get a lot of requests to exclude it? What are your state's regulations? Have you ever worked on someone who wasn't draped?
Let the dialog begin...
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Lisa on
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I have to agree with Daniel.
Draping is about client/therapist relationships and communications. It is not law. If you are a therapist that doesn't feel comfortable with a client completely nude, that is a personal choice for your practice. But it doesn't make it right or wrong for another therapist.
I myself prefer draping so that's what I require for MY practice. But not because it's law (since it isn't), but because it was how I was taught and therefore it's embedded in me. Many people in the islands do spa massages undraped and it's not an issue because it's how they do things. And as Daniel stated, draping is not about professionalism. Professionalism is about intent.
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Permalink Reply by Marilyn St.John on
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About half of my clients are male, and with reference to the cocooning suggestions mentioned earlier in the postings, these guys love the sheet/blanket/table warmer I use...I have never had anything but appreciative comments from the men (and the women) and they look forward to getting under the sheets, winter OR summer (because of the AC.) I wouldn't even consider not using this method, not because I'm a prude but because everyone likes it so much. I include LomiLomi and full body strokes quite often. Any sheet can be deftly folded out of the way for access to the body portion you're working on, it just takes practice.
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I tend to agree with Marilyn in her comments. Air conditioning can make a massage room very cold and chilly, especially to help the LMT not sweat. We use heating pads when the weather is cooler and flannel sheets to keep our clients warm, even in summer. What is the use of giving a great massage that warms the body and then expose them to cold air that brings the muscles into spasm again? I think that "YES" there may be therapists who can work with undraped male or female clients because that is something they became accustomed to doing; there is an equally valid reason for not viewing the undraped body in massage. We are still a modality that is questioned by many as a luxury, a sexual encounter, etc. So unless and when the massage therapy industry as a whole in the United States, decides that LMTs are "professional", we will always have people who push the envelope of non-professionalism while acceding to the wishes of some clients to be left undraped during massage. That is not to say the therapists who can work with clients undraped lack professionalism; NO OTHER PROFESSIONAL who works in the medical field, works with patients or clients undraped.
Are we holding the massage industry to high standards or not?
Marilyn St.John said:About half of my clients are male, and with reference to the cocooning suggestions mentioned earlier in the postings, these guys love the sheet/blanket/table warmer I use...I have never had anything but appreciative comments from the men (and the women) and they look forward to getting under the sheets, winter OR summer (because of the AC.) I wouldn't even consider not using this method, not because I'm a prude but because everyone likes it so much. I include LomiLomi and full body strokes quite often. Any sheet can be deftly folded out of the way for access to the body portion you're working on, it just takes practice.
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Laura K Dylla said:
I tend to agree with Marilyn in her comments. Air conditioning can make a massage room very cold and chilly, especially to help the LMT not sweat. We use heating pads when the weather is cooler and flannel sheets to keep our clients warm, even in summer. What is the use of giving a great massage that warms the body and then expose them to cold air that brings the muscles into spasm again? I think that "YES" there may be therapists who can work with undraped male or female clients because that is something they became accustomed to doing; there is an equally valid reason for not viewing the undraped body in massage. We are still a modality that is questioned by many as a luxury, a sexual encounter, etc. So unless and when the massage therapy industry as a whole in the United States, decides that LMTs are "professional", we will always have people who push the envelope of non-professionalism while acceding to the wishes of some clients to be left undraped during massage. That is not to say the therapists who can work with clients undraped lack professionalism; NO OTHER PROFESSIONAL who works in the medical field, works with patients or clients undraped.
Are we holding the massage industry to high standards or not?
Marilyn St.John said:About half of my clients are male, and with reference to the cocooning suggestions mentioned earlier in the postings, these guys love the sheet/blanket/table warmer I use...I have never had anything but appreciative comments from the men (and the women) and they look forward to getting under the sheets, winter OR summer (because of the AC.) I wouldn't even consider not using this method, not because I'm a prude but because everyone likes it so much. I include LomiLomi and full body strokes quite often. Any sheet can be deftly folded out of the way for access to the body portion you're working on, it just takes practice.
good point, however I also think it's a cultural thing. our culture is very modest compared to other cultures. And I will go out on a limb and say that ironically enough we tend to have more sexually charged social issues than in other countries. This affects our profession. It makes me wonder if it's as big of an issue in other countries where people aren't as modest, and massage is done undraped.
and if it's a cultural thing, and the US is a melting pot of cultures, how do we as MTs accommodate this?
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LOL! Just today, I saw a female from India, a male from Dubai, and a woman of Asian descent. It was a "melting pot" kind of day. Looking back, I think other cultures enjoy "luxuriating" more than Midwesterners at least, and while people from the USA seem to feel guilty about "luxuriating" but will seek massage therapy when they are in pain, other cultures are very unabashed about it ~ they see it as an important pleasure they certainly deserve and are not reserved about spending their money to get it, ranking right up there with weekly facials (?!) in the case of the woman from India, who has given me many great ideas in the past. All of these people commented on how good the table felt (it was 68 degrees outside, 72 inside) and I always use flannel sheets plus a polarfleece blanket plus the table warming pad, set on medium or low--but some actually like it hot and I'll adjust it that way, as long as it doesn't toast them.
As an aside, my daughter brought home an old textbook over the summer from the University of Chicago that she and her co-workers found when they cleaned out a cabinet in their office. It was written in the 1970's and contained line drawings of various massage techniques. EVERY drawing showed a nude figure (that, incidently, looks just like my husband--Gasp #1) on the table with NO draping whatsoever...and the THERAPIST is drawn in the nude as well! (gasp #2) So perhaps draping is indeed a "cultural" thing. For those of you who weren't adults in the 1970's, there was a sense of Love Thy Neighbor that we don't see today...and it was pretty much accepted as normal, apparently by the textbook people too! Hilarious...but then again...
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You couldn't pay me enough money to perform a massage in the nude!! :) and it has nothing to do with ethics. More like weight!! :P
Marilyn St.John said:LOL! Just today, I saw a female from India, a male from Dubai, and a woman of Asian descent. It was a "melting pot" kind of day. Looking back, I think other cultures enjoy "luxuriating" more than Midwesterners at least, and while people from the USA seem to feel guilty about "luxuriating" but will seek massage therapy when they are in pain, other cultures are very unabashed about it ~ they see it as an important pleasure they certainly deserve and are not reserved about spending their money to get it, ranking right up there with weekly facials (?!) in the case of the woman from India, who has given me many great ideas in the past. All of these people commented on how good the table felt (it was 68 degrees outside, 72 inside) and I always use flannel sheets plus a polarfleece blanket plus the table warming pad, set on medium or low--but some actually like it hot and I'll adjust it that way, as long as it doesn't toast them.
As an aside, my daughter brought home an old textbook over the summer from the University of Chicago that she and her co-workers found when they cleaned out a cabinet in their office. It was written in the 1970's and contained line drawings of various massage techniques. EVERY drawing showed a nude figure (that, incidently, looks just like my husband--Gasp #1) on the table with NO draping whatsoever...and the THERAPIST is drawn in the nude as well! (gasp #2) So perhaps draping is indeed a "cultural" thing. For those of you who weren't adults in the 1970's, there was a sense of Love Thy Neighbor that we don't see today...and it was pretty much accepted as normal, apparently by the textbook people too! Hilarious...but then again...
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LO very L!!! That is hilarious! I know some texts show alot for informative purposes but a naked therapist??? Re being "uptight" or "not uptight" in Britain we are trained to drape for "client modesty" and this was indeed reinforced by post grad training I received over here from two US trained massage therapists. Most people feel more secure if draping is suitable and professionally adminstered. Don't know about other European preferences but I wouldn't do anything I'm not comfortable with. And I wouldn't be comfortable working with someone with all their bits out! I also wouldn't feel comfortable if asked for "extras" - I am a professional massage therapist not a sex worker. Would, for example, an osteopath mind being asked for extras?
Marilyn St.John said:...and the THERAPIST is drawn in the nude as well! (gasp #2)
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Permalink Reply by Daniel Cohen on
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Marilyn perhaps you should call the Massage Museum to ask if they have this text. If they do not it would make a good donation to our history.
In the early 70s I took my first massage class. Yes the entire class would remove their clothes including the teacher and her demo. It had two purposes, 1) to make us relaxed about our bodies 2) to make it quick and easy to switch. We were not required to be nude to be part of the class, but almost everyone was. There were over 20 students in the class and it was at a University. Since then I have taken my certification course and many advanced classes for CEUs.
It was a great class in Swedish Massage that gave me a good base for the classes in this century. The class even addressed male anatomical reactions to massage. Today many schools even drape the male chest as they do the female. Only a few of the classes I have taken this century have been undraped but not nude. There are those I've taken that we were in underwear or shorts while on the table or being assessed. I guess 21st century society has become shyer counter to the predictions of futurologists of the last century.
The only constant is change.
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What an interesting and colorful history you have! I wondered how literal the class work was back then, and I think I totally get it, having been there chronologically. Even six years ago, our classmates were comfortable enough to toss the clothing aside with only underwear intact, but the vice squad would probably have been very interested to know even that!
The Massage Museum is a great idea! I'll ask if they still have the book and would be willing to donate it.
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Permalink Reply by Steve - Maryland L.M.T. on
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Lynn Johnson said:I have never been nude in front of a doctor during a checkup --male or female, or nurse for that matter. There is draping in the medical profession as there should be in the massage therapy profession.
They must practice medicine differently out in Colorado. When I get a checkup I don't get a gown. I just remove my shirt or drop my pants as needed. The two times I've had surgery I was naked and exposed when they moved me from the gurney to the operating table, and I wasn't covered until after the tubes and monitors were all in place.
Draping by medical professionals is much more about custom and not getting sued than about patient modesty. A client who preferred no draping for her massage laughingly told me about the time she decided not to put on the little gown for her gynecologist's exam. The doctor refused to see her unless she put on the gown. Then he proceeded to take the gown off her upper body to palpate her breasts and then flip the gown up to her waist to examine her nether regions.
If we truly were to approach draping the same way doctors do, we would fold the sheet down to the waist of our clients to massage their upper bodies and fold the sheet up to their waist to massage their legs.
One thing to remember when we compare ourselves to medical professionals -- massage is the only type of health procedure that I can think of that is intended to be pleasurable as well as therapeutic. Most massage therapists go out of their way to create a massage that is a sensual (which is NOT synonymous with 'sexual') experience for clients. We play soft music (often offering the client a choice), we arrange soft lighting, we use aromatherapy scents, and we provide a heated table with soft sheets. So why should we deny clients the chance to let their bodies breathe as they are massaged?
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But I don't massage breasts or genitals so don't need them uncovered at any point during the treatment....
Steve Traylor said:
Lynn Johnson said:I have never been nude in front of a doctor during a checkup --male or female, or nurse for that matter. There is draping in the medical profession as there should be in the massage therapy profession.
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The doctor refused to see her unless she put on the gown. Then he proceeded to take the gown off her upper body to palpate her breasts and then flip the gown up to her waist to examine her nether regions.
If we truly were to approach draping the same way doctors do, we would fold the sheet down to the waist of our clients to massage their upper bodies and fold the sheet up to their waist to massage their legs.
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Steve I have had three female Doctors. My current Doctor as you say, just has me drop my pants if needed for the exam (as have all male Doctors I have gone to). Two gave me a short gown that left the full back exposed. They would have me sit on the examining table which caused the stiff paper to be pushed up exposing whatever modesty it was supposed to hide. For legal reasons one of them use to also call in a female nurse to be in the room also. The use of gowns or issuing one for the front and one for the back is a response to community standards and customs of modesty and law suits. It is not in medical regulations.
When is the last time anyone spent an hour with their Doctor? We do much more than any medical profession as far as contact and intimacy. The sensual aspect of massage should never be lost. It is this that reaches so deeply into the mind body soul of the individual. The body senses, the mind processes, and the soul reaps.Massage encompasses so much. Let's not limit it as the medical profession has. What other profession treats the individual on all three levels?
Let's keep choice in our regulations. Many have mistakenly stated in this thread that their state requires draping when it actually provides for choice or doesn't even address the issue. Let's leave local custom and individual choice (both client and practitioner) to be our guide and not add it in regulations, which by the way is not in any other "medical" professions regulations (even though Doctors, Dentists, Chiropractors, and others have all had sensational cases of sexual abuse of patients in the papers).
I believe this is a good thread because it has revealed opinions as well as misconceptions held by our profession.
Steve Traylor said:
Lynn Johnson said:I have never been nude in front of a doctor during a checkup --male or female, or nurse for that matter. There is draping in the medical profession as there should be in the massage therapy profession.
They must practice medicine differently out in Colorado. When I get a checkup I don't get a gown. I just remove my shirt or drop my pants as needed. The two times I've had surgery I was naked and exposed when they moved me from the gurney to the operating table, and I wasn't covered until after the tubes and monitors were all in place.
Draping by medical professionals is much more about custom and not getting sued than about patient modesty. A client who preferred no draping for her massage laughingly told me about the time she decided not to put on the little gown for her gynecologist's exam. The doctor refused to see her unless she put on the gown. Then he proceeded to take the gown off her upper body to palpate her breasts and then flip the gown up to her waist to examine her nether regions.
If we truly were to approach draping the same way doctors do, we would fold the sheet down to the waist of our clients to massage their upper bodies and fold the sheet up to their waist to massage their legs.
One thing to remember when we compare ourselves to medical professionals -- massage is the only type of health procedure that I can think of that is intended to be pleasurable as well as therapeutic. Most massage therapists go out of their way to create a massage that is a sensual (which is NOT synonymous with 'sexual') experience for clients. We play soft music (often offering the client a choice), we arrange soft lighting, we use aromatherapy scents, and we provide a heated table with soft sheets. So why should we deny clients the chance to let their bodies breathe as they are massaged?
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