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Receiving a massage
I will be scheduling a massage for myself in the next few days. I am not sure if I want to say I am a LMT or not.
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Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Daniel Cohen on
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Many do not continue doing Swedish after graduation and a few CEs. In fact most will mix and blend and may not even remember how to do a strict one modality massage. I go by feel and use my best technique that helps what I find while being sound body mechanics for me. But the Therapist should have told you rather than switching. Could the deep work have been advance Swedish which is stronger and deeper? The main difference is the strokes used.
Mark Evans said:I recently went to see a therapist that had given me a great massage before I started massage school. I wanted to see if the massage was as good as I remembered. I wasn't sure if I wanted to tell them I was in school or not during the intake. Well, I felt bad NOT telling them, so I told them I was a student. I asked for a swedish massage but was given a deep-tissue massage. While the massage was great and exactly what I remembered, it wasn't what I really asked for..... I want to compare my swedish to theirs. It was pretty clear too they were going to try to razzle dazzle me with everything but the kitchen sink. There was a lot of "shop talk" too before, during and after. The shop talk was good, things I needed to know as a new therapist, some great insight. In all, I think this is what I am going to have to expect from now. I don't mind it....
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Permalink Reply by Jeanne Murphy on
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I usually just leave the occupation part of intake blank and if asked I say I am in service work. I have found that if I tell them I am a MT, that opens a door for conversation that I don't always want. I have had my brain picked for ideas in treating clients, marketing, etc. If I continue to see that therapist I would tell them I am a MT, but for a first visit I do not.
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Thats basically what happened (the pIcking my brain and talking shop). Which is what I didn't want to happen. I know I will go someplace new for my next massage. So I will leave occupation blank on the intake form and just be vague during the verbal intake interview. Hopefully I will have better luck next time.
I did learn from both experiences though and hope that it just makes me a better therapist.
Jeanne Murphy said:I usually just leave the occupation part of intake blank and if asked I say I am in service work. I have found that if I tell them I am a MT, that opens a door for conversation that I don't always want. I have had my brain picked for ideas in treating clients, marketing, etc. If I continue to see that therapist I would tell them I am a MT, but for a first visit I do not.
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Permalink Reply by Barbara Helynn Heard on
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Aloha all,
Mark, you finished your post with, "In all, I think this is what I am going to have to expect from now. I don't mind it.... "
I see this situation a little differently. I believe that we can ask for and get what we want. The clearer we are with both ourselves and our therapists in our requests, the higher the chance of getting what we want. And sometimes it's helpful to ask more than once, or clarify our requests mid way through the session.
When a client comes to me I encourage them to speak up if they want something different than I am doing, such as less talk, a different modality, they are too cold or too warm, they want relaxation vs treatment work, they are thirsty or need to pee, they'd like different music, etc, etc. If I can meet their request I will.
When I receive a massage from someone else, as I see it I have the right and the responsibity to communicate at the beginning and/or during the massage, "I'd like to be quiet now" or "please back off on the treatment work. I just want to relax today" or "Could you do just Swedish work please." While asking doesn't guarantee that my request is honored, it certainly increases my chances of getting what I want. This is what has worked well for me.
And by the way, I have no qualms in telling a therapist that I'm a massage therapist, and even that I teach massage continuing ed classes. My additude is to expect to enjoy and appreciate their work, not to put them on guard or judge them. My positive and relaxed attitude helps put people at ease. That said, I remember that when I was newly licensed I was not so confident and I sometimes avoided sharing that I was a massage therapist....
Aloha,
Barbara Helynn Heard
in Seattle, WA and the northeast
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Permalink Reply by Lucianna Johnston on
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I'm always honest. Don't see what the issue would be...I work on a lot of other massage therapists....in fact, I think it's good to say because they probably have a good idea of where I might need work :)
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Permalink Reply by Teresa Avelar on
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For me it depends, I tend to do one massage for learning & relaxation in which I don't necessarily tell them I am a MT, I want to see how they treat me, what they do or don't do. I want to feel like a customer and get that full experience that I am paying for. Then I do one massage which is usually more focused on treatment. I usually tell that therapist that I practice massage and that way they know what to focus on.
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I'm still a student. I think it would depend on what I am trying to accomplish. If I'm going in for personal self care or learning about the competiton, I probably wouldn't let the MT know. If I was going in to get exposure to a technique I'm considering taking CEUs for I probably would let the MT know as I may be asking questions. I'm currently teaching yoga at a holistic healing center, one of the MTs there specializes in the Trager Approach so I would want to pick her brain. ;-)
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Permalink Reply by Stacey L. Brown on
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You most likely have had your massage, if not many more by now, so for what it's worth here are my two cents.
If I'm not asked by the MT then I don't reveal that I am a bodyworker. I think this is because I want to remain anonymous and keep parts of myself to myself. I want to be there in the capacity of a reciever and consumer, not an MT.
And on a few occasions when I have told the therapist that I am a bodyworker, there seems to be a palpable shift in their energy that wasn't there before. I have wondered if it is on some level for them, it might be more intimidating to be working on a fellow MT and that I might be holding them to a higher standard and that I am lying there critiquing their skills.
Also, I have had MT's engage me in conversation during my massage, asking me for my feedback or advice regarding all kinds of professional and personal issues. Although I understand the reasons for this, I am really trying to let go of my physical and emotional stress which can be, sometimes, my line of work. :-)
Hope this helps.
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Stacey L. Brown said:You most likely have had your massage, if not many more by now, so for what it's worth here are my two cents.
If I'm not asked by the MT then I don't reveal that I am a bodyworker. I think this is because I want to remain anonymous and keep parts of myself to myself. I want to be there in the capacity of a reciever and consumer, not an MT.
And on a few occasions when I have told the therapist that I am a bodyworker, there seems to be a palpable shift in their energy that wasn't there before. I have wondered if it is on some level for them, it might be more intimidating to be working on a fellow MT and that I might be holding them to a higher standard and that I am lying there critiquing their skills.
Also, I have had MT's engage me in conversation during my massage, asking me for my feedback or advice regarding all kinds of professional and personal issues. Although I understand the reasons for this, I am really trying to let go of my physical and emotional stress which can be, sometimes, my line of work.
Hope this helps. :-)
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Permalink Reply by Rick Still on
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I actually do a lot of partner massage. I think it is very important to always be honest with people, but when I go to a massage therapist on a vacation I never tell them. I think it will just make them nervous. They won't be able to do as well as they normally would because they are going to be too focused on doing it right. I don't think I would want somebody to tell me they are an LMT
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Permalink Reply by Lela Gonzales on
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I like this discussion. I think its nice to be treated like a regular customer too. I don't ask people what they do for a living in my consultation but I do discuss any problem areas which may tell me what they do but its not really important. I don't want to talk the whole time and don't want them to feel pressure at the same time.
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I usually only get work from MTs I know but I did get a session from an unknown MT and I let her know I was one too. She has less experience but it was still a nice session. I was very upfront about the type of session I was looking for (not a lot of chatter, firm pressure, relaxing) and what I felt we needed to focus on. She did a good job and asked me for pointers after the session was done. I feel that if you think your MT should know go ahead and tell them, but it's reasonable to also set your expectations for the session you are paying for.
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