This is the final part of the series. If you’ve missed part one or two, you can click here and here.
17. I don’t drink water. Before I was a massage therapist, I was in the same camp. I didn’t drink water AT ALL. My body let you know I didn’t either – my skin was compared to elephant hide, and I had severe acne. During a massage class, my classmates were brought up to look at my back, to see what dehydration looked like. (That really happened.) Now that I drink much more water than I have in ages, my skin is much better, and although my acne hasn’t completely cleared up, I cannot be mistaken for what high schoolers would call a ‘pizza face’.
18. I’ve been told I give ‘pretty good’ massages. I’m glad other people think you have good hands. It’s a very good talent to have, but a few classes under your belt would not hurt! This way, you’ll know how to help someone, as opposed to making a situation worse. Hey, people may just say that you give excellent massages then!
19. I just came in from work; Sorry I didn’t take a shower. Unless there is thick green smoke wafting from you, body odor can be dealt with. Now with that being said, don’t jump into a porta-potty on the way to your session.
20. I didn’t shave. I would SO rather massage a hairy body, than a stubbly one. But that’s just my preference. When you shave, you remove a layer of skin cells. You have no idea what media the therapist is using for your massage. As a result, you may end up with clogged pores or blackheads. What would you rather have – a hairy body, or backne (back acne)?
21. Do I ‘have’ to tip? This is a *very* sensitive subject among Massage Therapists. Some therapists get fairly upset by not getting a tip. Talking to a therapist that I look up to, he put it this way –
If you’re paying full rate for a massage — tip or don’t tip, it doesn’t matter to me. I set the price at a livable wage for myself.
If you’re getting a discount because you’re on a fixed income — don’t tip. Treat your family well — except maybe at the holidays (nice, but not necessary).
If you’re redeeming a gift certificate that someone else bought — well, the buyer should have included the tip.
If you’re redeeming a gift certificate that I donated to a non-profit — definitely tip — there is still overhead associated with that massage and the opportunity cost of working for ‘free’ vs working for a paying client.
As far as I’m concerned, tip if you feel that you’ve gotten a good massage. If you can’t afford to tip, don’t feel bad about it, please. I’d much rather you feel better, and tell others about your experience. You won’t get a lesser experience because you don’t give a tip. But this is my personal opinion, based on my own experiences.
Well, what do you think? Do you have any questions or comments that weren’t covered in these past posts? I would really LOVE to know!
Hilarious!! I’ve been guilty of the not shaving one before at the pedicure salon 🙁 Atleast not to my masseuse)
There are lots of people, especially women that are self-conscious about that. I’d much rather have you feel at ease when you’re on my table.
I think you did an awesome job. I have never had a massage. It feels so weird to me and it tickles. Maybe its because it wasn’t a professional.
Here’s something that you can do the next time you get tickled – place your hand in the spot that you’re feeling ticklish, if you can reach. If you can’t reach spread your fingers out, like spirit fingers – it helps!
A tickle is the lightest pain level one has, and sometimes even the threat of being tickled can cause a reaction. You putting your hand in the area that ‘s feeling ticklish will short circuit the tickle.
If you experience a ticklish feeling during a massage, let the therapist know; they can always change the pressure. There’s about 12% of the population that are still ticklish after doing this trick – I actually have a client that’s like this – it’s a fun session, that’s for sure.
Let me know if this works for you! – Sonia
I’m sure I could be used as an example of dehydration as well, this is a good reminder for me to drink more water…and LOL at “happy endings” in the graphic!
Even drinking iced green tea and lemongrass in this heat is better than no water at all. I’ve had to learn to make drinks that encourage me to drink water more often.
That’s a great idea! I’m going to make some iced green tea
Let me know how it turns out. Sometimes I replace the lemongrass with ginger and strain it in a French Press. ?
Love the series, informative and funny at the same time. Well done.
Thanks! I’m really trying to be both informative & funny at the same time.