Postby AnasteishaBuckovsky » Wed Aug 25, 2021 5:02 pm
I learned so much useful and amazing information during my time in massage school. However, I’d have to say that one of the most useful pieces of advice came from one of my favorite teachers. He basically told us, “If it feels good for the client, do it.” He was talking within legal bounds of course, but his point was that people come to a massage therapist with certain complaints, tight areas, and expectations. If they say that their left shoulder has been bothering them, and then when you get them on the table, you spend most of the time working on their right hip because you have assessed that that’s probably where their issue is originating, that client will walk away unhappy even if you told them exactly what you were going to do and did, in fact, decrease their pain. At the back of their mind, they are still going to be thinking that you, as a therapist, didn’t work on the areas that they specified. So, yes, work on the areas that you believe are causing the client their pain or whatever else. But if they specifically ask you to work on an area, whether it be their feet, scalp, glutes, face, or right hip, then do it! You’ll have a happy client that feels that all their issues were addressed.Addendum: I can speak from personal experience with this in massages that I receive too. I love work on my back, legs, and neck; and those areas definitely need attention, given my occupation. However, I absolutely adore a few minutes on my face and scalp during a massage, and I’ve specified that to several therapists who then proceed to either spend no time whatsoever on those areas or who barely touch them. In the end, even if the entire rest of my body feels loose and relaxed, I’m disappointed by the fact that my “super feel good” areas didn’t get any love. Bottom line. If it feels good for the client, do it.
