BODY IMAGE RISK & REWARD WITH MASSAGE

Each time I get a new client on my table I often hear statements like, “I’m sorry, I didn’t shave my legs,” or “I don’t like my legs because of the cellulite on them, so can we skip working on this area?.”

My standard response is something like, “That is SO NOT a thing to worry about, cause i’m not. No biggie.”

But I’ve realized that for every client who says that, there are probably 10 people who won’t ever say that, because they won’t even schedule a massage. So I wanted to discuss and share how getting a massage can actually help with your body image.
Almost everybody has something about their body that they don’t like. For many people it’s a minor issue. But for some people it’s a big deal. The thing is, massage can really help with body image issues. You may be thinking, “if I feel crummy about my appearance, how does getting half naked and letting a stranger work on me help me feel better about my body?…..Seems a little contradictory. When I was in massage school we were all nervous about getting undressed and letting somebody else touch us. But, honestly it didn’t take long for us to realize that bodies are just bodies and we all become much more comfortable with our own. We realized that scars, cellulite, extra weight, etc. it didn’t matter. We also experienced how good receiving a massage made us feel. Then something unexpected happened – when our bodies felt better we felt better about our bodies.

Let’s look at the risk versus reward.

DON’T GET A MASSAGE: This is the easiest because it involves doing nothing. The risk is low since you are not letting another person see or touch you at all.The reward is zero. You didn’t get a massage so your body doesn’t feel any better, and you still have the stress, aches and pains that you had before.
YOU GET A MASSAGE: The massage therapist makes note of your appearance in some way.If this has happened to you, I’m sorry. You got a crappy massage therapist. This should never happen, ever! You took a risk, and even if the rest of the massage was decent, you got very little reward. This is not going to happen if you come to me, EVER. I can’t say this strongly enough. My only concern when you are on my table is the muscles I’m working on. I don’t care how your body looks. That’s none of my business. I just want to help it feel better.
YOU GET A MASSAGE. A great massage. And the therapist does nothing to make you feel uncomfortable about your body. In fact, you feel pretty good about your body after the massage.In this option your risk is low and your reward is high. Again your body will feel better from the massage and you can start feeling better about it.
Most people I have encountered that are uncomfortable with receiving a massage or avoid getting one is because they are concerned with their weight. I’ve worked on thousands of people, each body is different. Let me just reiterate, to me a body is just a body and what yours looks like is none of my business. There’s no judgment on my table.
You may be dealing with something that you can’t control, such as a medical condition or an injury or accident. You may be in a lot of pain or are limited in what you can do physically. Or maybe none of the above. Either way it doesn’t matter because I’m not interested in what your body looks like, I’m focused on making it feel better 🙂
If you have been avoiding massage because you feel uncomfortable about your body, let’s find an option that works for you. I will make modifications to make you feel comfortable, while getting you feeling better at the same time. If you want leave your clothes on, no worries. I can work over top of clothes, or sheets.
It’s my job to help you feel better. That’s it.