Body Parts missed during massage

[choudhary_ajay1980]

Does anyone have frustrations on parts being skipped during a full body massage?.In my experience the muscles that get missed of most are the glutes, upper thigh top of quads,abs,inner thigh.It's frustrating when you pay for a full body massage yet only half the body is done.

WS

 

[shyshay87]

Couldn't agree more. A huge amount of therapists don't seem to think hands and/or feet are part of the body either......

 

[kellamnity]

A massage therapist's POV......

In my experience the majority of clients have areas of their body that they prefer not to be massaged. Therefore, I see it as my responsibility during the consultation to agree with the client what areas will be omitted and note it on the consent form.

By default I don't massage the gluteus muscle group, but will do so on request, or will recommend it if the client has specific problems.

Full body massage means so many things to so many people and is further complecated by the reservations of tutors.

IMO, I think this is more of an issue of communication and as therapists we should be clearer in what we will do. On the other hand clients who are are experienced at receiving massage, should make their wishes known when visiting a new therapist.

Myarka.

 

[Only_Me]

absolutely agree

and sorry myarka, but if you advertise a full body massage, but do not actually include the glutes (or for anyone else, anything else) as standard it really is up to you to qualify what you are about to do that is short of the advertised expectations.

 

[iSparkle]

and just to add, from a clients point of view, I tend to trust the therapist to do what is offered. When one asks questions like "which bits do you massage ?" or "do you actually massage to the top of the inner thighs ?" or "do you do the tum" you can feel the red flags going up all over the place, so i stopped quizzing therapists about what they actually massage a long time ago. If i receive a massage that I regard as incomplete I just do not return.

and definitions of whole of body are a "trade" problem, not a client problem - most of us think we understand plain english, and are not aware that some tutors or therapists have different interpretations of the same offering

 

[Eleanor Vann]

I think we are saying the same thing, it's about communication. I have no problem with clients wanting a full body massage to the extent you are looking for. But I have to be sensitive to the needs of my clients where the majority have preferences of what they wish to be omitted.

I also agree that therapists should not omit parts without consultation and that's why I explain to all my clients the sequence I use. I do this for both direct and indirect techniques.

Myarka.

 

[MHMcHH (brown sugar)]

It is impossible to give a thorough FULL body massage with consultation in an hour, and I refuse to time myself to only 7 mins per leg ect like I was trained, as some areas need more work taking up more time.

Full body massage is an advert of what is available, all areas that will be massaged should be discussed during the consultation.

 

[NatalieBeauty]

Hi, it is a communication problem, a timing problem, and a training problem.

It's not really possible Whitesnake to do a comprehensive full body massage in a 1 hour session.

There does definitely a communication problem between clients & therapists and this needs to be resolved. Some clients don't like belly, inner thigh and buttock rubs.

And as for training, a lot of training courses don't cover working the gluts, and may be conservative about thigh work. We still live in an "anal" society.

What I do is offer 1 hour treatments for specific problems (which is the bulk of my work as a solution-focused massage therapist), and 1.5+ hours for a more comprehensive full body treatment, including the thighs, gluts and belly (unless this is the problematic area then they get worked regardless of timing).

A simple easy solution. Oh, and as for money, I charge a little less for 1.5 hours to encourage clients to go this route.

RP

 

[Mary Boo]

Why not pay in 'FULL' i.e. pay HALF the prior agreed fee; enjoy the look of stunned surprise on the therapists face and then explain that if you (the therapist) took your car to a petrol station and asked for a FULL tank and it was only half filled would you pay the FULL price!?

Agree anyway with the sentiment of your post. Jeez how much work do the gluteal muscles do in daily life only to be cruelly neglected by the majority of the 'Full Body' sic massage brigade Not to mention their connected mates the thigh muscles.

 

[Lion Sack]

I agree with you Luke, gluts need a good going over. I would say over 90% of my clients have their gluts done. But that is unusual, most therapists don't and its such a pity.

As an added note, I just realised I don't often use terms like "full body", just what the treatment is good for. [two minutes later] I've just checked a leaflet and full body is not mentioned. Hurray I'm off the hook!!! Prehaps those who use the term "full body" need to redefine what that means

best wishes

RP

 

[Laya]

Yeah it's a question that kneads to be arsekd

What is a Full Body Massage?

It would be funnier to have a drawing of the human body with all the bits that aren't included in the so called/fraudulent 'full body' massage, missing

 

[ypezaucsiwhiqjewh]

I trained over 10 years ago and never occurred to me not to include glutes until seeing the discussions here. Agree it can be difficult to cover everything properly in an hour especially if there's a problem area which needs more work and, if I'm a client, a one hour massage which tries to do the whole body can feel superficial. I don't see many new massage clients these days but, if I do, I'll book them in for 90 mins including a 15 min consultation. This includes checking if there are any areas they want to avoid or concentrate on and time to explain what I'm proposing to do & why. Then we've got 75 mins which for me is about right for a full body.

 

[Ookosearch]

Agree completely. I paid for a 90 minute full body massage and the lady did not do my glutes, hamstrings, and barely did my abs. Not only that, she stopped to get lotion ever minute, so contact was constantly broken and the massage was constantly interrupted. She did less in 90 minutes than some therapists can do in 45! The other issue I seem to have with some therapists is they spend 60 out of 90 minutes working on my back doing the same strokes over and over. Why? Don't my legs, arms, head and neck, feet, glutes, abs...etc, need just as much attention?

Also, as a guy, I want abs, thighs, quads, and glutes done..espeically because I have fibromyalgia. But I am afraid to ask therapists anything because like others, I don't want to set off "red flags". If the massage is not thorough, I just don't come back.

 

[audilky]

I think a lot of massage therapists are just not comfortable with the whole (full) human body; consequently they develop their own 'style' which may be defined by the areas of the body they 'don't do' (because they are scared).

Confident and straightforward practitioners rarely encounter problems with clients asking for extra services (perhaps?) especially if they discuss what is/isn't included before the session or before the booking.

The number of therapists who are prepared to take the money and then not give a genuine full body massage is in my experience (double figures) the majority. It's all so 'naughty' isn't it?!

He or she who pays the piper calls the tune (not).

 

[Errapolis]

I think it's down to the training industry. My aromatherapy tutor told me she was trained to include glutes - but by the time she was training us, she was telling us to cover about half of the thighs with towels, never mind massaging the glutes!

I'm happy to massage anything clients ask for, but I don't touch the glutes unless a) they've asked for it (some do), or b) they've got a specific problem that I think it would help (and I'll ask them first if they are happy with it). It's a shame, but there you are. I'm sure I read in a previous thread on here about a woman who was taught not to massage men's legs above the knee!

Only yesterday I was telling someone how ridiculous it is that we don't normally do the glutes - seeing as they are a major group of muscles that connect two crucial parts of the body. But do clients expect it? Not generally, in my experience.

 

[KoAussie]

It's so sad people aren't being trained to do glutes any more. I'd be miffed if they weren't included in a FBM & most of my clients who have been having massage for a number of years wouldn't be too happy either.

Granted towel technique needs to be OK so you work in two stages & client doesn't get over exposed but if client or therapist is nervous you can work through towels - I was taught to use elbows!

As others have said it's an important area. Think it's a slippery slope for our profession if we're gradually declaring key areas of the body off limits.

Jx

 

[JW B]

friend of mine who is a massage therapist was trained not to touch inner thighs( sensitive part),myself wouldn't want to be massaged there! nor the bottom or tum,that's my personal preference (only been massaged once think will open other thread explaining this!!)but then I think rest ok not breasts!

of course I hope full body massage doesn't include the genitalia.

Amethsytfairy

 

[jewyou420]

Hello Amethystfairy
Interesting post,my answer is No full body massage doesn't include the genitalia

 

[cfvgsczg]

Or the bum, inner thighs etc. apparently.

Then again are the genitals not body parts?

Discuss

 

[Dani D]

Indeed they are, and as long as you are happy to pay, it seems there is no shortage of people out there happy to massage them (so I'm told). But don't expect a good full body massage if you go for that option!