Have you ever wondered what is appropriate to discuss during a massage session?
We firmly believe that your massage session is time truly dedicated to YOU. That means that you guide the session. We set some pretty distinct boundaries but ultimately, it’s your session. We strongly suggest not talking, but we also understand that some people need that in order to feel more at ease. We welcome most conversations, but we do have a firm rule that no religion or politics be discussed. We think this is fair for all parties involved. In our current culture of heated and polarizing conversation, we just want to create a relaxing space for you to leave your stress at the door.
Where it gets confusing…
We get it. We ask you to be vulnerable. We ask you to remove your clothing, to relax and let go of your stress. Essentially, we’re asking you to feel safe with us right away. Maybe what stresses you out is what is allowing you to feel safe, or you’ve known us for so long it’s easy to put your care in our feet and you feel you can tell us anything on the table. We do not take this request lightly. We actually discuss and talk about the seriousness of this situation almost daily.
Because we ask you to feel safe, sometimes people confuse that safety with being able to discuss whatever they want. Most of the time, this is totally fine. When it starts to creep into not-fine is when it starts to skirt our personal beliefs (usually in religion and politics). Especially for those of you reading this and who desperately want to understand what is happening socially, or economically, or politically; we will politely encourage you to find a safe space to ask your questions and find your answers but we know where our scope of practice begins and ends. We work with muscles. We see the body as a whole being and other aspects of your being play a part in your overall health but we refer those other pieces to other professionals. If you need a therapist, we may recognize that and give you a referral. If you need a chiropractor or a personal trainer, we can find someone for you. We are specialists in relaxation and muscles.
The elephant in the room…
Sex. It’s no surprise that we are constantly on guard surrounding this topic. The cultures inappropriate mingling massage with sex workers is not missed on us. In fact, we have very particular parameters set in place to avoid such misconceptions. We are professional massage therapists that carry licensure with the state and the national governing boards. We wish to maintain that level of professionalism. With all of the hurdles we have to jump, we keep a lot of our ideals and feelings about this topic to ourselves to make up for inappropriate conduct from others in the past. So, to put it plainly, we don’t talk about anything sexual in massage. Period. In fact, if you start to move in that direction, even in jest, we start to get a little paranoid. For our sake and yours, we would appreciate it if you just don’t skirt that line. That way we don’t have to wonder, “did he/she mean something by that?” or “am I being paranoid?” or “do I have something to worry about?”
Other than religion, politics, and making anything sexual, we are happy to talk about whatever you’d like, but don’t be surprised or offended if we consciously choose not to engage in certain conversations. We are tying to focus on what your body needs in a session, and talking can distract us from giving you the utmost care.
Thanks for reading and respecting our space we create for you. If you ever have a question about this, I’m happy to answer your questions and point you in the direction to find the answers you seek.
Peace!
Sara
