So I wrote last week about my experience looking for a new therapist. This post will be more geared towards the overall experience of the massage I received and what I learned from it.
To be completely honest, I didn't have really high expectations of that massage, or I just didn't know what to expect. I wonder if clients of mine have that initial feeling of unknown/uncertainty when they book their first appointment with me. It is so hard to be able to enjoy a massage just for myself, without thinking of the same experience from the shoes of one of MY clients at the same time. Throughout that last trade, I tried to keep both perspectives as balanced as I could: deeply needing someone to give MY body the attention it needed, while also receiving a massage from a stranger, and viewing it as a client-experience. I tried even harder to not take on the perspective of massage therapist. That was tough.
I was pleased to be asked to fill out an intake form, as some therapists I have traded with don't bother with that with ME, because I'm "just another massage therapist." It made me feel cared about, that she was interested in my health, and it showed me that she was professional in her work as well.
The massage, at times, felt a little bit choppy, but this particular therapist doesn't actually work as a massage therapist. Through some conversation during the massage, she told me of her role as caregiver to her aging mother. A powerful lesson I re-learned here, and hope I haven't been too lax in the past with, is to keep conversation, if any, focused on the CLIENT. I know I have read time and time again that clients don't care about massage therapists' lives, a part of me always thought, "Well, why wouldn't they care?" And maybe clients have a certain degree of concern for us, as massage therapists, but the time they spend on the table is definitely THEIR time, not ours. This experience refreshed that truth for me. To be fair, this therapist didn't talk my ear off during the session, but for me, this massage was really something that I needed to be focused on MY needs.
I think those are the only minor-complaint issues I had from this experience. I was thoroughly delighted at the number of pleasant experiences I had as well, though many of them are geared more towards massage skills. The thing this therapist did that I liked the best, was asking me if I would like more attention on any area of my back side before turning over, or on my front side before turning over another time to work on my back again. She actually had me turn from laying face down, to face up, and back to face down again. To me, that really made me feel she cared about MY needs, not as much her own personal flow of massage. The experience massage therapist in me thinks maybe she offered that in hopes of finding ways to fill my 90 minutes of requested table time that maybe she was having a hard time filling through her own routine. I didn't ask her to be sure, and I think this skill, while so greatly treasured by myself, will be tough for me to apply, because many of my sessions have a tendency to stretch a few minutes beyond their allotted and requested times anyway. Something to work towards, I guess!
A few other skills I will adapt to my use are: gently pinching the sides of each finger. I know people love hand massage, but to me, it was nothing special until I experienced this technique! And she gave me a great foot massage too, which I wonder if it is similar to my style already...? I so wish I could experience one of my OWN massages and see what it's like!
My next favorite move this therapist did, was, when ending massage at my back, she kept flowing strokes going, while progressively lightening her pressure. Ooooohhh, that felt great! It gave me a terrific floating kind of feeling! LOVED that! And a great head-massage too. Love that!
It is definitely worthwhile to be a client again once in a while. And if the therapist of mention here should read this post, please take no offense to any of it, I was very satisfied by the massage you gave me! It was so nice to feel cared for, when so much of my life is spent caring for others. Thank you so much, and I look forward to our next trade and learning from you again!
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