GAS, Unleaded PLEASE!!!

I understand, we all got it........GAS! And most of us... it does not smell like ROSES!  

In my 10 years of doing massage I have never encountered a person like this before though. Every once in a while I get someone that farts unacceptably and I would never judge, we ALL get it.  

In this case, I get this very nice, petite little woman who you would think could never do anything atrocious, but she proved me WRONG.  As soon as I started to work on her back thighs the gas started coming.  I couldn't believe the sounds that came from that lady.  I just thank God that it didn't smell, but the sounds did not stop. It kept coming from one leg to the other.  Sounds that you only hear from a Star Wars movie.  Again her small stature amazed me with the noise that came from within.  But the one thing that totally bothered me, was that she never said anything. No "Excuse Me", "Sorry", or "My Bad"........ NOTHING. 

So my suggestions.  As a therapist you really can't say or do anything, GAS HAPPENS.  For the client,  please DO NOT eat something the day before or the day of your massage that makes you gassy.  We've all been there, where gas just happens and you can't stop it.  But if you are about to receive a massage please be courteous to yourself and your massage therapist and be aware of what you are putting in to your body so that you know what is going to be coming out of it.    

Heart Ya, Ginger

Please Keep Your H1N1 At Home!!!!!

The average person gets 2 colds and 2 stomach infections a year. We all get sick one time or another, but during this time do not attempt to receive a massage. Once in a while I get a client that sounds like they are coughing up a lung on my table.  I mean one of those coughs that are just full of phlegm and that horrible sound of that they can't get any air into their lungs kind of noise. Then I get the excuse, " Oh it's just allergies." PLEASE, I know the difference from sniffles to needing a new lung. Anyways... CANCEL your appointment immediately. There are a few reasons behind this logic.

First let me inform you a massage while you are sick will just make you sicker. Massage moves fluid and soft tissue that will take your sickness in one part of your body into almost EVERY part of your body. So while sick if you think a massage will make you feel better you are WRONG!!!!!

 Second reason, have some common courtesy. Your poor massage therapist did not sign up to be stuck in a room with a sick person for an hour just so that they could get sick and can't work for a week and lose out on pay because you have no manners. 

Just picture yourself being on an airplane with a sick person sitting right next to you, coughing and sneezing all over you and you can't do anything but sit there and take it. Not fun! So don't take your germs to your therapist. They would rather you cancel and reschedule than touch your snotty, coughing, fever sweat covered body. 

Heart Ya, Ginger

Zombie Skin!

Now everybody has gotten a sunburn one time or another in their lives and we all know what happens a few days later.......... we peel. So for massage therapists this can be an AWFUL situation to deal with. If your skin is dry, you smoke, you recently got to much sun, you don't drink enough water, or you don't moisturize your skin this leads to your top layer of skin exfoliating off into the massage therapists' hands and arms. GROSS!!!!!!

One time I got a client that was peeling so bad from getting a sunburn that when I massaged them their skin just peeled off like they were a ZOMBIE like their body was just falling apart! Again GROSS!!! Also alot of the times the skin rolls up into little, gross, dark skin balls that look like boogers and are not only on me but all over the massage table. So when a massage is over and a client gets up they think the table is just dirty, UGH NO!!! It's your skin.

Just so you get a visual. Remember when we were young and would put Elmers Glue on your skin, let it dry, rip it off, and roll it between your thumbs and the disgusting booger like matter would be left. That's EXACTLY what it is like!

Here are some tips to avoid becoming a ZOMBIE! First exfoliate your skin before getting a massage. Go to the store and buy a back brush and while showering scrub your back and extremities. Also keep yourself well hydrated. Your skin is an organ and if you are adequately hydrated your skin will not be dry. Then there's moisturizing. This is key. The more moisture in your skin the healthier it is. If you smoke, try to cut back. Smoke is EXTREMELY harsh for your skin. We all need the Vitamins in sunlight, but cut back if you are a SUN BABY.  If you do this you will repair wrinkles, add elasticity to your skin, and even out complexion.

For the therapist who encounters this client my only suggestion is use as much lotion/oil as you can. The massage won't be as deep but it will cut back on the grossness. The more  product you use the less friction there is, so it cuts back on the exfoliation. You will still have skin just not as bad. Also have a small hand towel available to take off extra skin when it accumulates. I know GROSS, but it's better in a towel than in your hands and arms.

SKIN IS A GIFT!!!!

Heart Ya, Ginger

To Shower or Not To Shower?!?!?

 So,  I get a client today that wants a sports massage. No problem, I do them all the time. So I go and get my client and she is wearing workout gear, I understand you want to be comfortable before and after a massage so no high maintenance necessary here. So I ask the client what areas she wants worked on. She let me know she had just run a full marathon and needed her legs, hips and back really stretched out. OK, sounds good I'll be back in just few to start working. 

 As I walk back into the room it fills with the stench of sweat. Now I notice she has not taken a shower after the marathon, over 26 miles. REALLY!!!

 Can I ask would you shower before you had a doctor's visit? Probably. Why? Because you are totally naked and every orifice can be smelled. 

 Well during the massage her skin is so damp from her sweat that I don't even need lotion, GROSS!!!! And when body parts are stretched and moved around HORRIBLE smells are coming from her. 

 Alright well you think this happens once in a blue moon but you are wrong, it happens quite frequently. You would think people would have the common sense to shower after lets say a marathon or a round of golf, or a visit to the gym but they DON'T.

  If you are going to get naked and get on a table to let someone touch you, one would hope a shower was in their recent past. Listen we all sweat and we all have a smell but for the LOVE of God please be aware of your hygiene. SHOWER and use SOAP! 

Lesson for the day.