"Would you be late for a MILLION DOLLARS?"

I used to have a co-worker that would always say, "Would you be late for a million dollars? Then why are you late when I am going to make you feel like a million dollars?"  It's true.

After getting a massage you feel incredible so why would you jeopardize losing precious hands on time. This post is going to give you the proper etiquette on what time you should arrive for your massage and why. 

 Let's say you make an appointment for 2pm and you show up right at 2. You're on time, WRONG!

 There is a couple of scenarios for this situation so the first one is you are going to a massage establishment you have never been to before. You always have to fill out paper work and medical history and this takes a few minutes. So right there you have deducted from your massage time. Now lets say you are showing up right at 2 to an establishment you frequent, well usually you have to use the rest room, time deducted.

 OK, now you are arriving at a place you go to all the time but there is a line of people checking out and no one is available to check you in so more time deducted!  Let me tell you a massage therapist usually has 10 minutes between clients. And here is a perfect scenario from a therapists point of view. The therapist picks you up at 2pm, walks you to your room, gives you a brief consultation on how things work and to ask any questions, now you undress and get on the table. This whole process takes approximately 2-5 minutes then your 50 minute massage so now we are at 52-55 minutes have gone by. This means we have 5-8 minutes to get you off our table and dressed (which usually takes more than a few minutes), get you out the door and sanitize and change out sheets for our next client and their appointment starts at 3.

 So you see every minute counts ESPECIALLY if you have back to back massages. Good rule of thumb show up AT LEAST 10 minutes prior so you and your therapist does not feel rushed. 

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.

No Creepy Guy, I do not want to go out with you.

 Hello, my name is Ginger and I have been a Licensed Massage Therapist for 10 years now. I come home everyday and tell my roommate all the crazy stories I experience during work and he suggested that I started blogging about them. Please forgive me if my sentences or any other grammar is incorrect, I am NOT a writer. 

Here is my first story I'll let you in on. last week I get a male client that comes in where I work and wants a good looking female therapist with "strong hands". When I greet the man he stands up and must be at least 6'5" and over 300 lbs. This does not intimidate me since I work on a lot of athletes, however his energy is very off putting. I mean the way he leans in to shake my hand and making small comments like how beautiful my hair is and that I look really healthy.

 Anyways we get into the massage room and I go through the schpeel,  do you have any areas you want me to work on, what is your preference on pressure, do you have any medical conditions. He keeps it short and clean, nothing out of the ordinary except if I do a good enough job he may ask me to marry him. 

So, I start the massage. I always start my client laying face down on the table so I can work on their back, since it is usually the most stressed. I use my elbow a lot for deep pressure so I can save my hands.  As I lean into the stroke on his back he lets a moan that is very disturbing almost skin crawling. I ask if he is alright and he says, "I haven't felt that way in such a long time". OK now I am officially getting creeped out. 
In my mind I'm praying, "LORD please help me". Then the man says,"OK why don't we go out tonight and you can work out some more kinks in my body". 

Now, here is the lesson I want to teach every female therapist or any woman that can't get away from an annoying male that won't give up. I told him he may want to talk to my husband, he's a lumberjack and always carries an axe with him. That man shut up so fast and the rest of the massage went fantastic. No more comments and no more moaning and I still got a wonderful tip. 

Stay tuned for more massage tips and stories.

 Heart Ya, Ginger