Massage in your Home

Bodywork practitioners utilize many locations for their work. Some operate within another practitioner's office (a chiropractor, for example), a spa, resort, or gym. Others work on an outcall basis, meaning they come to you. The practitioner brings a portable table, and everything else they need to do the work (oil, sheets, perhaps a portable CD player for ambince). All you need to supply is a private space, at least around 8' x12' - enough space for the table and the practitioner to work from all sides.

How to Prepare for your Massage

It is customary to shower before your massage if you will be receiving an oil massage (circulatory/swedish). Also, for an oil massage, dress must be considered. The true circulatory/swedish massage is done with the client fully undressed, but draped by a sheet. The massage practitioner masters a very specific draping technique in which the only parts of the body exposed are those being massaged. The pelvic area is never exposed, and, on for women, the chest is never exposed. This is all clearly dictated in the lawbooks. Also, it is law that the massage practitioner cannot be present when the client is going from dressed to undressed and under the sheet. If the client is not comfortable with full undress, they may wear underwear, but women must remove their bra once under the sheet. Otherwise, the long back strokes are impossible. Later, when the woman is face-up, a towel is used to cover the breasts during abdominal work.

In tui na, dress is more flexible. Tui na may be performed on a fully dressed client.

How to Be Massaged

Many people assume that to be massaged, all they need to do is lay on the table. This is only the first level of the massage experience. To be massaged is better than not at all, but there is more to the process. A deeper aspect of receiving massage is learning to relax more and more, especially in the places where we habitually hold tension. Everyone does what is called "holding" in one place or another. Commonly, people hold tension in their necks and shoulders (upper trapezius). Massaging these areas of tension may initially be uncomfortable, and the client may reflexively tense the area even further. This is a protective action, quite understandable (we hold onto our wounds because they are familiar, and there is fear of change and healing, especially if that process might hurt a bit). However, to heal the wound below, it helps to breathe in and out of the area, letting it relax. The client may visualize breathing positive things into the area of tension like light, sunshine, energy, love, and happiness, and then breathe out the tension, negativity, unhappiness, frustration, worry, and anything else that might be held there.

In massage, as clients, we learn where these areas of tension are (there may be some we didn't know about), and carry the lesson of conscious relaxation into our daily lives. Whether we are at home, work, or in the car, we can breathe in and out and relax our tensions, let go of this "holding" that costs us so much energy. Holding perpetuates dysfunctional emotions and thinking patterns such as fear, anger, and worry. These muscle tension occur in synch with these emotions. If we catch ourselves holding, and then relax and let go, negative emotions and feelings tend to disappear as well. Thus, we can improve the quality of our lives, and become happier!