What are the most frequent mistakes that massage therapists make? Why is it good for men who go for massages to know them? How will you be able to quickly spot whether the massage therapist is good or fake?
I’ve contemplated for years whether to publish this information on my site, because while good artists copy, the best artists steal. And “artists” who have no confidence in their creativity or simply want the easy way will steal! My site has been admired by men and unfortunately also women worldwide for years. And unfortunately there’s plenty to steal from it. But the other side of this conflict won after all, because I owe men to let them know that not every massage therapist is worth their money.
So here are the most frequent mistakes that massage therapists make:
1. The mistakes of not preparing
The most frequent mistake that massage therapists make here is that they do not sufficiently prepare the recipient’s body for being comfortable during a massage. The massage therapist should observe how the recipient is lying on the surface and spot the places that look awkward or scream for support. Most unstudied therapists will leave their massage partner’s head lie awkwardly, which will cause tension in his neck and make him to turn often. That’s hardly relaxing! If the therapist doesn’t correctly support the recipient’s feet, the feet will wobble. That can cause the feet to twitch and the recipient to move.
Many recipients of quality massage fall into light or deep trance, or even lightly doze off. If a massage therapist doesn’t sufficiently support all parts of the body, the recipient will turn and move. That will prevent him from relaxing. And he may even develop more tension in some parts of the body than he had before the massage!
Warmth is another important prerequisite for quality relaxing massage. If the room isn’t sufficiently warm, even the best massage in the world will be ruined. And ditto if the recipient isn’t warm enough. Lying still for a long time will inevitably make many people cold. So a good massage therapist will always cover the recipient with warm blankets or towels and only expose the area on which she’s working. The feet get cold more quickly, because they’re small and the farthest from the heart. So I always ensure that my massage recipients’ feet are well covered.
2. Mistakes with the oils
Every man who has visited a massage parlour which sells everything but massage knows well that the people in those places won’t invest in proper essential oils because that would seriously cut into their profits. They’ll massage with baby oils or similar products. Now even many personal lubricants are marketed as lubricants and massage oils in one. And many a woman in these “massage parlours” won’t hesitate to put this multifunction to the test. These products certainly won’t bring your skin nor muscles absolutely any benefit and can even irritate due to the additives in them!
Speaking of additives and irritation, a good massage therapist will always ask a recipient whether he is allergic to anything. His response will help her avoid oils that could cause harm.
2. When applying the oils…
The correct way to apply the essential oils is to pour them into the palm of one hand, rub the palms to warm the oil blend up, and apply the oil blend to the skin. Most unstudied masseuses will pour the oils from the bottle directly on the recipient’s skin. This is also unpleasant for the recipient, because the oils are cold, hence cause a shock. And rubbing the oils between the palms has another important function – to activate the properties of the oils. The properties won’t be active if a therapist pours the oils directly from the cold glass bottle to the skin!
3. Mistakes in massage techniques
The absolutely most frequent mistake that massage therapists make here is massaging or pressing on the spine. Think about it – the spine is a very sensitive part of the body. It’s fragile, and will be even more fragile in people who don’t exercise, because it will be less flexible and resilient. I don’t know why so many people who claim that they studied massage are so drawn to massaging so close to or even directly over the spine when they have the whole vast plane of the back to showcase their artistry on! The spine can easily be damaged by pressure, therefore should be left alone. And the spine has no muscles! A massage is for muscles, not for bones! A massage therapist who knows what she is doing will massage around the spine.
Not having a system in the massage is another telltale sign of someone who doesn’t know what she’s doing. A massage is like a workout for the muscles. A good workout has a warmup, the deep work, cooldown, and stretching to lengthen the muscles and stimulate circulation. A good massage will start with warming strokes, proceed to the deep work, calm the area down with lighter strokes, and either stretch or stimulate the circulation. Some types of massage are exceptions to this rule, but a skilled and creative therapist can incorporate a warmup and cooldown into them too.
Massaging too lightly or too hard is also a mistake. A good therapist will assess the right amount of pressure for every recipient the first time. And massaging away from the heart is a subtler one of the mistakes that massage therapists make. Strokes should always go toward the heart to stimulate the circulation.
Any other mistakes that massage therapists make?
Yes, at least one. Therapists, good and bad, are also only human. Many of them succumb to dumping their negative comments on the recipients during a massage. They forget that the recipient came there to relax and escape from the negativity in the surrounding world. A good massage therapist will therefore never tell the recipient that he has tension there or there, or that he has a knot in this or that muscle… Comments like these bring negative energy into the massage and do not enrich the recipient in any way.
Have you seen these mistakes in women who sold you massage? Or can you add to this list? Or have you never had a proper massage? If you haven’t, great! I write these articles for the beginner and seasoned consumer alike. Everyone can learn from them – and if you’re a beginner, these articles will add double value to you, because you’ll be able to spot the rogue traders from the experts. Tell me your experience whatever it be.
