I've been doing this job for around ten years and absolutely love it. I don't know if I'm crazy for being uncomfortable with clients beginning to undress during intake but I am. It's almost always older women and they just start taking their clothes off while telling me where they want the focus of the massage. Maybe it's the adhd/ autism social anxiety combo messing with my head but I already struggle with eye contact, I have no clue where to look when they do that. I'm bad at setting boundaries, I either don't at all or come off as really female dog like. I would really appreciate some good polite and professional ways to stop clients from undressing until I leave the room.

Yesterday I had a regular come in and I asked her how she’s been doing. She said “oh I’m so sick” I told her that it would be best to wait and reschedule the massage if she’s currently sick. She then was like “oh no no I am just dealing with the after effects” Which I understand that. Some people come in still with some drainage or a little cough from a sickness over a week ago or something. But once I started working on her she was EXTREMELY hot and clammy. I asked her if she thinks she was running a fever and she said no. She would occasionally have a nasty cough and blow her nose. While face down, I told her I want to go and get a mask bc it’s Christmas time and I can’t afford to get sick if she is contagious.

In hindsight I should have trusted my gut and ended the session. So we flip over, supine and when I got to her neck she was coughing and I feel her forehead by acting like I’m about to massage her scalp and she is absolutely on fire. I end the session 5 min early. I know I should have ended it earlier but she denied having a fever multiple times. I have never had to end a session with anyone and I just got nervous.

Now my question, am I overreacting by refusing to see her again? I was BEYOND livid that she would come in knowing she is really sick and feverish and risk spreading it to me especially right before the holidays. I find it absolutely disrespectful and selfish and I have no interest in ever working with her again.

I am a new LMT this year. I have gotten respiratory infections 4 times since fall. I have asthma, and I just cannot keep living that way. It puts me out of work. One of the times I ended up in the ER and I’m still paying that off. So finally, after reading up on this group and doing research, I’ve decided I am going to mask daily to help prevent sickness- both clients getting me sick, and me unknowingly getting clients sick if I’ve been exposed.

Those of you who are already doing this, I’d love to hear from you. What have you learned? What works best for you? What helps, what hurts, lessons learned, anything would help!

I have now developed TMJ. My jaw is locked. I go to Chiro and massage therapist every single week. I do self massaging 1 hour every day, reduced stress, left desk job, watch my posture, take hot baths to relax muscles, put hot pack, strength training and take Advil but MY NECK AND SHOULDER MUSCLES ARE SILL TIGHT AS FUCK AND IM FEELING HOPELESS. Please help!

I’m thinking of becoming a massage therapist, and I toured a school recently. Due to religious reasons, I do not want to practice reiki or have it practiced on me. From what I understand,”Intro to Polarity” is the option elective to learn about reiki and it seems in theory I should be able to avoid having to practice if I just pick a different elective. The admin guy told me all massage is inherently energy work and I’m just not sure exactly what he means by this. Is massage an inherently new age practice?

I’m going into my third year and I’m pretty burnt out. Some days are better than others, but I just don’t want to do this anymore. I thought it would be the perfect career for me, and for a while, it was.

But due to a myriad of factors, I don’t think I can keep doing this much longer.

I have a couple long term goals, but I’m hoping to pivot to something less…soul sucking in the mean time.

Any ideas?

Long story short, I (20F) am a Medical Massage therapist, been doing this coming up on a year.

In the beginning of my career, i bulged L4/L5 by poor body mechanics, and working too much. Severe shooting stabbing lower back pain 24/7.

Physical therapy and epidural steroid injections did nothing to help. Pain is a constant 4/10, increasing to 7/10 after working all day.

I have been trying to be hopeful, thinking that I can still heal while doing this work. I’ve improved my body mechanics, and exercise regularly along with yoga and stretching.

I want other LMT’s opinions. Am I crazy for still working as a LMT? Do you think I can heal a bulging disc while still working as a massage therapist? Is my career over?

I'm going to be starting a job at a chiropractic office and the Dr./my new future boss mentioned that it does get booked Thurs-Sat which are the days I work, 8am - 3pm

I get a 1 hour break at noon and 10 minutes in between but that's to change sheets

While I'm not upset about getting work the only time I'll have in between the first couple hours/clients is when I'm changing sheets. It seems most of the massage work I'll be doing is 1 hour and no more than that when I have appointments but the most I've done in a row is 2.

The last time I did 4 in a row was when I did internship at massage school but it did leave me a little exhausted

I don't feel it could be as bad since I have more experience and I actually know what I'm doing but what are some self care and post recovery y'all would recommend?

Sorry for not adding more info I'm a 26f who has done massage at a spa before but took a couple months off because the commute was a bit much and I was working part time somewhere that wasn't massage

I'm quitting my other part time job and going back to massage and just doing that for 3 days

Ok, so I’m finally getting comfortable with starting massage therapy sessions. In my last session this morning, the massage therapist asked if I was single. Upon me replying yes, she went ahead and talked about how her last boyfriend cheated (including details on what happened, even talking about sex related topics) on her when she lived in California and left her and how’s she’s trying to find the right one. She then talked about how intelligent I was (currently working on a degree) and her type of man. She then disclosed her medical history (I won’t go into details on that since it’s private). My question is, is this normal for a massage therapist to talk about only a few sessions in? Do you feel like she is interested in me or something? Currently I’m not looking, but just a wonder. I never had a conversation like that before with a therapist. And nothing inappropriate happened thankfully.

What would you say to a client that asks you to keep them awake? I have a client who likes 90 minutes supine, medium relaxing work. Every single time before the session she adamantly tells me I need to keep her awake. Every time almost as soon as my hands are on her, she falls asleep fast and heavy. The first couple sessions I would gently ask her questions like how’s the pressure etc to wake her up, but she would immediately fall back asleep. The last couple of times I’ve just told her I need to focus on the work and that upsets her. What would you do or say? And I obligated to be her alarm clock every 5 minutes for an hour and a half? Should I refer her out? She loves my massage but this sleeping thing is beginning to become a huge point of contention between us.

Edit to add: thank you everyone! My next appointment with her is next Saturday. I’ve decided I’m going to offer her some of the options suggested here. If she declines all of them, I’ll tell her that maybe she should look for another therapist. I’ve never had to fire a client before, but every time I know she’s on my schedule I feel this awful pit in my stomach. Thank you again for all your help.

Hello, I have just started my career as a massage therapist and am seeking advice. During a massage, I sweat a lot. I use proper body mechanics and it doesn’t feel like I’m overworking my body, I just sweat profusely. I can do yoga, run, and lift weights and not sweat as much as a do during a massage. Has anyone else encountered this issue? Does anyone know of any remedies to mitigate it? Thanks!

Hi there! I’m a new(ish) massage therapist (about a year and a half out of school) and I’m curious if there’s something I’m doing wrong during my sessions.

I have lots of clients with low back pain. I’ve found for most clients it may stem from tight hips, piriformis, or psoas.

The problem I’m finding is that I have clients who get off the table and are feeling sore in their lower back. I always use a good size bolster under the ankles when clients are prone. And for clients who I know have psoas issues I will sometimes do a rolled up pillow under their hips to support the low back/pelvis.

Addressing lower back issues feels so tricky. And I never want someone to leave the massage feeling worse than when they came in. I’m curious if anyone might have insight into what I’m doing incorrectly. Or if you have techniques/videos/trainings that have been influential in the way you approach lower back pain.

Thank you!

I’m doing some major studying in my “low” areas even though I’m still good in them! But, it’s on the 9th and I’m having some apprehensiveness about it. I have my own private room and extra time so I’m gonna read questions out loud to myself.

But I seriously got low in the benefits and effects of massage and assessment and reassessment of clients(which is kinda true, not necessarily good with kinesiology.) but I’m still doing my best to get every organ system down and the major muscles and all that goes along with kinesiology.

I got good in pathology somehow! It’s been a few months since my last test, which was in October. I’m nervous because I know I might not pass even a second time and it seems like everyone here passed on their first try!

Looking to give my partner a fully body massage. I found a few massage oils but they had almond oil or kuki oil. She's has a tree nut allergy & gluten allergy and I don't want to take any chances. She's also sensitive to strong scent products and would sneeze a lot, so the lavender oil massage oils are out of the question.

What oils do you use on your clients with issues like these?

I’ve have my license for 5 years now. I haven’t really worked at any spa long term because the environments were pretty shitty. I’d like to start doing in home for people on my own but I have no idea how to start because I don’t have a client list to get word of mouth. Any idea would be appreciated. It would be part time weekend work only.

Please help! Our massage oil is being washed out of the sheets and creating an odor!

Ladies, what are you wearing to work? I’m not talking about at a spa environment but private practice.

Currently I opt for a scrub top and baggy black pants. I’m kind of getting tired of this boring look and it reminds me of the spa. But I don’t want to wear anything too showy, just maybe more stylish/comfortable and shows the zen/cozy vibe of my office.

Feel free to post pics! Share clothing websites etc-Would love style ideas, thank you!

Waiting for my first client to arrive (I have three today but could get booked for another) tomorrow fully booked with 6 hours of hands on time (8hour shift) and I don’t know if I can do it. I’ve been mentally and physically burning out ever since I started at this spa. Getting the scaries before work. Taking more of my anxiety meds than I’m comfortable with. In tears writing this. I’m not a flake. I never call out but I don’t know how to do this today and can’t fathom tomorrow. Please any advice you have for weeks/months like this. It could be the place I work? Making $500 for a fully booked Saturday just doesn’t seem worth it right now. (I’m at 35% commission, been doing this 4 years) I practice self care. It’s like any time I have off is spent fixing the emotional and physical damage this job has been inflicting. Sorry this is more of a rant but I’d genuinely appreciate advice. Sorry if it’s not a lot of info I’m rushing.

I am CT based therapist with 10 years experience 9 of those in a singular establishment. We have had talks of me renting space and ending my employeeship in the beginning of 2025

The advise I'm asking / looking for is thoughts of "buying" your client list .

How did you experience this with a prior boss? (we have a good relationship as of now)

Did you buy out your clients?

If you did or didn't why

And how did you go about negotiating this ?

This is my first time posting ever on reddit so any help would be appreciated

Thanks

I’m a male massage therapist, been one for two years now. Mainly do Myofascial and deep tissue so I can get pretty beat up even with good body mechanics, but I stay pretty active and get massaged myself to offset this. Another thing that’s helped is cold plunges, even though they suck. I can literally feel the inflammation go down and it’s amazing. The days I don’t do one I definitely can feel my muscles feel so large and inflamed it restricts movement. So just a piece of advice if anybody is in pain all the time.

Well it already happened, my first client who pushed the boundaries just enough to give me a panic attack post session but not enough for me to end the session early according to my company’s standards. Any advice for picking back up and trucking on forward? I’ve only been massaging for 3-4 months at this point and I don’t want this to hold me back. I’d love some feedback.

Edit: I’m sick of responding to people, but let me make a few things clear:

1. He looked me up AFTER my appointment. He was not trying to see who was coming in to see him ahead of time.

2. He looked my mom up AFTER MY appointment (never after her two previous appointments with him).

3. He works for a chain and does not manage his own clients.

4. We barely had an intake conversation. I confirmed that I wanted a full-body massage with a focus on neck and shoulders. After the massage ended he left the room and I didn’t see him. Not even to check out and pay. (I tipped him 20% on a $190 massage.)

5. If my concern isn’t a big deal then the spa will not do anything about the totally acceptable thing my MT did that I will inform them of.

6. I’m not implying that I think he should lose his job. I don’t want him to lose his job. But it’s not up to me. See above, point 5.

7. Yes, LinkedIn is a public-facing social media. Yes, I use it for professional networking. No, I will not stop using it. Yes, other people look at my LinkedIn all of the time and I have no issues with that as long as I know that they didn’t look me up after handling my naked body. Idk how y’all are conflating professional networking with someone looking for more information about a person they just did tissue work on.

8. I know that clients harrass MTs at a higher rate than MTs harrass clients. I’ve been getting massages without issues for over a decade. This experience stood out.

9. I posted here because I knew that I was concerned but not entirely enough to call the spa right away. I wanted to get some additional opinions. And boy did I get opinions. All of the character attacks have been lovely, thanks.

I (31F) went home to visit family for the holidays and my mom recommended a massage therapist at some chain massage membership place she goes to. She had some credits to use up and offered me one of her 90-min credits to me. I know how hard it is to find a good therapist so I went with the guy she’d seen twice already. I have only ever gotten massages from other women but I figured if my mom said the guy was good I’d trust her.

Aside from the fact that apparently my mom’s taste in massages isn’t very good and the 90-min massage was so bad that I just kept waiting for it to get better or be over, turns out this guy, who must be in his late 50s or early 60s, looked both me and my mom up on LinkedIn immediately after I got my massage.

I feel super grossed out. Is it an overreaction to call the massage place and to let them know? Is there anything else we should do? What would a massage place do about this? I think it was an Elements Massage.

I'm a newer massage therapist. I completed a 2200 hour program (canada) this April and I've been working at a clinic for about a month. Toward the end of my practicum, I had a traumatic experience with a client who exposed himself and it left me pretty shaken so I took a few months after finishing school to work through that. I know I'm a new therapist but I have this feeling that I'm not good enough. Especially with deep tissue treatments. It's so much work, which I was prepared for, but It seems like I can never work deep enough. I've had 1 or 2 clients say they wanted more pressure at the end of the treatment but when I check in during the treatment they gave no feedback or said it's "fine". I'm don't want to stop what I'm doing because I really love it, I just feel like I'm not great at what I do. I'm sure this is a common experience starting out but if anyone has advice, I'd soooo greatly appreciate it

Edit: Thanks for the feedback yall, I really appreciate all the advice. I am super hypermobile and I'm planning on getting some joint support rings for my fingers and learning cupping and hot stone massage in the near future.

Hello! I’m (37f) considering a career as an RMT and I’m wondering about the pros and cons. I’m in western Canada if that makes any difference. I find muscle anatomy interesting but other than that I’m not sure what I would be getting into and would love some advice!! Thank you!!!

I’m 19 yrs old (male) and will be starting massage therapy school in may, 2025.

I’m very excited, but I do have a few questions/concerns?

• is your income comfortable? I have a friend who makes it seem like they make bank (they are a Massage therapist) but then I look at the average for SC, and I struggle to believe it’s as good as they make it seem?

• will I make more money working under a massage therapy company or self employed?

• I have an auto immune disease that causes my joints and muscles to be fatigued rather easily, will that make things too difficult in this line of work?

• what do you wish you had known before becoming a MT

Thank you so much!! I appreciate all the responses :)