Massage, undies or nude?

I hope she asked you before pulling your pants down? :confused:I would be offended if someone pulled mine down without asking me!

Amethsytfairy:)

Actually she didnt which was the main reason why i decided not to bother with the worry of whether someone else would in the future. I therefore have done it naked ever since and prefer it that way.
Another question, does it ever happen that one of your clients has ever requested that you also get naked (not for sexual purposes) and what would be your reaction if they did? The thought has crossed my mind but id never suggest it in case i caused offence.

I'm currently doing the VTCT Level 3 massage course and we're taught to keep the client covered except the area being massaged. This is to ensure both professionalism and to maintain the clients body heat.

Myarka.

100% of all my clients are covered up. I advise them to keep their underwear on and they will be covered up in towels throughout the treatment.

I had to reply to this because it made me smile!

I have just spent 12 months in Uganda and during that time could afford, for the first time ever, regular massage. Attitudes to nudity etc are soooo different and i was asked why white women like to keep their pants on! (during massage in case that needs clarification! :D)

Also the very first massage i had - they had facilities to shower first - very nice given the temperature - and i had just got back from the shower ie naked under towel and i was going to put underwear on but had no chance as the girl was taking my towel and ushering me on to the bed.

Thankfully i prefer naked and am quite open minded, but i found the whole thing hilarious and a great window through which to view our cultural nuances! 😀

Also wanted to add that they did full massage of the breasts and chest which i have never had in the UK and shocked me at first :009: but was actually very theraputic.

There have been threads on this subject before, including the question of the masseur being naked as well as the client. I don't do massage but I love to be massaged and always prefer to be naked. I've had massages in India which include the breasts (given by a female masseuse) and they always feel more complete. I think we're a bit namby pamby in this country. A few months ago I had a massage as a birthday present and wasn't given the option of taking my knickers off - and this with a female therapist - it just seemed silly, but then I'm not body conscious. I know some people are and prefer to keep their underwear on - I think we should be asked which we prefer. Thankfully I've never been given paper knickers to wear...

xxx

All my clients are covered but I do pull their pants down an little, whilst tucking the towel in, if necessary so that I can cover the whole back.

Just a thought but I believe the practice of clients leaving their pants on is probably an attempt by the professional bodies to try and differentiate between a professional massage and the other kind widely available.

Regards

Wesam

I generally ask clients to keep their underwear on. However if they have lower back problems or I am doing a full body hot stone massage then I will ask them to remove their underwear. I do find it easier with the client not wearing underwear. When they are wearing underwear I will tuck down the waist band slightly. I do find it feels a bit invasive when underwear is pulled down. I can work the glutes through the towel so it's not that much of a problem.

It does depend on the preferences of the recipient and the type of treatment you are giving them, some people are not comfortable without any clothes on, whilst others are comfortable with their own bodies and automatically remove everything to receive a massage treatment.

I prefer to give or receive massage nude - I find it natural and much more enjoyable. Some clients are happy this way, others prefer to wear undies - which is their choice.

I sometimes get to do massage exchanges, some with partners that have been trained via ITEC, VTCT or FHT - bodies that seem to think that they know everything about massage, the end result being that the majority of their massage therapists get a very thorough conditioning (brainwashing) with all sorts of what I consider to be stupidities surrounding the use of towels. It all comes under the high sounding title of "Protecting Modesty" or something like that.

I see this as a re-inforcement of a mental illness surrounding the body and pleasure that has plagued Europe since the Christian era.

Most of my clients prefer to be nude, it also makes it a lot easier for me to massage. When I first started out in the 1980's I worked in a centre where clients always had a very old fashioned type of jaccuzi called an Aerotone bath which was an amazing piece of machinery. As they came out of the aerotone they were met by myself holding a towel and led to the massage couch which was in the same room.

I always use a towel to cover, as the body temperature invariably drops during the treatment and the towel is there to keep the body warm and help the client feel less vulnerable. As not all clients are comfortable with nudity, apart from my lovely African clients who do not understand at all our embarrassment about nudity in the UK.

I am female and i find no difference between the response of male or female clients.

Binah
x

Hello

Being a lady of a certain age I tell my male clients that once you've seen one set of turkey giblets you've seen 'em all... and that seems to sort the pervs from those who really want a massage. I do cover clients with towels because I find it less distracting, and they get cold and it's not nice to massage goose flesh, and also because I do aromatherapy the oils need to fully penetrate the skin which they don't do if exposed to the elements or if the client gets cold.

I will never give a massage naked myself. I'd just not be able to keep my boobs out of the way!

I sometimes get to do massage exchanges, some with partners that have been trained via ITEC, VTCT or FHT - bodies that seem to think that they know everything about massage, the end result being that the majority of their massage therapists get a very thorough conditioning (brainwashing) with all sorts of what I consider to be stupidities surrounding the use of towels. It all comes under the high sounding title of "Protecting Modesty" or something like that.

I see this as a re-inforcement of a mental illness surrounding the body and pleasure that has plagued Europe since the Christian era.

You're right there - on one of my courses, I swear we spent more time learning how to fold towels over people than we did on anything else!

i had reiki with my clothes on and the lady also massaged my tum as it was bloated and it was ok with my clothes on.

it didnt occur to us to get my kit off.

have had discussion with my friends all wouldnt take clothes off only keep underwear on but one lady was told to take everything off in Germany for a massage and the male masseur wasnt professional he accidently on purpose almost slipped his digit in her she told him off he apologised but i got the feeling he was being naughty?

Amethystfairy:)

one lady was told to take everything off in Germany for a massage and the male masseur wasnt professional he accidently on purpose almost slipped his digit in her she told him off he apologised but i got the feeling he was being naughty?

That's one seriously straying finger! How on earth could you do that in a massage (don't answer that - I don't want to know!)?

I've heard of males masseurs in India who have convinced gullible female clients that they would only receive total benefit of the massage if some of the massage oil were to be introduced internally. (Imagine!) And these guys have got away with it! (It never happened to me BTW.)

xxx

I am not a therapist but do go for regular massages. I have received massages where I have been instructed to keep underwear on, massages with only draping and massages with nothing.

I have to say the massage without anything was the best massage.

Underwear gets in the way, draping though not getting in the way can restrict longer strokes of the legs, where as undraped, the therapist is able to do my legs, glutes and lower back in flowing movements and since that is the main area I have problems after damaging my lower vertebra a couple of years ago, this produced a far more relaxing massage.

I think a lot of the comfort though comes from the therapist, my current one is very comfortable and makes me feel at ease (though I am not exactly shy), where as with previous therapists I would not have been comfortable undraped as it was obvious they would not have been comfortable.

As for the therapist being nude, why? They have no need to be unless they are a naturist perhaps and prefer that state but as far as the massage is concerned I see little point in them being undressed.

Dave

I had a married couple from California who came once and were quite upfront that they wanted total nude with glutes etc.

No problem, it is a shame that it can't be like that here.

I have clients for a B,N & Sh who have kepth their trousers on and woe betide you if you get an older lady with her girdle.:D

Patchouli

I always offer my clients the choice: do they wish to be massaged nude or with undies on; do they wish to be covered or uncovered. I have to say that most opt to be naked and uncovered, which is my personal preference too - the massage definitely flows better.

I always make sure the room is cosy, so there's never any "goosepimples" being massaged! LOL!

Massaging a naked body makes massaging the glutes so much easier too. It feels less invasive somehow to just get on with it rather than making the client feel that they are being violated by pulling down their underwear.

I've had plenty of massages in the past where I've worn underwear and been draped in towels, and I have to say that they were pretty disappointing. Firstly, the therapists seemed to think that the leg stops somewhere in the mid-thigh area, and secondly, the glutes were seldom touched (a mortal sin as far as I'm concerned).

Kitten
x

It's funny how this subject keeps cropping up! Surely it is up to the client. I am a mobile masseur and treat mainly female clients, I always instruct my clients to turn up the heating and always present a covered couch with plenty of towels. However, I also give the clients a clear choice before the massage begins. I explain how I will start the massage on the back and shoulders then progress to the glutes and legs. I also perform 3 types of chest massage which includes the MLD style, normal chest massage and just the top of the chest if they prefer to be covered up giving them the choice at the start of the treatment.

It is up to my clients how they receive the massage - most of them (90-95%) have the glutes and full chest massage and are naked under towels. I give the choice but only about 5% prefer to be uncovered.

If you ask me how I prefer to be massaged the answer will be naked and uncovered but I would never do anything to make my clients feel uncomfortable, hence I give them the choice. After all, they pay my bills and 98% of them book monthly sessions year after year.

Have I answered your question or have I just been rambling on again? Perhaps I ned a massage to help unscramble my brain!!!

I love the fact this subject keeps cropping up, some of the posts make me giggle every time!

I'm on a VTCT course, as far as our tutor is concerned, if we are massaging someone of the opposite sex the legs do end half way up the thigh! She said this is about 'respecting client boundaries' (but seems a bit sexist that we can go as far as we like up the leg of same-sex people!). We can do the glutes through towels (but this is cumbersome - I'm always pummelling the towels out of the way by accident so the client ends up with their bum exposed anyway!

Hi

I have had lots of massages and I have also trained as one. May be its me but I am too shy I would never give or receive a massage being naked or on a naked person - too shy!

Reverting to Cricket’s original questions – I am a male sports massage therapist. The majority of my clients request specific injury treatment rather than full body massage, so the question of nudity doesn’t arise. Almost all of my clients who do ask for a full body massage are female. We discussed this at some length on an earlier thread entitled ‘sexual discrimination in massage therapy’ – but basically I think that most heterosexual men who want a full body massage will choose a female therapist. Of the women who do ask for a full body massage, I would estimate that about 70% keep underwear on and about 30% undress completely. My experience is that older women are more likely to undress completely and that younger women are more likely to keep their underwear on. I am not sure whether the fact that I am in my 50s has any relevance to this! I always use towels for draping. Incidentally in view of Cricket’s initial comments about gluteal massage, it maybe worth mentioning that if the client is nude, it is possible to drape the towel diagonally so that the gluteal cleft remains covered: there is a good demonstration of this on the Sean Riehl DVD 'Deep Tissue and Neuromuscular Therapy'.
I was interested to read Cricket’s assumption that “more people nowadays prefer nude”. I think that the reverse may be the case: as massage has become more widespread and mainstream, so it has attracted more people (tutors and therapists as well as clients) who are uncomfortable with nudity. When I trained at the London College of Massage (in 1999), the tutors encouraged us to undress completely to receive massage. And the College website included the advice

“At your first appointment your therapist will ask you briefly about your medical history, lifestyle and general state of health. You should mention any present problems you may have, any medication you are taking and try not to eat or drink too heavily beforehand. For a whole body massage it is usual to undress, although some people prefer to keep on their underpants. Towels are folded over you, to keep you warm as much as to preserve your dignity.”

When I last looked at the College’s website earlier this year, that statement had disappeared. And my impression from discussions with other therapists (mainly on CPD courses) is that very few tutors nowadays actively encourage nudity in the classroom, and that some positively forbid it.
As Sunanda pointed out, there have been previous threads on this subject, but I have the impression that some of our newer contributors may not have read them. So it might be worth commenting that the American website <a class="go2wpf-bbcode" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href=" http://spas.about.com/cs/spa101/a/SpaEtiquette.htm "> http://spas.about.com/cs/spa101/a/SpaEtiquette.htm
gives the following advice

“People who have never had a <a class="go2wpf-bbcode" rel="nofollow" target="_blank" href="massage">massage always ask the same question: "Do I have to take my clothes off?" There is a lot of apprehension about [url]taking your clothes off at the spa.[/url] A traditional [url]Swedish massage[/url] is usually done nude, but you are draped and only the part of your body that is being worked on is exposed. … You can always wear your underwear during a massage if you want to “

Finally, some time ago the Sunday Times published a reader’s query

"in a spa, I'm never quite sure if I'm meant to strip naked for a full-body massage. What's the etiquette?"

The reply given was

"about 99.9% of therapists prefer you naked"

I think that it is clear from this forum that ’99.9%’ is an overestimate, presumably because the Sunday Times confined its research to established spas rather than small clinics.

Alan

I am a 36 year old male who used to have massages with my underwear on. But what I would find is that it was uncomfortable having the therapist pulling my underwear down for both her and I, and often having underwear on signaled to the therapist that I didn't want my glutes done, which was not the case. I think it makes it easier for the therapist to be able to do longer, flowing strokes and makes the massage easier without clothes. Anyhow, once I decided to unclothed, provided the therapist is OK with that, I never went back to wearing underwear for a massage.

Undies

I am not a massage therapist and therefore I don't have as much experience about this issue as most of you, but I would like to give my evidence to thread.

I receive regulalry massage and I prefer to wear my undied and not be naked. I understand that in order to receive a relaxing or healing massage, feeling comfortable is very important, but have never felt comfortable when naked in front of others (except my gf :D)

as stated in other post had microdermabrasion yesterday what i didnt realise was the neck and uppershoulders were involved too. She asked me to take my top off( not bra just top) Me suspicious asked why she explained so thatw as ok. she put towel on me
so that I could take top off in privacy and she only pulled bra straps down to get access to shoulders. That was ok.

also my freind who is a masseur says it is against ethics to massage naked clients. so I explained to her about this forum she refused to consider massaging naked people thats her opinion.Tbh( to be honest) I would feel weird naked in front of her!

Amethsytfairy:)

Just few thoughts and questions

What is unethical about nudity ?

Yes of course "undress style" must be such that the massage recipient is comfortable

If you are going for a massage surely you must realise that at least some clothes must come off, and perhaps you should be told that you will recieve a higher quality massage if there is nothing in the therapists way.

If the concern is about the risk of touching the untouchable bits, then surely that is best achieved if you can see what you are doing rather than being dressed and/or draped and risking just that, or giving up half way up the thigh with a consequent lower overal quality of massage.

And just another question - is massage a sensual experience ?

The title of the thread is a little bit misleading - the question is actually Massage, undies or nude, under a drape (sheet/towel/whatever). There is a huge difference between nude and nude under a drape, I doubt most practitioners would consider nude under a drape against ethics.
The most important thing is that the client AND the therapist be comfortable - for most therapists, that means a drape. For most of them whatever makes the client comfortable under the drape is OK, some prefer people keep their underwear on, and they should make it clear if it is a big concern. If there is lots of streching and leg waving due to sports style massage or whatever, ther therapist will usually say keep undies/shorts on and may not use a drape at all. Most massage therapists prefer bra off for the client because of oil concerns, and can cope with clients leaving their undies on or off under the drape - it really doesn't make that much difference for the therapist.

A different discussion is whether no drape is OK or not, and most people aren't interested in that. A minority ARE interested in no drape, and that seems to get an inordinate amount of discussion for the number of people interested in it. lots of earlier threads about that can be found 🙂

As for isn't it better to be able to see what you are working on, for most therapists, it doesn't make much difference. Massage is done sensing what the muscles are doing and that is mainly done through touch rather than visual evaluation.

A different discussion is whether no drape is OK or not, and most people aren't interested in that. A minority ARE interested in no drape, and that seems to get an inordinate amount of discussion for the number of people interested in it. lots of earlier threads about that can be found 🙂
quote]

Inordinate is exactly the word for it. Given that many of the people here work on bodies on a regular basis, what is this fascination with nakedness? :rolleyes: