As a experienced Holistic Therapeutic massage therapist in the United kingdom, I have been adhering to some on-line conversations with good fascination. A single discussion that will most likely go on advertisement infinitum is, “to what extent is nudity acceptable/required for a complete body therapeutic massage?”
I experienced with ITEC, who give a distinct message that ‘towel management’ is very vital and that the “client’s modesty have to be protected at all instances”, with knickers or pants getting kept on and only the body part getting massaged exposed at any provided time. In other phrases, the client is protected with towels at all instances aside from the body part, most likely a leg, or the back again, that is getting massaged. Viewpoints on no matter if or not this is the best solution seem to be to be greatly divided amongst my fellow industry experts.
It appears that, in other components of the globe, it is regarded as rather typical for the client to be bare, even though normally protected with a sheet, or most likely a ‘loin cloth’ in the case of lomi lomi (Hawaiian therapeutic massage). In the United kingdom, it would seem that the term “therapeutic massage” has, for lots of, sexual connotations which is how the problems originate. Probably not astonishingly it is normally the ‘female therapist, male client’ situation in which most difficulties crop up.
There are a number of options regarding the concern of nudity in therapeutic massage
therapist clothed and client partly clothed and protected,
therapist clothed and client unclothed and protected,
therapist clothed and client unclothed and exposed,
therapist unclothed and client unclothed and exposed, (naturist therapeutic massage).
Of system, there may possibly be other eventualities I haven’t provided, (possibly my creativity is not up to it!). But as much as these eventualities are anxious, the doable problems include,
shoppers anticipating much more than ‘just’ a therapeutic massage,
therapists emotion not comfortable with a client wishing to be nude
therapists doubting the motives of the client,
therapists and/or shoppers emotion that a “complete body” therapeutic massage is compromised if underwear is worn and most of the body is draped,
some therapists getting relaxed with naturism when many others are not
As I said ahead of, I’m confident this discussion will continue and there are lots of differing and extensive-ranging opinions. My possess see is that the client really should really feel relaxed and his or her tastes accommodated, wherever doable, but this really should hardly ever be at the expenditure of the therapist’s possess comfort and ease. The intuition of the therapist is probably to be the best gauge of what is and is not acceptable.
By Barbara Neill
