Least favorite massage

A client once asked me what my least favorite massage is to give. Of course, not wanting to paint massage in any kind of negative light, my immediate response was, "Oh, I love it all! It doesn't matter to me if the client wants this, that or the other thing ... I'm happy to do any modality I know how to do!"

Then I realized I had only thought about giving massage to a client on a massage table. And I truly don't have a most favorite or least favorite. But, I had forgotten about the massage chair. So after my all-massage-is-so-great-to-give attitude, a few seconds later I added, "Well, I guess, actually, chair massage is my least favorite."

The truth is, giving massage to a client in the chair is different than giving one to a client on the table. You're holding your arms up higher than you might be used to. Your leverage is different. It puts more pressure on your hands. You still use your legs to create pressure, but you have to more actively lean into someone to get deep into the soft tissue. On the other hand, when a client is on a table, you can let gravity do some of the work for you. I find I tire more easily when giving chair massage. I enjoy going to health fairs and expos and giving demo massages in the chair to potential clients, but I find I have to take frequent breaks and am usually more drained after giving 4 hours of chair massage than if I gave 5 or even 6 hours of table massage.

Chair massage is still great, though. From a business perspective, its overhead is low. All you need is the chair. For clients, it's quick and less intimidating to someone who wants bodywork but doesn't want to be undressed and under a sheet. It just tends to wipe me out as a therapist.