How to Give a Professional Massage

Massage- The manipulation of Soft Tissue.

(Soft Tissue Includes Muscles, Tendons, Ligaments, Fascia, Fat and Connective Tissue)

Anatomy- "To cut up" Is essentially the structure of living things. You should educate yourself on human anatomy before you start pushing around.

Start with the Skeletal System. Learn where bones are and how they work- This is the easiest structure of the human body to learn and is so important because the Skeletal System is the base that every part of your body connects to.

Then Learn The Muscles! This is the most important and most difficult thing to learn as a massage therapist. There are more than 600 muscles in the human body, you only need to learn the main ones. Don't get frustrated, look at the muscle you are trying to learn on your own body by contracting and touching it. This will reinforce what you are trying to learn. By the end, you should know these things:

The Origin, The Insertion (Where they Connect), and the ACTION!

Even if you forget the names, you need to know in your head where they are because muscles connect to one another and someone may be feeling pain in one part of their body, but the pain could be coming from a muscle that connects in a completely different area!

Once you learn That Basic Anatomy, you can learn where Organs and other parts of your body are. This is where you will get into more physiology.

Physiology-The biological study of the functions of living organisms and their parts.

Pathology- The study and diagnosis of disease.

You MUST know the contraindications of Massage. (Pathologies or Conditions in which massage is not advised)

Pick up a Massage Therapist Guide To Pathologies Book and make sure that your "client" is healthy enough to get a massage and that it is of no danger to you. When massaging someone, it is not only dangerous for them if they have a virus, it is VERY dangerous for you. You do not want to contract viruses and disease from other people, so you must know the signs before giving any treatment.

If you are not interested in the human body and how it works, you may be able to give a pleasurable massage, but not a very helpful one. If you don't know how the body works, you may even HURT someone. It may sound silly that a massage could hurt someone, but IT CAN and I have had at least 10 Students SEVERELY hurt me during a massage because they didn't know what they were doing or where things were located. People have GLANDS, NERVES, ARTERIES, ORGANS and other things that you want to avoid. A shoulder massage probably isn't going to cause serious damage, but if you are poking around giving a full body massage you really need to know whats under your fingers. Please STUDY UP. You don't have to be as knowledgeable as a licensed massage therapist, but you DO need to care enough to learn more about the body for your safety and others.

List of Items You Will Need:

• Massage Table

You will need a Massage Table That is Sturdy, yet lightweight. I suggest a portable table that can be folded up and easily put away.

• Sheets

Don't Get Silk unless you want your client and their draping to slip around. You can purchase sheets made for massage tables or pick up small twin fitted sheets. You may use a pillowcase for the face rest or purchase a fitted one.

• Oils or Lotion

It may be tempting to use whatever you have lying around the house, but that is a bad idea. Regular lotion can cause skin to rub off, creating a very uncomfortable "crumby" massage and it dissapears into the skin quickly which doesn't allow for smooth strokes. I recommend using Jojoba Lotion, but there are many professional lotions to choose from. When it comes to oil, I suggest Almond oil because it has a great feel to it.

• Holster

It may not seem like a big deal, but this will save you from spilling your lotions and oils all over the floor and it will create a smoother massage experience that people can usually only experience from a professional. It may be small, but it's worth it!

• Music

Relaxing Music is the difference between a good massage and a fantastic massage. It can calm the most stressed out person and send them into a sedated trance that will allow them to slow down and allow complete healing.

If you look at this list, you will find that the only thing that is expensive is the massage table. If you can get a table, you can work like a professional.

Reasons Why it is a BAD idea to massage without a table:

1. Your Body Will Hurt!- An adjustable massage table allows you to adjust it to a height that will make the massage comfortable for you. If the person is too far below you, you will end up bending over and hurting your back.

2. Your "Clients" Body Will Hurt- With out a face rest, they will have to hold their head up or turn it to the side, both of these actions contract the muscles you are trying to work on making their problems worse and your efforts to relax them useless. 

1. Selecting A Location

• Make sure there is enough space for not only the table, but for you to move comfortably around it
• Select a space that is quiet and private (cover up windows, no children, ect)
• Select a space that can be made darker (light some candles to see your way around)
• Make sure the space is clean and attractive

There is nothing relaxing about a chaotic space. Even if it is somebodies bedroom, it will make a difference to have everything in order, you will find the energy in the room change and the quality of the massage will greatly improve. TURN THE PHONE OFF- These little noises you normally don't notice will sound like a siren when you are in a relaxed state. Make sure someone is watching the children, it is near impossible to relax with the kids running around- I KNOW! Treat this like a REAL professional massage and it will FEEL like a real professional massage.

2. Setting Up The Equipment

• After the Massage table is up, adjust the legs so it is at knuckle height with relaxed arms
• Put the sheets on and if using a pillowcase, you can fold it over the headrest
• Make sure your oil/lotion has a pump on it and is in your holster
• Make sure the music is set up at an appropriate sound level
• Light any candles, but make sure they aren't in danger of being bumped

3. Preparing Yourself

• Dress in loose clothing that will let you move around easily
• Wear comfortable shoes with arch support
• Take off ALL Jewelry, even necklaces can hang and irritate
• Pull Back your hair if it is long
• Brush your teeth, nothing is worse than bad breath! :)
• WASH YOUR HANDS & ARMS!!!! Get your cuticles, SCRUB SCRUB!

1. Keep Your Shoulders Back, Don't Slouch

2. Bend Your Knees, Even Sticking Your Butt Out Can Help

3. Don't Cross Your Arms To Reach, Use the Obvious Arm

4. Avoid Using Your Thumbs, Instead Try a Knuckle

5. Keep Your Wrist Straight, But Movable

6. Move Your WHOLE Body, Use Your Bent Legs to Move Back and Forth

1. ASK QUESTIONS! Where does your client hurt? For How long? Are They on Any Medications? ECT.

HINT: Use A Client Intake Form: CLIENT INTAKE

2.Ground Yourself. Take a deep breath, RELAX and center all your energy into a neutral healing energy.

3. Undrape The Back and Get oil or lotion on your hands. (never place directly on the client) 

4. SLOWLY (So Slowly it may seem too slow) Slide your hand from the lower back to the top. This is called Effleurage and is used to relax the client and apply lubrication. Use LONG Strokes.

5. As soon as one hand starts lifting, place the other hand down in a sliding motion to provide CONSTANT FLUID contact.

6. You Can Use Both Hands to Slide Up, Just remember as long as you are massaging TOWARDS the heart- you are helping the client because you are pushing the fluids in the Proper Direction!

7. Go ahead and Do Some Pettrisage which involves kneading, wringing and skin rolling. Do this in a gentle, helpful manner.

9.  Friction generates heat and is good for getting into the deep muscles. Rubbing your hands together can create warmth in areas and feels extremely good on the feet.

10. Vibration can be used with your hands to help relax the muscles as well, hold it for at least 10 seconds.

11. Tapotement includes: Hacking where you keep your wrists loose and do a chopping motion,  Cupping- keep your hands concave and "play a beat on the back" Rapping- Using Loose Closed Fists, Pincement- Small Pinches (Never have used that one) and Tapping- Using the fingertips to tap on the back. Hacking and cupping are the most popular and can be used in Sports Massage or to loosen really tight muscles. I rarely use tapotement in my treatments because it doesn't always have a relaxing effect.

12. Just Remember To Massage Towards The Heart, this Includes on the Hands, Legs, ect. 

13. Now that I have gotten my point across on how important it is to Massage Towards the Heart, I will tell you that it is appropriate to stand at the head and massage down the back. The reason for this being that it is not AS important when you are on the back and torso because it doesn't pull blood away. When you massage down the fingers, you are actually pushing the blood into the finger tips and that is not helpful at all.

14. Go ahead and Slowly Stretch Their Arms, Legs, Hands, ect.

15. Remember your body mechanics as you DRAPE and Move around the Body. Bend those knees! 

16. It's as simple as this: If they said their right shoulder hurts, spend good quality time on it. It doesn't take a professional to feel when there is a tight muscle or something out of place.

17. KEEP AN OPEN LINE OF COMMUNICATION! Ask if the pressure is alright, if they are comfortable, if they need water....ect. 

18. After you have massaged their whole body, move to the head and give them a good head massage. That is people's favorite part!

19. Offer Them a Bottle of Water and make sure to Tell Them to Drink LOTS of water!

20. Tell them areas where you feel they need more improvement and even give them a few good stretches to practice everyday in areas that you felt they need it! 

STATES THAT DON'T REQUIRE MASSAGE LICENSING ARE:

ALASKA

INDIANA

KANSAS

PENNSYLVANIA

VERMONT

MONTANA

OKLAHOMA

WYOMING

MINNESOTA

IF YOU DO NOT LIVE IN THESE STATES YOU MUST OBTAIN SCHOOLING AND LICENSING TO GET PAID FOR YOUR WORK.