Publication, 1999

EFTA00008020¶

Massage For Dummies®¶

The Rules for Gluing Massage¶

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Review these rules before you begin giving a massage:

¶

• sot Do no harm: This is the number one rule for giving a massage. Refer to Chapter 10 and make sure you’re aware of the moves that you shouldn’t make, the places that you shouldn’t press, and the conditions you shouldn’t treat.
• ye Think 3-D: Refer to Chapter 4 and try to visualize the invisible physical structures beneath the skin that you’re affecting with your hands during the massage
• so Use your whole body. Remember to use correct body mechanics in order to save your own body from overexertion while applying just the right amount of pressure for your partner.
• to• Focus on the other. This is no time to be thinking about politics, sports, the weather, or your upcoming turn to receive. As fully as you can, focus on your partner, what she’s feeling, and how you can make her feel better.
• so Go out of your mind: After you figure out the moves, practice the technique, and focus on your partner with all your concentration, then you can stop thinking. Let go of your extraneous thoughts — and even your thoughts about doing a good job.
• so Get creative: Go ahead, go crazy: just let yourself feel whatever you’re feeling and go with your intuition. As long as what you’re doing is generated from caring and commitment to your partner, it is going to be the right thing.
• so Let love flow Certain people develop an ability to send a very distinct and palpable sensation of love into their fingers and palms. You can feel it when they touch you. Everyone else has the potential to develop that ability. Why not use massage as an opportunity to explore your own innate abilities to send a powerful message of caring to others through your touch and presence?

Massage-English, English-Massage Dictionary¶

Ose¶

Term	Definition
Rolled	Deep massage work on fascia that realigns the body with gravity
Body worker	A practitioner of massage or similar hands-on healing techniques
work	Structural Massage that realigns the body’s structure
Spa	Health facility where people go to learn holistic practices, eat healthy foods, exercise, and receive massages and spa treatments
Ayurveda	An ancient healing system from India that uses diet, meditation, herbs. and massage to balance the body
Swedish	The most well-known and widely practiced form of massage in the Western world, Consisting of stroking, kneading, applying pressure, stretching, and so on
Trigger point	A tight, tender spot in muscles that responds well to targeted massage
tissues	Connective The web of tissue (primarily collagen fibers) that surround your every muscle. organ, and bone, holding your body together
Deep tissue	A type of massage that targets the deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue
Energy work	Type of massage that focuses on vital. invisible energies in your body
Adhesion	Muscle and connective tissue fibers that are stuck together, which massage can separate
Drape	Towels, sheets, and so on, used to cover a person receiving a massage
Knots	Tight bands of muscle fibers and connective tissues that massage often Softens
On-site massage	Seated and clothed massage given in special chairs — usually in offices, in stores, or at special events
Parlor	Place where people eat ice cream
Full body massage	Relaxation massage treating the whole body as compared to remedial massage treating a localized area

…For Dummies : Bestselling Book Series for Beginners¶

Massage For Dummies’¶

Danger Zones¶

These areas contain important pieces of your anatomy in exposed and vulnerable positions. Highly trained to stay ed therapists can actually work in these areas, but if you’re not a massage professional yourself, it’s boner away from the following spots:¶

• vs Front of the neck/throat: You’ve heard of the expression, “Go for the jugular,” right? Well, this is where you find it. Unless you’re trying to choke someone, it’s a good idea to stay away from this area that also contains the carotid artery and major nerves.
• iv Side of the neck: Not quite as sensitive as the front of the neck, you should still treat delicately.

o 0V N., ‘wv A • ‘es V V ” ” e • V NJ¶

• V The “ear notch”: Just behind your jawbone and beneath your ear you find a little notch. It’s not a good idea to jam a finger into this notch, unless you’re trying to extort money or favors from the person receiving the massage, as it contains a sensitive facial nerve.
• v The eyeball: Unless you’re trying to do a Three Stooges massage (popular amongst college males). don’t poke your fingers directly into the person’s eyes.
• v The exilic This is a fancy term for the armpit which, as you know, is a sensitive area, filled with nerves, arteries, and lymph glands. Not to mention, most people are very ticklish there.
• v The upper inner arm: Just down from the armpit, along the inside of the upper arm, is a sensitive, nerve filled area along the length of the arm bone. Pressing here too firmly gives you that yucky•nervy feeling.
• V The ulnar notch of the elbow: Otherwise known as the “funny bone,” this spot contains the ulnar nerve which, if you touch it too hard, causes normally discrete people to curse in several languages.
• v The abdomen: Houdini was killed by an unexpected punch to this area, which is filled with many squishy important bits known as organs. Be especially gentle around the upper abdomen along the ribs, where you find the liver, gall bladder, and spleen.
• v The lower back: Just to both sides of the spine, and below the ribs, is where you find the kidneys. Don’t press too hard here or pound on them. Kidneys don’t like it when you do that.
• v The femoral triangle: Not to be confused with the Bermuda triangle, this area is often referred to as the “groin.-It’s the inner part of the line in front where your leg meets your body. If you press too hard here you can actually cut off circulation to the leg.
• ✓ Popliteal area: Popularly known as the back of the knee, you should always treat this spot gingerly. It’s very sensitive to pressure.

Copyright O 199916G Books Worldwide, Inc. All rights reserved. Cheat Sheet ass value. Item 51724 Fot more information about 106 Books,¶

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…For Dummies : Bestsetting Book Series (or Beginners¶

Praise For Massage For Dummies¶

“Touch is a powerful tool in any relationship, and learning to use that power with , wisdom, compassion and skill is what Massage For Dummies is all about. I recommend this book for everyone who would like to make the art of massage a part of their lives.”¶

—John Cray, author, Men Are From Mars, Women Are From Venus¶

-The only bad thing about this book is that Steve Capellini no longer works at a spa where I can get his revitalizing massage. Learning how to get the benefits at home through Massage For Dummies is the next best thing to being In Steve’s hand.”¶

—Bernard Burt, author of Fodor’s Healthy Escapes and Senior Editor Spa Management Journal¶

“I have long recommended massage as an important ingredient of a holistic, selfnurturing lifestyle. Finally, there is a book for the average person that gives you everything you need to know about giving and receiving massages. I highly recommend this book.”¶

—Jack Canfield, co-author of the Chicken Soup for the Soul series¶

I’ve received massage from experts around the world and have become somewhat of an expert in the art of receiving. Steve Capellini Is definitely the ‘best of the best.’ and I’ve been one of the most loyal clients for over twelve years now. If readers of Motown For Dummies come away with even a small fraction of the skills and knowledge he’s shared with me over the years, they’ll be well on their way to some of the most incredibly healthy, relaxing, and spiritually nourishing experiences of their lives. EnJoyr¶

—Phyllis Sandler¶

“Massage therapy hits the big time! What a wonderful approach to the art and science of massage. Massage For Dummies blends factual information with a good sense of humor. Even though we’ve been in practice for over twenty years, we couldn’t put It down. We highly recommend the book to laypeople as well as those In the field.”¶

—Dan & Tekla Ulrich, Suncoast School of Massage, Tampa, Florida¶

“Massage For Dwnmies is an easy read: delightfully funny, thought-provoking without any work on the part of the reader. There is a wealth of information that is almost auto matically absorbed. Steve is a born teacher. The authors use humor and wit to help you understand the many facets of massage. They help you visualize the material and see the advantages of touching and being touched. With a single pen swipe, they destroy . myths, create mirth, and foster curiosity. The book is well-designed for easy access to technically sound material, and can be used as a reference, quick read, or a teaching • text for a wide audience. I have over twenty. five years in this business, and I was entertained, laughed a lot, and appreciated the authors’ techniques and competent teaching methods.”¶

—Nancy W. Dail, LMT, Director, Downeast School of Massage¶

tapellini and Van Welden literally take their readers by the hand and gently lead them into the delightful practicalities of massage. Sensitive and fun, this book is like a good rub.Ӧ

—Gil Headley, Ph.D., Rolf Institute Adjunct Founder, Somanautics, Inc.¶

“As a massage therapist and school owner for a total of sixteen years, I highly recommend this book for the student, professional, and novice alike. It’s easy to comprehend, entertaining, informative, and most of all, it’s fun! Readers at any level will find themselves developing skills faster than they ever imagined:¶

—Jody Stork, owner, Space Coast Massage & Allied Health Institute, Melbourne, FL¶

“As a new millennium approaches, the essence of our being human will truly be defined as our ability to feel and experience the fullness of life in the face of an increasingly depersonalized world. Massage For Dummies not only legitimizes, but goes the furthest of any book, in demystifying massage, whether as a receiver or giver. A careful reading will guide you in how to integrate massage and its incredible benefits into the ‘here and now’ of your everyday life.”¶

—Deborah A. Smith, Spa Director and Founder of Smith Club & Spa Specialists¶

“Massage For Dummies is not Just for the novice (or Dummy), but for the professional massage therapist as well. The information Is Ininguable and presented in a light and humorous style. Steve — whose Spa Certification Workshop, The Royal Treatment, has opened doors for massage therapists everywhere — is truly a massage and spa genius:¶

—Gerald Levine, LMT¶

“Massage is a great medicine, and with the help of Massage For Dummies, all of us can have healing hands — or at least know how to find them:¶

—.Margaret Pierpont, coauthor, The Spa Life at Home¶

“My congratulations to Steve Capellini and Michel Van Welden for writing Massage For Dummies. I enjoyed reading this book from cover to cover. Massage For Dummies is a • practical guide for anybody who would like to enhance their skills in massage, from the novice to the ‘professional body worker.’ The authors deliver their message with intelligence, passion, and humor. I will enthusiastically recommend this book to my clients or to anybody who seriously wants to learn about massage, its origins, and applications, yet have fun doing so.”¶

—Michael F. Livingston, LMT, Personal Therapist to Jimmy Buffett and Brian Wilson¶

“What a treat! You feel massaged Just reading this book. Superb professionals in their field, the authors demystify this oft-misunderstood arena. They convey essential information on every aspect of bodywork in a warm, humorous, and inspiring way. This book is truly inspired — and Inspiring. Not only is it full of excellent scientifically-based information, it Is a joy to read. Read it, you’ll love itr¶

—Hyla Cass, M.D., author, St. John’s Wort: Nature’s Blues Buster and Kam: Nature’s Answer to Stress, Anxiety, and Insomnia¶

“With lots of deep (k)needed information and long smooth strokes of humor, Steve entirely entertains, expertly educates, and masterfully manifests for any reader the essential facts, fictions, functions, and fun of manage, touch, and bodywork.”¶

—John Paul De Viers; PhD., M.S.S.W., T.RM.T, Owner/Director Alamo Plaza Spa, San Antonio, Texas; Co-Chair Education Committee, International Spa Association¶

“It’s about time that people understood the medical benefits of massage. [This) book presents practical ways that everyone can decrease stress and prolong their lives by something as simple and elegant as therapeutic massage.”¶

—Pamela M. Peeke, M.D., MPH, Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Maryland, Division of Complementary Medicine¶

“Discover the Ilfeenhanclng Information provided for you In this remarkable book. Steve Capellini and Michel Van Welden have done an outstanding job delivering the message of self-healing, and in doing so, have created a valuable resource for all to use”¶

—Suzy Bordeaux-Johlfs, Kohala Spa Director, Hilton Walkoloa Village, Hawaii¶

“Here Is a rare mbc one of massage therapy’s most knowledgeable, experienced, and sensitive practitioners happens to be a fine and funny writer! Breath deeply and enjoy learning from a master.’¶

—Patricia Weinman, Massage Connoisseur¶

“I found Massage For Dummies to be a wonderful and funny guide to massage, whether you’re a massage therapist or first-time recipient… Steve brings his passion for the massage profession along with a journalist’s perception to print. A must for everyone’s library to put touch In your life everyday.”¶

—Lynda Soften-Wolfe, LMT, NCTMP, Massage Therapy Public Relations Specialist¶

Praise for Getting the Most out of Massage by Steve Capettini¶

“A beautiful book at the right time… .”¶

—Bernard S. Siegel. M.D., author, Love, Medicine, & Miracles¶

TM¶

References (or the Rest of Us!Ӧ

BESTSELLING BOOK SERIES¶

Do you findLhat traditional reference books are overloaded with technical details and advice you’ll never use? Do you postpone important life decisions because you just don’t want to deal with them? Then our …For Dummies” business and general reference book series is for you.¶

…For Dummies business and general reference books are written for those frustrated and hardworking souls who know they aren’t dumb, but find that the myriad of personal and business issues and the accompanying horror stories make them feel helpless. …For Dummies books use a lighthearted approach, a down-to-earth style, and even cartoons and humorous icons to dispel fears and build confidence. Lighthearted but not lightweight, these books are perfect survival guides to solve your everyday personal and business problems.¶

”More than a publishing phenomenon, Dummies’ is a sign of the times.”¶

— The New York Times¶

“A world of detailed and authoritative information is packed into them…”¶

— U.S. News and World Report¶

Already, millions of satisfied readers agree. They have made …For Dummies the #1 introductory level computer book series and a best-selling business book series. They have written asking for more. So, if you’re looking for the best and easiest way to learn about business and other general reference topics, look to …For Dummies to give you a helping hand.¶

“…you won’t go wrong buying them.”¶

— Walter Mossberg, Wall Street Journal, on IDG Books’ .,.for Dummies books¶

1/99¶

by Steve Capellini and Michel Van Welden¶

Foreword by Robin Leach¶

IDG Books Worldwide, Inc. An International Data Group Company¶

Foster City, CA ♦ Chicago, IL ♦ Indianapolis, IN • New York, NY¶

Massage For Dummies.¶

Published by IDG Books Worldwide, Inc. An International Data Group Company 919 E. Hillsdale Blvd.¶

Suite 400 Foster City, CA 94404¶

r¶

www dgbook s . coca (IDG Books ‘Vorldwide Web site)¶

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Copyright 01999 IDG Books Worldwide. Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this book, including interior design, cover design, and icons, may be reproduced or transmitted in any form, by any means (electronic, photocopying, recording, or otherwise) without the prior written permission of the publisher.¶

Library of Congress Catalog Card No.: 9964908¶

ISBN: 0.7645-51724¶

Printed In the United States of America¶

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Distributed in the United States by IOC Books Worldwide, Inc.¶

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lalatOE1jawramsgadiffirtarlYalWOX: THE PUBLISHER AND AUTHOR HAVE USED THEIR BEST EFFORTS IN PREPARING THIS BOOK. THE PUBUSHER AND AUTHOR MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS °FINE CONTENTS OF THIS BOOK AND SPECIHCALLY DISCLAIM ANY IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE THERE ARE NO WAIL RANDES WHICH EXTEND BEYOND THE DESCRIPTIONS CONTAINED IN THIS PARAGRAPH. NO WARRANTY MAY BE CREATED OR EXTENDED BY SALES REPRESENTATIVES OR WRITTEN SAILS MATERIALS. THE ACCURACY AND COM-PLETENESS OF THE INFORMATION PROVIDED HEREIN AND THE OPINIONS STATED HEREIN ARE NOT GUARANTEED OR WARRANTED TO PRODUCE ANY PARTKUIAR RESUL1S, AND THE ADVICE AND STRATEGIES CONTAINED HEREIN MAY NOT BE SUITABLE FOR EVERY INDIVIDUAL NEITHER THE PUBLISHER NOR AUTHOR SHALL BE LIABLE FOR ANY LOSS OF PROFIT OR ANY OTHER COMMERCIAL DAMAGES, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO SPECIAL, INCI-DENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, OR OTHER DAMAGES. RILEILIMENT OF EACH COUPON OFFER IS THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE OFFEROR.¶

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Is a registered trademark or trademark under exclusive license to IDG Books Worldwide, Inc. from International Data Group, Inc. in the United States and/or other countries.¶

About the Authors¶

Steve Cape You may be thinking to yourself, “What makes HIM so special that he should write this book on massage?” Perhaps what most specifically qualifies me Is the inordinate amount of time, amounting to many thousands of hours, I’ve spent cooped up alone in a room with Just one other person, touching them all over their bodies and getting paid for it.¶

What could be more fun? Or more weird? I hope I’ve got the communication skills to get across to you the reasons why an otherwise sane human being would spend such a large percentage of his life In such a strange manner.¶

And in addition, to give you an idea of some more specific qualifications, here’s a rough chronology of my life in touch:¶

1977: Received first massage ever, from high school girlfriend Grace, and knew that something Important had just transpired.¶

1983: Attended 108 hour massage class in Los Angeles and became certified. Had to take V.D. test at local health clinic in order to receive license (a local prostitution ordinance).¶

1984: Massaged members of the cast and crew of a movie being filmed about Ernest Hemingway in Pamplona, Spain, during the famous running of the bulls. Yes, I ran.¶

1985: First regular massage Job, at a spa in Florida, giving 25•minute full body oil rubdowns to cigar-smoking “good ole boys” for 54 an hour.¶

1986: Rethought career choice. Started working at a friend’s landscaping company.¶

1987: Was called into work at a new spa in Miami, the Doral. Massaged Dr. Ruth Westheimer, who gave me the “secret” of aphrodisiacs.¶

1988: Became supervisor of the massage and spa treatments department at the Dora!, in charge of 40 therapists.¶

1989: Became a traveling spa trainer, hiring staff and overseeing openings of spas in Vermont. Jamaica. on cruise ships, and more.¶

1992: Started teaching workshops to massage therapists and business owners. Massaged Red Cross volunteers and army personnel in aftermath of Hurricane Andrew.¶

1997: Began publishing books on massage and spas (this is the third one).¶

1998: First child born. Waiting until he’s a year or two old before teaching him how to massage Mommy and Daddy.¶

1999: Continuing to rub, teach, and write.¶

I¶

Michel Van WeIdea, PT, NT, received his training at the Physical Therapy Institute of Paris, specializing in orthopedic and neurological rehabilitation, as well as sports medicine and the treatment of burn victims.¶

For 26 years, he practiced both In hospitals and in his own private clinic. Working hand In hand (no pun intended) with plastic surgeons, he helped develop Plastic Physical Therapy, which increases the positive results of plastic surgery procedures. He also assembled a procedural manual and produced a video about lymphatic drainage and has taught his technique to therapists throughout France and around the world.¶

Since arriving in the US., he has become an “expert on the skin,” who, in May 1998, substantiated the first derivative claim ever approved by the FDA for the treatment of cellulite using a patented massage device. All the other stuff you see on infomercials about cellulite is a lot of malarkey.¶

Mr. Van Welden is currently a consultant and acting Director of Research for two American clinical research projects studying the effects of massage on cute little pigs. These are underway at UCLA and Vanderbilt University, believe It or not.¶

Michel is also a wild and crazy outdoorsman. He has run to the top of Mount Kilamanjaro seven times. He also became the record holder for long distance running along the Great Wall of China, covering 1,500 miles, half of the wall’s length. His greatest achievement in the sports field, though, was in helping dozens of other people discover their own potentials by leading fitness trips to the Great Wall, Kilamanjaro, the Andes peaks, and other destinations.¶

Mr. Van Welden is married and Is the father of three children. He lives in Fort Lauderdale, Florida.¶

He can be contacted by email at michel vpfiago r1 dnet. att. net.¶

• .rit ABOUT LUG on WORLDWIDE Welcome to thesvorld of IDG-Books Vkaldwide. IDG Books Worldwide, Inc., is a subsidiary of International Data Group, the world’s largest publisher of computer-related information and the leading global provider &information setts on information technology IDG was founded more than 30 years ago by Patrick J. McGovern and now employs more than 9,000 people worldwide. IDG publishes more than 290 computer publications in over 75 countries. More than 90 million people read one or more IDG publications each-month. bunched in 1990, IDG Books Worldwide is.today the al publisher of bestselling computer books In the United States We are proud to have received eight awards from the Computer Press Association in recognition of editorial excellence and three from Computer Current? First Annual Reader? Choice Awards. Our bestselling…For Deonnties, series has more than 50-million copies in print with translations in 31 languages. 1DG “Books Vilorklvdrk, through joint venture with IDG’s Hi-Tech Beijing, became the first D.Sc.publisher to “;publish a computer book in the People’s Reim of China In record time, IDG.Books Mixidviiede has become’.’ theefirst choice-for millions of readers around the world who want to learn how to better manage their businesses. Our mission is simple: Every one of our books is designed to bring extra value and skill-building instructions radle reader. Our books am written.by expertswho understand and care about our readers. The knowledge • tittilAC of our editorial staftcomesfrom.years of experience In.publishing. education, and journalism ce— ‘experience we use to produce books to carry us into the new.milknnium. In short, we care about books, so . we attract the best. people. We devote special attention to details such as audience, interior design, use of icons, and illustrations. And because we use an.effkknt process of authoring, editing, and desktop publishing . ,aurboolcs electronically. we can spend more time ensuring superior content and-less time on the technicalities c makIngbooks. …y. 1.0 %You. can count On-our committhent to deliver high-quality books at competitive prices ontojoicsyou want el cloned about. At IDG Books Worldwide, we continue In the IDG tradition of delivering quality for more than 30-years. You’ll-find no better book on a subject than one from 1DG Books Worldwide. 1 • johnitilcullen Chairman and CEO IDG Books Worldwide, Inc. I WINNER SITeSi. EWA An.; Cavan Pens Annbellf AloWAstaset Cavan.? Peen Avatar Steven Berkowitz President and-Publisher IDG Books Worldwide, Inc. • Coopaerehru seam dim ler IDG is the world’s leading IT media, research and exposition company Founded in 1964. IDG had 1997 revenues of $2.05 1¶

billion and has more than 9,000 employees worldwide. IDG offers the widest range of media options that reach IT buyers in 75 countries representing 95% of worldwide IT spending. IDG’s diverse product and services portfolio spans six key areas including print publishing, online publishing, expositions and conferences, market research, education and training. and global marketing services. More than 90 million people read one or more of II3Cs 290 magazines and newspapers, including IDG’s leading global brands — Computenvorld, PC World, Network World, Macworld and the Channel World family of publications. IDG Books Worldwide is one of the fastest-growing computer book publishers in the world, with more than 700 titles in 36 languages. The ”…For Dummies,- series alone has more than 50 million copies in print. IDG offers online users the largest network of technology-specific Vtqb sites around the world through IDG.net (http/Avvrvitidgmet), which comprises more than 225 targeted Web sites in 55 countries worldwide. International Data Corporation (1DC) is the world’s largest provider of information technology data, analysis and consulting, with research centers In over 41 countries and more than 400 research analysts worldwide. IDG World Expo is a leading producer of more than 168 globally branded conferences and expositions in 35 countries including a (Electronic Entertainment Expo), Macworld Expo. ComNet, Windows World Expo, ICE (Internet Commerce Expo), Agenda, DEMO, and Spotlight. IDG’s training subsidiary. ExecuTrain, is the world’s largest computer training company, with more than 230 locations worldwide and 785 training courses. IDG Marketing Services helps industry-leading IT companies build international brand recognition by developing global integrated marketing programs via IDG’s prim, online and exposition products worldwide. Further information about the company can be found at www.idg.com. 1/24/99¶

•¶

e`¶

Dedication¶

I dedicate this book to the coolest little massage partner ever, Brandon Sunthorn Capelllni, born August 3, 1998.¶

Acknowledgments from Steve Capettini¶

I thank Atchana, my darling partner and wife, who received less massages because I was so busy writing these past months. The rest of my family was equally supportive and enthusiastic too: Mom & Dad, Tina, Bala & Adi, Jim & Lalithe, Rob, Suzanne, Chris, Ari, & Nicole. And of course the Thal side of the family: Umpun, Lek, Pat, Rangsan, Tina, & Rolando. And the father-in-law I never knew, Sunthom Chuaindhara; he lives on in our hearts.¶

I appreciate my co-author Michel Van Welden for his help and for being so dedicated to his worldwide massage research.¶

I’m very grateful to Carol Susan Roth, who believed I was right for this project and made it all possible through her dedication and hard work, and to Lorl Huneke for introducing us.¶

Thank you to stellar literary agents, Michael Larsen and Elizabeth Pomade, who’ve been steadily supporting my writing and helping me grow.¶

All the folks at IDG have been a pleasure to work with because they are smart and they have vision and they like massage! I really appreciate being treated as part of the team, especially at BEA, and I’d especially like to thank Tang Booth for her support, encouragement, and hard work on this project. I also thank Kathleen Welton for remembering me from two years earlier; Tim Callan, a brave soul who endured major surgery while right in the midst of editing this book Christina Turner; Karen Young; 1(i-ignite Pappas; Mimi Sells; Jonathan Malysiak Steve Berkowitz; Charles Berkstresser; Roland Elgey; Sarah Woodman &Ma Noetzel for creating killer trade show events; David Scott for staying in touch from Australia’, and John Kilcullen for proudly proclaiming ‘ree massagesl Only in America!’ at the Book Expo. You’ve got a great team, and you know how to throw a party!¶

Also, there are so many friends and clients from the massage and spa world who’ve helped with this book too: Jai Varadaraj for all her help from India; Lynda Solien-Wolle for her guerilla massage marketing and the great Massage For Dummies chair; Don Payne; John Fanuzzi; Carole Spellman; Ed Wilson; Iris Burman; Dan &Telka Ulrich; Pat Weinman; Harvey & Phyllis Sandler; Dave Kennedy; Amory Rowe; the Dail family up in Maine for their unparalleled hospitality; and especially Nancy Dall for her technical review of this boot Steve Chagnon; Vincenzo &Susy Marra; Giovanni Grippando; Regina Kipnis; Ellen Wickersham; Connie Johnson; Jim Berenholtz; Mark Siciliani; and Carol Ann Ferrol.¶

Also, I thank the co-creators of the book: Kathryn Born, for the illustrations; Peter Barrett for the photography; and his assistants Alfredo and Ave, and of course the models, Fardan Karibee, Josephine B. Hortenbrink, Jason Barger, & Linda Vongkhamphra.¶

EFTA00008032¶

Acknowtedqments from Michel Van Walden¶

For my Mom, for all that she did for me. including going through sciatica pain to show me the way of my future. Thanks.¶

To all the patients who knocked on my door to receive a massage and ended up sweating in Africa or in Bolivia.¶

To Steve Capellini for not thinking that all French are arrogant, carrying their baguettes and bottles of wine everywhere they go, and for offering me the pleasure of sharing the success of this book.¶

To Sebastien and Jordane my sons, for all the support they bring to their too often gone away, Dad.¶

To Jocelyne who taught me how to speak to pigs about massage, and convince them that the guy with the white coat and a strong French accent was not the butcher. And for the love she brings me every day.¶

To Dr. James Watson, plastic surgeon at UCLA, and Dr. David Adcok plastic surgeon at Vanderbilt University, for all the hours spent together in the lab and in the Plastic Surgery Department trying to understand a non -surgical technique.¶

To Tami Booth for giving me this extraordinary opportunity — to be published in the USA. And to Carol Susan Roth for making it possibld.¶

Publisher’s Acknowledgments¶

We’re proud of this book; please register your comments through our IDG Books Worldwide Online Registration Form located at http : / /my 2cen ts . dummi es . corn.¶

Some of the people who helped bring this book to market include the following:¶

Acquisitions, Editorial, and	Production
Media Development	Project Coordinator. Tom Missler Associate Project Coordinator: Maridee Ennis
Senior Project Editor. Tim Gallen
Acquisitions Editor. Tami Booth	Layout and Graphics: Amy Adrian,
Copy Editors: Tamara Castleman, Donna Love, Elizabeth Kuball	Angela F. Hunckler, Kate Jenkins, David McKelvey, Barry Of fringe, Brent Savage, Jacque Schneider, Janet Seib, Michael A. Sullivan, Brian Torwelle, Mary Jo Weis Illustrator. Kathryn Born Photographer: Peter Barrett
Technical Editor. Nancy Dail, Director, Downcast School of Massage
Editorial Coordinator. Karen Young
Editorial Manager. Seta K. Franz
Editorial Assistant Alison Walthall	Proofreaders Paula Lowell, Nancy Price, Marianne Santy
	Indexer. Liz Cunningham

General and Administrative¶

IDG Books Worldwide, Inc.: John Kikullen, CEO; Steven Berkowitz, President and Publisher¶

• IDG Books Technology Publishing Group: Richard Swadley, Senior Vice President and Publisher; Walter Bruce Ili, Vice President and Associate Publisher; Steven Sayre, Associate Publisher; Joseph Wikert, Associate Publisher; Mary Bednarek, Branded Product Development Director Mary Corder, Editorial Director
• IDG Books Consumer Publishing Group: Roland Elgey, Senior Vice President and Publisher, Kathleen A. Welton, Vice President and Publisher; Kevin Thornton, Acquisitions Manager; Kristin A. Cocks, Editorial Director
• IDG Books Internet Publishing Group: Brenda McLaughlin, Senior Vice President and Publisher, Diane Graves Steele, Vice President and Associate Publisher; Sofia Merchant, Online Marketing Manager
• IDG Books Production for Dummies Press Michael R. Britton, Vice President of Production; Debbie Stailey, Associate Director of Production; Cindy L Phipps, Manager of Project Coordination, Production Proofreading, and Indexing; Shelley Lea, Supervisor of Graphics and Design; Debbie J. Gates, Production Systems Specialist; Robert Springer, Supervisor of Proofreading; Laura Carpenter, Production Control Manager; Tony Augsburger, Supervisor of Reprints and Bluelines

•¶

The publisher would like to give special thanks to Patrick J. McGovern, without whom this book would not have been possible.¶

•¶

Contents at a Glance¶

Foreword	xxv
Introduction	1
Pan I: Discovering Massage for Greater Health and Happiness Chapter 1: Not Just a Rub: How Massage Can Improve Your Life Chapter 2: A Brief History of Touch Chapter 3: Your Skin: Frontier to the Rest of the World Chapter 4: I’ve Got You Under My Skin: The Basics of What’s Inside	11 23 33 45
Pan 11: The An of Receiving Massage Chapter 5: A Massage Road Map Chapter 6: Look Who’s Coming to Touch You Chapter 7: The Rules for Receiving Massage Chapter 8: Your First Massage Appointment — Step-by-Step	63 65 79 89 101
Pan III: The An of Giving Massage Chapter 9: Massage Moods: Getting the Setting Right Chapter 10: All The Right Moves Chapter 11: Putting the Moves Together	115 117 129 161
Pan Ill: Massage at Work Chapter 12: The New Coffee Break: Corporate Massage for a Digital Generation Chapter 13: Cubicle Maneuvers: Self-Massage for the Keyboard Jockey Chapter 14: Relief for the Feet with Reflexology	197 199 213 229
Pan t’ Living the Good Life: Massage for Every Body Chapter 15: The Spa Lifestyle: Massage, Youth, and Beauty Chapter 16: Higher, Faster, Stronger: Sports Massage Chapter 17: Taking It With You: Massage On the Go Chapter 18: Massage for the Whole Family Chapter 19: The Lover’s Touch: Massage and Intimacy Chapter 20: Have Hands, Will Travel: Doing Massage for a Living	241 .243 257 265 271 283 291
Pan VI: The Part of Tens Chapter 21: Ten Top Places to Study Massage Chapter 22: Ten Outstanding Places to Receive a Topnotch Massage Chapter 23: Ten Inventive Ways to Give Massage as a Gift Chapter 24: Ten Massage Techniques That Your Dog or Cat Will Love Chapter 25: Ten Quick and Easy Massage Techniques for Easing Stress	301 .303 309 315 317 321
Appendix	325
Index	339
Book Registration Information	Back of Book

Table of Contents¶

Foreword ero
1 introduction
The Massage Adventure 1
You’re not alone 2
You don’t have to be a hippie 2
3 This Book Is for You If
So How Do I Get Started Already? 4
How This Book Is Organized 4
Part I: Discovering Massage for Greater Health and Happiness 4
Part II: The Art of Receiving Massage 5
Part III: The Art of Giving Massage 5
Part IV: Massage at Work 5
Part V: Living the Good Life: Massage for Every Body 6
Part VI: The Part of Tens 6
Massaging the Icons 6
Sharing the Adventure 7
So What Happens Now? 7

Part 1: Discovering Massage (or Greater Health and Happiness 9¶

Chapter 1: Not Just a Rub: How Massage Can Improve Your Life	11
Basic Benefits of Massage	12
Helps relieve muscular spasm and tension	13
Raises Immune efficiency	14
Improves circulation	15
Promotes the healing of tissues	16
Increases healthy functioning of the skin	16
Offers emotional reassurance	17
Engenders profound relaxation	17
Improves appearance	18
The Massage Menu	18
Relaxation massage	19
Sports massage	19
Rehabilitative massage	19
Esthetic massage	20
Energy-balancing massage	21
Massage for increased awareness	21
Spiritually oriented massage I	21
Massage for emotional growth	22
Massage for sensual pleasure	22
Massage for non-humans	22

Massage For Dummies¶

Chapter 2: A Brief History of Touch .23
23 Dramatic Moments in Massage History
Shaman Bob — hands-on healer 24
24 The Tao of massage
A Greek man with a mission 25
25 The Middle Ages
The Swedish scenario 26
Decline of massage in the twentieth century 27
Hippies save massage from extinction 2▪ 8 2• 9
Massage Today So many choices 29
30 Touch research
32 The Future of Massage
Chapter 3: Your Skin: Frontier to the Rest of the World .33
34 Thinking with Your Skin
Feeling • thinking 34
3• 5 Investigating Your Multi-dimensional Skin
Sensitivity exercise #1: The Zen cantaloupe ceremony 36
Sensitivity exercise #2: The texture of the world 38
39 Layering It On Getting the Skinny on Your Personal Border Guard 40
41 Protection
41 Absorption
Excretion and secretion 42
42 Heat regulation
43 Respiration
43 Sensation
43 Touching the Skin through Massage
Chapter 4: I’ve Got You Under My Skin: The Basics of
What’s Inside 45
Wow, That’s Deep 46
Proof That You’re Three Dimensional 47
Learning to Feel 48
Getting a feeling for palpation 49 50
Bony landmarks 51 The bony landmark game
53 Soft tissues
Name that muscle 55
Other Body Systems .58
58 Circulatory system
59 Nervous system
60 Endocrine system
Digestive system 60
Respiratory system 62
Part II: The Art of Receiving Massage 63
Chapter 5: A Massage Road Map 65
65 Healthy Pleasure
67 Testing Your Touch-Ability

Table of Contents Ate¶

So Little Time, So Many Massages 69
Massage for relaxation 70
72 Ftx massage
Remodeling your body for fun and profit 73
Touch Terminology 73
Chapter 6: Look Who’s Coming to Touch You 79
Stalking the Elusive Referral 79
Getting a Helping Hand 82
Locating a Massage Therapist 82
Checking the ads 83
Letting your fingers do the walking 83
Opening the bureau door 8• 3
Going back to school 8• 4
Pampering Your Massage Therapist 85
Licensing Touch 86
Chapter 7: The Rules for Receiving Massage 89
90 Rule #1: Keep Breathing
Going with the diaphragm’s flow 91
Exercising your breathing muscles 92
92 Rule #2: Stay Loose
Rule #3: Let Go 93
Rule #4: Stop Thinking, Start Being 95
Rule #5: No Pain, No Gain? No Way! 95
Rule #6: Listen to Your Emotions 97
Rule #7: Blissing Out Is Okay 98
Rule #8: It’s Cool to Be Nude (Or Not) 99
Rule #9: You’re the Boss 99
Rule #10: Be Grateful 100
Chapter 8: Your First Massage Appointment — Step-by-Step 101
Your First Appointment with a Pro 101
Preparation 101
Communication 102
Getting comfortable 103
The first touch 105
During the Massage 106
Coming back slowly 108
Afterglow 108
To Up or not to Up 109
Where to Go to Get Massaged 110
Your own home 111
111 The massage therapist’s home
112 Spas
Cruise ships 112
Hotels 113
Health clubs 113
Clinics 114 Student massage clinics
114

xx Massage For Dummies¶

Part 111: The Art of Giving Massage	115
Chapter 9: Massage Moods: Getting the Setting Right	117
Creating the Inner Chamber	117
Scents	118
Sights	120
Sounds	121
Location location location	123
Privacy, please	124
The “massage mood”	125 127
Trading Places
Chapter 10: All The Right Moves	129
Don’t Do It, Mon!	130
Contraindications	130
Bad moves	132
Danger zones	133
Please don’t do that	134 136
Building Your Massage Muscles You Got ‘da Moves	137
Slip-sliding away: The pleasures of gliding	138
”X” marks the spot: Pressing	140
Let’s do the twist: Kneading	142
Wax on, wax off: Rubbing	145
Shake, rattle, and roll: Shaking	146
Get into the rhythm: Tapping	149
Keep it loose: Stretching	151
Massage moves in a nutshell	153
The Massage Dance	154
Massage Gizmos Gravity-assisted gizmos	156 157
Pressure tools	158
Mechanical devices	159
The best gizmo of all	160
Chapter 11: Putting the Moves Together	161
Setting Up	162
Table for one?	162
Sheets, towels, and so on	163
Oil’s Well That Ends Well	164
Bottle placement	165
Your own oil blends	165
The Rules for Giving Massage The Massage	166 168
Cleanliness first	168
Take your positions	169
Invocation	170
The Force, Luke, remember the Force	170
The first touch	170
The back	171
Back of the legs and buttocks	176
Face and scalp	180
Neck and shoulders	183

Table of Contents¶

kkl¶

Arms and hands 185
Torso 188
Front of the legs and feet 189
The grand finale 194
Pan IC/ Massage at Work 197
Chapter 12: The New Coffee Break: Corporate
Massage for a Digital Generation 199
Corporate Massage 200 - Massage Chairs
202 The Chair Routine 205
Shoulders and upper back 205
Arms 206
Lower back 207
Neck 208
Head 210 Finish 210
Chapter 13: Cubicle Maneuvers: Self-Massage for the
Keyboard Jockey 213
Self-Massage: The Basics 214
Self-Massage Mini-Routine 214 Irrigate your head 214
Stretch your arms and upper back 215
Massage your temples, face, and Jaw 216
Rub that neck 218
Squeeze your arms and hands 218
Massage your lower back 219
Squeeze your legs 220 Carpal Tunnel Syndrome (CTS) 222
Do you have CTS? 223
What you can do about CTS 224
Exercise and self-massage for CTS 225
Chapter 14: Relief for the Feet with Reflexology 229
High Heels and Other Enemies of the Feet 230
Reflexology 230
Zone Therapy 231
Foot Massage Routine 232 Positioning
233 Points to remember 233
Basic moves 234
Step-by-step 236
Part t Living the Good Life: Massage for Every Body 241
Chapter 15: The Spa Lifestyle: Massage, Youth, and Beauty .243
Spas: More than Just a Pretty Jacuzzi 243
Choosing a Spa 244
Visiting the spa down the street 245
Choosing a spa that’s right for you 245

xvii Massage For Dummies¶

Spa Treatments 246
Scrubs 247
Facials 249
Wraps 250
Hydrotherapy 251
Mud, seaweed, and other messy things 253
Massage-O-Matic Specialty Stores 253
Manufacturers’ outlets 253
Ergonomic specialists 254
Massage-o-matics 255
Chapter 16: Higher, Faster, Stronger: Sports Massage .257
When the Going Gets Tough, the Tough Get a Massage .257
Good times to use sports massage .258
Where to find sports massage .258
The Techniques .259
Sporty moves .259
Stretches 260
Routines 262
A Pain in the Elbow, a Pain in the Butt 262
262 Tennis elbow
263 Runner’s cramps
Chapter 17: Taking It With You: Massage On the Go 265
265 One World, Many Massages
Massage on the Road
267
Massage in Coach Class 268
The coach-class self-massage 268
A couple extra tips 269
Chapter 18: Massage for the Whole Family .271
All in the Family 271
Baby Massage 273
Why baby loves massage 274
Baby massage moves 274
Baby massage routine 275
Baby massage training 276 Not for Women Only 277
Massaging mommy-to-be 277
PMS (Please Massage Soon) 279
Meno-possiblities 279
Senior Massage 280
Reach out and touch someone older 280
A chance to give back .281
Professional senior massage 281
Touch at the end of life 282
Chapter19: The Lover’s Touch: Massage and Intimacy .283
Sensual Touch 284 The right intention
284 Spontaneity 284
Sensitivity 285
Soft hands 285

Table of Contents¶

Setting the Sensual Mood Flavored massage oils Little devices Videos	286 286 286 287
Sensual Moves Creating fuller contact Limb draping Hair gliding Belly touching The most sensual organ of them all Fantasizing is okay	287 287 288 288 288 289 290
Chapter 20: Have Hands, Will Travel: Doing Massage for a Living .291
Is This the Career for You? The ten traits of a born massage therapist An honest look at yourself The Massage Adventure Getting trained Obtaining licensing and certification Discovering your new lifestyle Where the Profession Is Headed Where you can go as a massage therapist The gift beyond price	291 292 293 293 294 296 297 299 299 300
Part 0: The Pan of Tens	301
Chapter 21: Ten Top Places to Study Massage	303
Chapter 22: Ten Outstanding Places to Receive a Topnotch Massage	309
Chapter 23: Ten Inventive Ways to Give Massage as a Gift	315
Chapter 24: Ten Massage Techniques That Your Dog or Cat Will Love	317
Chapter 25: Ten Quick and Easy Massage Techniques for Easing Stress	321
	325
Appendix Index	339

EFTA00008043¶

Astrig Massage For Dummies¶

Foreword¶

and refresh your soul. I’m of course talking about massage. Logging 20,000 miles a year may have made me somewhat of an expert on the lifestyles of the rich and famous, but it also taught me to value some of life’s simple pleasures, like massage. Whenever I arrive at a new destination, be it the Oriental Hotel in Bangkok, Thailand, or the Canyon Ranch Spa at the Venetian in Las Vegas, the first thing I do after I check in is escape to a good massage. It’s the only cure for whatever ails you. Being a devotee of the art of a good massage, my mania isn’t confined to Just when I’m traveling. I have a massage table in my home in Jumby Bay, Antigua, and SueHua, my Chinese masseuse, is a daily treat…¶

Perhaps the best thing about massage is that absolutely everyone can enjoy it, recreating one of the greatest pleasures of the jet-set crowd right at home. And now, finally, there’s a way for all of us to learn the secrets from one of the great masters of massage, Steve CapeRini. This book reveals dozens of healthy tips to help you achieve inner harmony, peace of mind, and an entirely new level of well-being, whether you’re receiving your massage at a great luxury hotel on the island of Maui, or on your very own living room floor.¶

Massage is truly one of the greatest gifts that is a delight to receive and a joy to give. Have fun as you read along and practice because you may even make a few new friends.¶

Robin Leach¶

Atni Massage For Dummies¶

Introduction¶

Fnorthose of us who’ve already discovered it, massage Is just about the niftiest thing on the planet. Better than chocolate. Better than pizza. It’s a great way to feel better, look better, treat people better, and treat yourself better, too. It’s one hundred percent good for you, with no artificial additives or ingredients, and it’s easy to do. In fact, one of the best things about massage is that you don’t need a lot of fancy expensive equipment in order to get one or give one. All you really need to get started is a human body. Got one? Great! Then you’re ready to go.¶

First, let me introduce myself and explain what qualifies me to teach you about this subject in the first place. I’ve been massaging people for a living since I was 23 years old. That’s more than 16 years and well over 10,000 massages. I’ve trained other massage therapists around the world at resorts, in workshops, and in massage schools, and I’ve written a few books on the subject.¶

But there’s something more to it than that. If all I were offering you was technical experience, analytical knowledge, and rah-rah enthusiasm, I wouldn’t blame you for approaching this book with indifference or even boredom.¶

Yet another book about the beauties and wonders of massage strokes and maneuvers? Wax on, wax off. Yawn.¶

The Massage Adventure¶

What I hope to offer you is more than technique, more than know-how, even more than increased pleasure and greater health in your everyday life. What I will be trying to get across in all of the pages to follow is a new way to be. I’ve transformed my own life into an ongoing, unfolding massage adventure and would be most sincerely honored to act as your guide along a similar journey of inner and outer exploration. There’s a big, wild world out there, and there’s an even bigger, wilder world inside your own body and mind. Massage is an excellent vehicle through which to explore both.¶

Touching other people with the intention of making them feel better and improving the quality of their lives is one of the most worthy ways to spend one’s time as a human being. Massage, in this sense, Is more than a Job. It’s a calling, a cause, a mission. I realize, of course, that this may sound a tad overzealous. Not everybody feels this way, which is good because if they did feel this way, then they’d all be massage therapists like me, and there would be nobody left to do other important Jobs like delivering office furniture, piloting commercial airplanes, and making incorrect predictions about the stock market.¶

But regardless of their “real” jobs, whether they know it or not, everybody in this world is a living, breathing massage sponge. Take you, for example. Right now, before you get to the next paragraph, take a moment to become aware of your body. Where are you? What is touching you? A chair on your bottom? A bed on your whole backside? A carpeted floor pressing against your feet? Somewhere, something is touching you, unless you are reading this introduction to Massage For Dummies in free fall during a skydiving expedition (In which case your clothing and the harness over your shoulders are still touching you, not to mention the friction of the air rushing by). In fact, this entire world is reaching out and massaging you 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Gravity is the grip, and everything else is the hand.¶

Those people with a more spiritual bent may even be tempted to say that “God” or the “Supreme Being” or the “Ultimate Massage Therapist” is touching us all the time, as reflected in mystical songs throughout the ages, such as the ancient Gregorian chant, Omnis Mundus In Manus Hobe°, which, roughly translated, means “He’s got the whole world in His hands. He’s got the whole wide world…”¶

You’re not atone¶

The world is filled with millions of people who have already started their own massage adventures. In fact, in the U.S. alone, approximately 28 million people have received a professional massage, and that number is growing quickly. Millions more have exchanged massages on a non-professional basis with friends and family. Insurance companies are starting to reimburse for it, doctors are Including it in their practices, and practically every hair salon in every city is turning Into a day spa and offering massage to clients. You’ve probably seen massage on shows like Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. It’s everywhere, and yet, if you’re like most people, you still haven’t received a massage, and you have quite a few questions about how it works and what it can do for you. If that’s the case, then this is the book for you.¶

You don’t have to be a hippie¶

Let me reassure you right here at the beginning that I’m not going to ask you to do anything you’re uncomfortable with. In fact, if you want to receive a massage while wearing a formal, ankle-length ball gown or a football uniform complete with pads, that’s fine with me. It may cut down on the effectiveness of certain massage techniques, but I’m not here to tell you what your style should be. I’m here to help you feel comfortable about including massage in your life in whatever ways you see fit.¶

In this book, you’re going to find lots of ways to make massage a part of your day-to-day activities so that it becomes as natural as brushing your teeth, driving your car, or peeling the stickers off sales items you buy as Christmas presents. And in order to help you accomplish this, I’ve enlisted the help of a pretty impressive character, my co-author, Michel Van Welden. First of all, you should know that Michel is a man. In France, where he’s from, many men are called Michel. He’s a physical therapist and naturopathic therapist who’s traveled the world teaching other therapists and physicians about massage. An expert on physiology and the skin, he has been personally responsible for getting the FDA in this country to sit up and pay serious attention to the effects of certain kinds of massage. The way he accomplished this was through several highly complex laboratory experiments studying (I’m not making this up) the effects of massage on pigs. I defer to Michel’s clinical expertise on many crucial issues, and my hope is that his scientific knowledge sets your mind at ease regarding the effectiveness and safety of massage. Throughout your average, everyday paragraphs in this book, though, it will be me, Steve, acting as your guide. Together, Michel and I have created a book that goes beyond any other of its kind to offer you everything you need to know to change your life from a dull, drab, non-massage existence into an exciting massage adventure.¶

This Book Is for You It…¶

As I stated earlier, this book is for anyone with a body, which should qualify almost every single reader. Disembodied spirits and poltergeists may find it difficult to get the correct amount of friction necessary to perform effective massage maneuvers and should therefore abstain. Certain people in particular will quickly discover the most obvious benefits in reading these pages; you know who you are, and this book is especially for you if …¶

• ✓ You’ve ever wanted to touch another person with grace, compassion, and caring.
• ✓ You want to share a new level of communication with the people you’re close to.
• ✓ You want to increase your well-being and reduce many types of pain.
• ✓ You have a desire to enhance various aspects of your life, including athletic performance, job efficiency, and even your love life.
• ✓ You have a handicap of some kind and would like to discover how in fact massage is the therapy of choice for many people with physical limitations.
• ✓ You want to pursue this adventure more seriously and are perhaps thinking about becoming a massage pro yourself.
• ✓ You think knowing how to give a good massage may be a neat way to get more dates.

So How Do I Get Started Already)¶

By now you’re probably saying, “Alright, Steve. You’ve convinced me. My muscles are sore and I’m ready to get going. How do I get started with this whole massage thing anyway?”¶

The best way to use this book Is to choose the subject that interests you most and then jump right in at that point. Many of you may be eager to start giving a massage right away, in which case, you can zoom ahead to Part Ill. I highly encourage you to read all the material in the sections leading up to the how-to stuff, however, instead of simply flipping through the photographs and list of instructions. The attitudes and intentions with which you approach massage are, after all, what make the biggest difference in terms of what you get out of it.¶

For those of you who like to approach your reading in a systematic fashion, you will find that each part of the book builds upon the one before it in what is, I hope, a logical manner, so that by the end, you can come away knowing just about as much as you’d ever want to know about massage, unless of course you start pursuing it as a passion and profession in your life as I have, In which case, the learning never ends.¶

How This Book Is Organized¶

Here are the subjects that you find spread out before your eager eyes and fingers as you use this book:¶

Part I: Discovering Massage (or Greater Health and Happiness¶

In this part, you find the background information you need to understand how the massage techniques actually work, and where they came from in the first place. You can discover all kinds of interesting things about your skin and what’s beneath it, for example, and what it is about massage that helps your whole body feel better. if you’re up to the task, you can test your touch-ability¶

in a specially designed quiz. You can also encounter important vocabulary words and, perhaps most Importantly, finally find out what all those massage gizmos at The Sharper Image are all about.¶

Pan II: The Art of Receiving Massage¶

What, there’s an art to receiving too, you ask? You mean I can’t Just lie there like a blob and let someone else do all the work? That’s correct. Massage, in this respect, is like the tango, and you know what they say about the tango. In this part, you develop the fine art of “tuning in,” which allows you to fully enjoy the benefits and pleasures that await you with massage. I describe how you can Invite healthy pleasure into your life, choose the right style of massage for you and your body, choose a good massage therapist, and start receiving massages just like the pros do, with all the trimmings like proper breathing, meditative awareness, and other advanced techniques for basically blissing out.¶

Part III: The Art of Giving Massage¶

This part is the “meat” of the book, so to speak, with all the pretty pictures that you may be tempted to flip to immediately and never draw your attention away from again. Resist this temptation, oh hedonistic reader! In fact, go ahead right now (if you haven’t already) and flip forward to the photos and then come back after a couple of minutes. Go ahead. I can wait.¶

There, satisfied? Now promise that you’ll look through the other important sections of Part Ill as well. Make no mistake about it: To give a good massage requires some effort and energy, and you’ll do well to prepare mentally beforehand so you don’t burn yourself out. You may also discover vital information about when and how not to massage people, including yourself.¶

Part IV: Massage at Work¶

If you’re suffering from some of the typical aches and pains of office workers and computer users everywhere, rush directly to Part IV. In this part, I give you simple massage moves that you can apply to your own aching body right at your desk, and I offer an entire chapter on how to relieve sore, tired feet with a special kind of massage known as reflexology. (Don’t worry, I define that strange sounding word soon enough) Hint: You may even be able to use this part of the book as evidence to help convince your boss to pay for professional chair-massage right in the work place. You’ll see what I mean.¶

Part 0 Living the Good Life: Massage (or Every Body¶

In the fifth part, you can take your pick from a smorgasbord of offerings, reading through the chapters that intrigue you in whichever order you choose. Whether you’re an athlete, a pregnant woman, a world traveler, or whatever, you’re sure to pick up a ton of useful Info here that you can use to integrate massage into your life.¶

Part VI: The Part of Tens¶

The last part contains lists of ten quick ways you can improve your life with massage, including suggestions for great places to take massage classes, outstanding locations to receive incredible massages, quick massage tips to ease stress, ways to offer massage as a gift, and, for you pet lovers, massage techniques designed especially for pooches and kitties.¶

Massaging the Icons¶

Throughout this book, I place lots of little round things In the margins, calling your attention to various details in the text. These pictures are called icons, and I have included some particularly pertinent ones for people learning the ropes of the massage world. To wit, you have your:¶

The Massage Tale icon lets you know there’s a real-life massage story from an actual person in the adjacent paragraph. These stories may leave you happy, misty-eyed, or thoughtful, depending on the subject matter, but they all go to prove how powerful an influence massage can be in your life.¶

This one signifies that some sagacious and perhaps famous individual is contributing various words of wisdom on the massage subject at hand, words which usually highlight my own brilliant remarks.¶

The Tip icon clues you in right away to the presence of some especially important Information. Perhaps I’ll reveal a secret technique for massaging your way Into Harvard Business School, for example. Perhaps not. You have to check the tip to be sure. At the very least, you may find some quick and easy pointers to make your reading experience as pleasurable as possible.¶

NW The practice of massage is not without its potential dangers. For example, once, after receiving three massages in one day as part of my job interviewing therapists for positions at a new spa, I turned into a human noodle and kept banging my knees into furniture. Seriously, though, there are certain things you have to watch out for when practicing massage, and there are various reasons why you should not offer massage in certain circumstances (what we professionals call contraindications). You can catch them right away when you see this icon.¶

Not wanting to make you feel like you’re a wallflower just observing the massage-dance of life from the sidelines, I’m going to do my best to explain in plain English everything you need to know on the subject. When, out of necessity, I use some massage terminology that seems foreign or unnecessarily complex to you, I warn you first with one of these little icons.¶

Sharing the Adventure¶

Massage, ultimately, is a way to share with others and to express yourself in a direct, hands-on way, and I hope this book plays a big part in helping you discover this. If you’d like to share some thoughts about what you learn on your own massage adventure, you can contact me in care of IDG Books Worldwide, or you can visit me on the Web at www. .roya 1 treatment . corn and send e-mail to steve@roy al treatment. com. I’ll be most pleased to hear how your journey is going.¶

So What Happens Now?¶

I can feel you getting a little antsy. You wanna get your hands on somebody already, don’t you? Well, as I said earlier, you can always skip ahead. In fact, now that you’re a little jazzed up about all these great benefits you can get from massage, this may be a good time to flash forward to Part III. Give yourself a little treat by mastering one or two moves, either for yourself or a partner, spend an hour happily practicing your new skill, and then come back and read the first few chapters, in which you find out the answers to such burning questions as, “What famous inventor of psychoanalysis used massage in his practice to calm patients?” Hint: His last name rhymes with void.¶

5 Massage For Dummies¶

Part I Discovering Massage for Greater Health and Happiness¶

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In this part …¶

As you explore this first part of this book, you may begin to get a sense that’s there’s something really big out there that you’ve been overlooking, almost as if an elephant were living in your backyard, right over there behind the clothesline, but you’d somehow failed to see it. Yes, It’s true: The parallel universe of massage has existed right beneath your nose all along, and millions of people around the world have enjoyed its benefits and pleasures for untold centuries. So, you might ask, if massage is so dam popular and everyone loves It so much, why haven’t I been informed?¶

Don’t feel bad. You’re in the majority. Most people have no due about the rich tradition that massage has to offer, and that’s because they were never taught by their parents, or their peers, or a respected teacher in grade school. Learning massage is kind of like learning geometry, or your ABCs. If no one teaches you, how are you supposed to find out?¶

There are certain controversies that still swarm around the whole issue of massage, most of them based on ideas held-over from the Victorian age. In this first part of the book, I’m going to completely quash all such concerns into little tiny bits, leaving you with a jaw-agape appreciation for the tremendous benefits massage can have for you, your family, and friends.¶

Whether you’re already somewhat familiar with massage and are raring to go, or you’re a trembling neophyte, slightly intimidated by the very concept of touching another person, or being touched, Part I will quickly usher you into a new world filled with the millions of us who already know and enjoy the many benefits of massage.¶

Welcome to the club.¶

Chapter 1¶

Not Just a Rub: How Massage Can Improve Your Life¶

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In This Chapter¶

• D What makes massage work
• p. Types of massage and how they help you

What does massage really do for you anyway? Sure, it feels incredible to receive one, and it looks nice to watch beautiful people massaging each other on how-to videos, but what’s going on beneath the surface? Is it worth it to actually fork over your hard-earned cash to have someone rub your skin for an hour? Should you spend your precious time and energy learning how to give a good massage yourself? Is massage really effective, or is It Just an unnecessary, flashy indulgence, like fish eggs on toast?¶

Well, being a massage junkie myself, I find it difficult to imagine why anybody would not want to get a massage, anytime, anyplace, for any reason at all or no reason at all. For me, massage has just always seemed like such an obviously good thing to do, starting way back in 11th grade when Grace came over to visit at my parent’s house one afternoon, and nobody else was home. Being a typical seventeen-year-old, I was hoping that we were soon going to engage in some good old-fashioned hanky-panky, and when Grace told me to loosen my belt and lie down on the carpet, I began singing Handel’s Messiah silently to myself.¶

Grace touched me then, on the small of my back, and I’ll never forget the sensation. “This is a massage technique that somebody taught me,” she said. “How does it feel?”¶

“Ah, it feels, um, kind of, uh, unbelievable!” I said, and unbelievable was exactly the right word. Grace was doing something clearly non-sexual, and I could not believe that anything non-sexual could feel so good. I could not¶

12 Part I: Discovering Massage for Greater Health and Happiness¶

believe that there was a way to be so intimate with somebody and yet not get in trouble with her father, if he were to find out about it. In short, I could not believe that something that was neither illegal, immoral, nor fattening could be so sumptuously pleasurable.¶

I asked Grace to keep doing what she was doing, and as she did so, I began devising, right there with my face buried in my parent’s green shag carpeting, a future lifestyle that would include the absolutely highest number of massages possible.¶

This early experience pointed out a fundamental truth about massage therapy, but one that is often missed by those people who judge it before they even give it a try. That truth: There is a difference between sex and massage therapy. There, I said it, right here in Chapter 1, and I’m glad. Some people out there will forever be mixing the two up, which does a disservice to everybody else, especially those people who have shied away from massage over the years because of a perceived less-than-pristine image.¶

I discovered, in that youthful, eye-opening experience, that massage does indeed feel unbelievable, and that discovery was a great place to begin. Now, more than 20 years later, after studying massage and teaching massage and experiencing the myriad facets of massage both in the U.S. and in other countries, I’ve been introduced to other, deeper reasons for including it in my life, reasons with profound implications for improved health, well-being, and even longevity. These are the reasons I’d like to share with you in this chapter and throughout the book.¶

Basic 13enetits of Massage¶

If I were to go Into some of the stories about how massage has helped people change their lives, heal themselves, become rich and famous, and soon, you probably wouldn’t believe me right away, because, after all, we’re still in Chapter 1. So I’m going to start out slowly and offer you some of the simplest, everyday ways that massage can help you, some of which still may come as a surprise to you.¶

Here, then, not ranked in any particular order, are some basic benefits of massage that perhaps didn’t pop straight into your head the first time you hought about it. Massage …¶

✓ Helps relieve muscular spasm and tension¶

0 ✓ Raises immune efficiency¶

• V Improves circulation
• ms Promotes the healing of tissues
• ra. Increases healthy functioning of the skin
• ko Engenders profound relaxation
• 1.0 Offers emotional reassurance
• so’ Improves appearance

I d like to take these points one at a time and let you get comfortable with them.¶

Helps relieve muscular spasm and tension¶

As you can see in Figure 1-1, there is a definite physical difference between muscles that are relaxed and happy and muscles that are tensed up due to stress, overuse, injury, and more.¶

Figure 1-1: The limp rope is your muscle. The knotted rope is your muscle on stress.¶

But there’s more to it than that, believe it or not. Regardless of how wickedly clever my rope analogy is, the human body is much more complex. In fact, it’s so complex that nobody has completely figured it out yet, even though countless researchers have spent a lifetime trying to do so. A whole bunch of really interesting things about the body have been discovered, however, along with how it responds to various types of stimuli, including massage.

¶

For example, one of the most direct effects of massage is to help loosen the tension we experience as knots, kinks, and spasms in our muscles. This is achieved in a number of ways:¶

1¶

14 Part I: Discovering Massage for Greater Health and Happiness¶

• ✓ The application of pressure creates awareness that there is indeed tension in a particular area, and the person receiving the massage can then begin to consciously release that tension.
• ✓ Through the application of friction to the area, a thermodynamic effect takes place, warming and softening the tight, haid tissue.
• ✓ By stimulating trigger points, the local nerves are soothed, allowing a release of contractions.

Raises immune efficiency¶

Did you know that there is a vast system of vessels running through your body, roughly parallel to your circulatory system, and that this system is filled with a fluid that is responsible for carrying away and eliminating many of the organisms, bacteria, viruses, and other microscopic bad guys that might otherwise attack you? Yes, it’s true. This is the lymph system, otherwise known as the Canadian Mounties of your body.¶

Your lymph system has nodes at various strategically located areas throughout your body, and these nodes have the job of capturing the invaders and processing them before eventual expulsion through your excretory system. Now, you may be wondering, how the heck does this lymph fluid get pumped through your body anyway? Funny you should ask. I’ve devised a test to discern your knowledge on that very subject.¶

Holy anatomy quiz, Batman!¶

That’s right, but it’s just a one-question quiz, so don’t let your anxiety levels rise too high over it. Here we go:¶

Question: How does the body pump the critically important lymph fluid through its lymph vessels, keeping your inner ocean clean and healthy?¶

• a. The heart pumps the lymph, just like it pumps the blood.
• b. The centrifugal force from riding various carnival rides is the best way to get the lymph fluid moving.
• c. Fear caused by sudden, unexpected physical proximity to vampires or werewolves causes the lymph vessels to contract, circulating the fluid.
• d. Movement, muscular contraction, and massage therapy are the ways lymph fluid is most effectively moved through the body because the lymph system has no pump of its own, such as the heart.

Right! The answer is d. By helping your body circulate this lymph fluid, massage aids in the elimination of noxious invaders (toxins) from your body.¶

1¶

Our neglected muscles¶

Even though you have over 600 muscles that take up.approximately 60 percent of your body weight, they sometimes get neglected, especially when it comes to your average physician.¶

For example, many times after serious trauma, such as a car accident, physicians perform appropriate procedures to save the life of the injured.person and to repair any gross damage. Then physical therapists take over to help restore as much use and feeling to the affected areas as possible. What happens, though, when that person returns to his physician or physical therapist six months later complaining of¶

chronic pain? If no further operations are warranted, and continued physical therapy doesn’t seem to help, there are only two choices as far as most physicians are concerned:¶

• ✓ Prescribe drugs
• ✓ Counsel stoicism

That’s right, the only two choices are to either mask the pain or learn to live with it In the massage model, though, something restorative can be done with that 60 percent of your body known as soft tissue to bring about relief.¶

There are other factors at play, too, in massage’s effectiveness as an immune booster. As reported in LIFE magazine (August 97), studies in orphanages have shown that infants and children deprived of touch experience stunted growth, both emotionally and physically. Further study showed that touch promotes the release of human growth hormone (HGH), which is essential to our development. If a child is not touched sufficiently, his or her development will be stunted, and susceptibility to disease will be Increased, with potentially catastrophic results. Many of the untouched children in orphanages have died for lack of simple contact.¶

Improcles circulation¶

This is the reason that the cigar-smoking octogenarians who frequented oldfashioned health spas used to give for receiving massage: “It’s good for the circulation!” they’d say. And they were right.¶

Students in massage school are taught to always massage in the direction of circulation, toward the heart, whenever they’re applying enough pressure to move the blood underneath the skin. The reason for this is that your veins have little one-way valves in them that keep blood from going back in the wrong direction. So obviously it’s not a good idea to push the blood back against these valves, potentially harming them. In fact, when these valves don’t work properly on their own, the blood seeps backward¶

76 Part I: Discovering Massage for Greater Health and Happiness¶

and pools up, causing the appearance of varicose veins, which are a contraindication for massage, but I’m skipping ahead to Chapter 10 already. Sorry about that.¶

You have the idea: Some massage movements physically push the blood around in its vessels and can therefore, when done properly, push it in the right direction, improving circulation.¶

Massage also draws more blood to the surface of the body and into areas of relatively poorer circulation, thus bringing with it much-needed oxygen and other nutrients for the tissues.¶

Promotes the healing of tissues¶

This benefit is primarily a result of the previous two. By helping to bring nutrient-rich blood into areas that are recovering from any type of problem, and by helping to cleanse these same areas of toxins (by stimulating the lymph system), massage promotes quicker healing.¶

Also, certain types of massage stretch and soften tissues in traumatized areas, helping them regain natural elasticity and strength faster.¶

But beware: You definitely don’t want to rush straight in and massage your cousin John’s swollen knee after his recent surgery unless you’ve been trained in bona-fide massage classes and know what you’re doing.¶

Increases healthy functioning of the skin¶

The skin is where massage has its most pronounced effects. In fact, I’ve devoted the whole of Chapter 3 to it. So let me just say here that massage includes several actions that leave the skin silky, vibrant, and fully functioning in both directions. By that I mean it promotes the shedding of dead cells while also encouraging the absorption of moisture, nutrients, vitamins, and other vital elements, especially when the massage is given with the aid of creams, oils, and lotions created for just that purpose.¶

In this sense, massage helps the skin “breathe.” Just as our lungs breathe both in and out, inhaling and exhaling, healthy skin must breathe in both directions, too, and massage can help with that.¶

Offers emotional reassurance¶

In a famous experiment conducted by some truly sadistic researchers, some unfortunate little monkeys were brought up In cages with surrogate mothers. Each monkey had two mothers In the cage with him. One was a rag doll and the other was a hard wire shell. The uncomfortable wire mother had a nipple with real milk coming out, but the rag doll mother had no nipples and no milk. The researchers shocked the monkeys, then they sat back with smugresearcher-expressions on their faces to see what would happen. In every case, when they were desperate for comfort and safety, the monkeys scampered straight over to rag-doll-mommy, regardless of the fact that she had never provided any other kind of food or sustenance beyond the fact of being soft and cuddly.¶

This brings us to an Important realization as far as humans are concerned, too: Almost every person alive, when shocked, would rather squeeze a rag doll than a hard wire shell with a nipple attached. This bit of information, I’ve found, makes a fascinating ice-breaker at cocktail parties.¶

Extrapolating from this data, the researchers were able to conclude, with a good degree of confidence, that tactile sensations are the most Important factors involved with emotional comforting.¶

Massage, by offering a sustained, intentional, caring form of tactile stimulation, is one of the best ways to impart emotional reassurance, and emotional reassurance just may be the number one need of humans in the twenty-first century. We modern urban dwellers are all a bunch of shocked monkeys searching for Mom, basically. And massage is the ultimate rag doll.¶

Engenders profound relaxation¶

Dr. Robert Benson of Harvard wrote in The Relaxation Response that by repeating certain breathing arid concentration exercises, people could greatly reduce their levels of stress. Massage, by its very nature, induces a similar response. It’s a mini-vacation that you can take right there inside your own body. No need to buy expensive plane tickets or submit yourself to the hassles of taxi rides and hotel rooms. Just close your eyes and let someone else send you to your own virtual Tahiti.¶

If you receive a massage and don’t relax, it’s the same thing as going to Tahiti and not enjoying the scenery, the warmth, the water, or the colorful little umbrellas In the cocktails. In other words, it’s up to you. Nobody can force you to relax while receiving a massage, just as no one can force you to enjoy the South Pacific, but you’d have to be kind of crazy not to.¶

Improves appearance¶

The combination of all the preceding benefits leaves Just about anybody who receives them looking better than they did before they started, and in that way, massage can improve the appearance of even the most stubbornly unattractive person. You know the type: the man with the big crease down the middle of his forehead, or the woman with her mouth pulled taut like she just chewed an entire lemon. Most of what we deem unattractive is simply poor attitude, and the people with the strangest looking faces and bodies can still be very attractive, especially if they are …¶

• ✓ Tension-free
• ✓ Healthy
• ✓ Rushed with the rosy glow of good circulation
• ✓ Quickly recovering from any painful .conditions
• ✓ Covered with silky “breathing” skin
• ✓ Confident and emotionally assured
• ✓ Profoundly relaxed

Who can resist a person like this?¶

The Massage Menu¶

There are literally hundreds of types of massage practiced around the world, many of them with wonderfully evocative names like tui-na and lomi /omi. This is not the section in which I’m going to explain each of those massage modalities to you, however (a fairly extensive explanation of several major styles is the focus of one section In Chapter 5). Instead, what I’m doing here is explaining the generic types of massage, broken down into categories based on the observable effects they can have in your own life.¶

Think of this section like the menu in a restaurant. Each category (breakfast, lunch, dinner) consists of distinctly different dishes, and yet the foods used to prepare the dishes can be the same. So the same eggs used to make your omelet at breakfast can be used in your egg salad at lunch or your dessert after dinner. It’s the same with the following categories of massage. Any particular massage technique can be used to create various effects.¶

Chapter 1: Not Just a Rub: How Massage Can Improve Your Life¶

When you head into Chez Massage, you can order a-la-carte or request a prearranged sampling of offerings, like on a prix-fixe menu. The following do not present a completely exhaustive list, but they cover all the main entrees and several side dishes as well:¶

Relaxation massage¶

This category may be the most familiar to those of you who have not delved into the world of massage before. It’s the type of massage you see on TV. For example, in one of the older James Bond movies, Sean Connery poses as a massage therapist in a European spa and rubs some information out of one his enemies (a beautiful Russian enemy, of course). The impromptumaneuvers he made up at that point consisted of simple, straightforward rubbing and sliding. A trained massage therapist delivers quite a bit more effectiveness than Sean did, but in essence, the purpose of the relaxation massage is, duh, to relax. This is particularly helpful in these Instances:¶

• ✓ For stress relief, when the daily grind is just too much and the simple act of lying down and having someone pay solicitous attention to you for an hour is enough to make a big difference.
• ✓ For pampering, which is fine, as long as you don’t feel guilty about it.

Sports massage¶

Just ask the world-class athletes who travel with their own personal massage therapists. They’ll tell you what a difference a massage can make. Many Olympians and high-level players in all sports are true believers, but they are not the only ones who use massage as part of their training. Even amateur athletes and weekend warriors incorporate it whenever they can, specifically, pre-event, post-event, and for ongoing training.¶

Rehabilitative massage¶

This type of massage helps the body repair Itself. Many people have found that it was the key factor in helping them heal quickly and get back to normal activity levels as soon as possible after injuries and after surgery.¶

Doctors are people, too¶

You may notice that on several occasions in this book, I allude to physicians as people who are notquite up to speed with reality when it comes to the very provable value of massage therapy. In fact, I’ve already said something to that effect in this chapter.¶

So I just want to make something clear before you getthe wrong idea: I think doctors are great I respect and admire doctors and consider several to be friends. Sure, there are some jerk doctors just like there are jerk massage therapists, but all-in•all, physicians are some of the most responsible, educated, humane, helpful humans on the planet, doing all kinds of good work.¶

When you hear me say anything less than complimentary about physicians or allopathic medicine, it’s not the people themselves I’m referringto so much as the system we’ve created in which they work. Unfortunately, our present situation does not allow for doctors to spend the time with each individual patient that they’d probably like to. At the same time, many of them are realizing the value of massage and have even begun including it in their practices. In fact, a September 1998 survey of medical schools published in the Journal of the American Medical ASsociation (JAMA) revealed that 64 percent of medical schools offer courses in complementary medicine, including massage, which is the most popular alternative modalitytaught¶

Miriam Wetzel, Ph.D., director of curriculum development at Harvard Medical School, says that therapeutic massage is pan of the school’s training. “I would like tosee the medical community recognize that there is a difference between therapeutic massage and something that’s just relaxing,” she says.¶

In France, where my co-author Michel Van Walden received his training, physicians look at massage in a wholly different light. “What we do is respected as part•of the medical model all across Europe,” says Michel. “Physicians there have no qualms about referring particular cases to massage therapists. In fact, the word we use in France for massage therapist is kinesiotherapeut, which really signifies a combination of massage therapist, physical therapist, and holistic practitioner who utilizes a number of healing tools, such as aromatherapy and herbology. There are 25,000 of them in France, which is an area the size of Texas. Most of them havetheir own clinics, andthey are very highly regarded by physicians and patients alike.”¶

Some of us in the alternative health world have given doctors a bum wrap.for too long. I say let’s move forward toward an integrative medicine that includes their expertise and ours together. This is alreadyhappening aswitnessed by the quickly growing number of health clinics and hospitals with practitioners from many disciplines: M.D.s, acupuncturists, massage therapists, nutritionists, herbalists, and others.¶

Esthetic massage¶

We all want to look as good as we can, and massage can help. Through a combination of several of the benefits mentioned earlier in this chapter, massage softens your skin and gives you a healthy glow. It is also used to improve the¶

Chapter 1: Not Just a Rub: How Massage Can Improve Your Life¶

appearance of certain skin irregularities such as cellulite, with varying degrees of efficacy. People include massage in their beauty regimen for its ability to promote a youthful appearance and as an auxiliary treatment to enhance the effects of other beautifying procedures, such as plastic surgery and facials.¶

Energy-balancing massage¶

If massage were a map of the world, energy-balancing would be China. Yes, that’s how big it is. Because energy is invisible, it’s easy to dismiss it as unimportant, as far as our bodies go. But for a moment, imagine your body without energy. That’s right: limp as a cooked noodle, flat as a pancake, blah as all get-out. Many of the massage styles I go over in Chapter 5 are based on an understanding of the body’s energy systems, focusing on how to balance and enhance our inner invisible energy. These techniques can basically be categorized as either ancient systems, such as acupressure, or modern systems, such as cranio-sacral work.¶

Massage for increased awareness¶

Most of us inhabit our bodies without giving it much thought. We walk around in them and sit around in them and lie around in them, all on automatic pilot, relying upon the old patterns and habits we picked up in childhood. Sometimes, we’re negatively influenced by injuries and other traumas that turn these unconscious habits into potentially debilitating conditions. We feel “stuck” in certain postures and can’t get out. A massage can help you become aware of how you’re holding onto certain patterns of tension and thus let you break them, and it can help you gain self-confidence through releasing old, negative body Images.¶

Spiritually oriented massage¶

Depending on your frame of mind, any massage can be a spiritual experience, regardless of whether you receive it in an ancient Asian temple or the treatment room of your local health club. All you need are two people focused on awareness, breathing, releasing, and compassion. This spiritual aspect of massage can be used in the following ways:¶

• li ✓ For meditation, when the sensitive sharing that takes place between two people in a good massage leads you to quiet your mind and remember some of the more important things in life.

Part I: Discovering Massage for Greater Health and Happiness¶

• ✓ By ministers, nuns, and other clergy members who use this “laying on of hands” as a means to express compassion and in some cases to invoke healing.
• ✓ By practitioners of Eastern traditions such as Taoism and Buddhism. Buddhist monks in Thailand, for example, often learn the art of massage and practice it in their temples.

Massage (or emotional growth¶

Allowing yourself to be touched with caring, therapeutic intentions takes a high degree of maturity. Several types of massage have been developed to access inner psychological issues and bring them to light. This is especially true In specific cases of past emotional trauma involving abuse and negative body-image caused by being overweight or handicapped.¶

Massage (or sensual pleasure¶

This type of massage can be performed by any two consenting adults who have a relationship of respect and trust between them. It’s especially useful for long-term couples seeking new and exciting activities to spice up their lives and for short-term couples looking for ways to slow themselves down and enjoy the moment rather than rush through to you-know-what.¶

Massage (or non-humans¶

Believe it or not, there are special courses offered to teach people how to massage animals. As anyone who’s ever scratched behind the ear of an appreciative pet can tell you, they love it. Certain animals in particular have been the lucky recipients of massage:¶

• ✓ Horses, especially race and show horses that are each worth more than the gross national product of the average third-world country
• ✓ Dogs and cats and other “people with fur” that we live with on an intimate basis

Chapter 2 A Brief History of Touch¶

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• r> The development of massage therapy around the world O 0 0 0•0 000000000000000 0000000000000000000000000000

• D Massage in today’s world

• p Where massage is going

his chapter is supposed to extol the virtues of certain Greek physicians ho developed massage a couple thousand years ago, and then it’s supposed to move on to the beginning of the twentieth century and talk about a certain Swedish man who was the father of modern western massage. And then the chapter should chronicle the … Z7.777777ZZ.¶

Was that the sound of your head smacking the table? Are you already getting so bored that you’re about to fling this book against the nearest wall in desperation? “Why can’t he tell me something fascinating and different?” you’re about to scream.¶

Okay, I can hear the psychic echoes of your potential screams, so this chapter is going to be a teeny bit different than the history chapters In most massage books, the ones that treat the chronology of massage like the dry academic stuff you find in history texts. What could be more unlike the vibrant flesh-and-bones reality of a subject as physical as massage?¶

Dramatic Moments in Massage History¶

For your benefit and edification, I’m going to recreate dramatic scenes from various important massage moments throughout history. Much of what follows has been garnished with a large dose of creative license, but rest assured that the information Is based upon historical fact. Only the boring parts have been deleted to protect the innocent reader.¶

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Shaman Bob — hands-on heater¶

Thousands of years ago, beneath the primeval rainforest canopies of the vast Amazon Jungle in what is now part of Brazil, an old shaman squatted down by a river, twisting the leaves and stems of a hardy vine between his worn fingers. The shaman’s name was unintelligible to modern ears, so we’ll call him Bob. His fingers were working the powerful ayuhasca vine, which gave his people visions that helped them to heal. Bob boiled the leaves and stems of the vine in water with other plants, making a thick syrupy tea that he brought with him back into the village.¶

It was night. The rainforest canopy above was filled with the screeching sounds of life. Arranging the members of the tribe in a circle around a fire he had built, Bob gave them each sips of the tea, and they began to twirl and dance and sing traditional songs. Some of them, the ones who needed healing the most, fell into a trance, and Bob approached them.¶

As the others watched, Bob appeared to literally reach into each person’s body with his fingers. Then his fingers would flutter up toward the dark sky above the fire. He would touch them, brush them off, shake their limbs, staying in almost constant contact, and everyone could see (with the help of the ayuhasca) what Bob always saw — blurry spots where each person’s body was weak, demons of darkness clinging to a shoulder.¶

Although Bob used powerful herbs and jungle plants, his primary tool was touch. The difference between a casual touch from another tribe member and an intentional, focused touch from Bob was sometimes the difference between life and death. His touch healed, and everyone knew It.¶

The Tao of massage¶

The enigmatic Chinese word, Tao, confuses many people. For one thing, why is the word spelled T-a-o when it’s pronounced Dow? And for another thing, what’s it supposed to mean anyway? Does it have anything to do with the New York Stock Exchange?¶

Many of you have heard of the Tao of Pooh or the Tao of Physics or the Tao of Flower Arranging, and if you ever read one of those far-out books on Eastern philosophy published in the 1970s — the kind printed on organic-oatmeal type paper —you probably remember the phrase, “The Tao that can be spoken of is not the true Tao.” So then, how are you supposed to talk about it?¶

Regardless of the fact that you apparently can’t talk about the Tao, you can still talk about massage, which is exactly what an early Chinese Taoist did around 5,000 years ago. He wrote a book called the Con Fou of Tao-Tse (Cun Fooh of Dow Zee) that described the use of medicinal plants, exercises, and a¶

system of massage for the treatment of disease. Because it was one of the first books ever written on any subject, the Con Fou really goes to show you just how ancient and important this whole subject of massage is after all.¶

A Greek man with a mission¶

Asclepius (as-ideetpee-uhs), son of Apollo, the Greek god of healing, may have been an actual Greek man who lived around 1200 B.C., but just as likely he was a mythological figment of the Greek imagination. At any rate, he was credited with being the first to combine exercise with massage. He also founded the world’s first gymnasium.¶

The Middle Ages¶

•¶

Nobody massaged anybody else (or was even allowed to touch much) during the Middle Ages, which almost wiped out western civilization. Luckily, a few hardy souls decided, despite vigorous opposition, to sneak off and touch each other in barns, stables, and other hidden places whenever possible, thus assuring the continuation of the human race and allowing people a chance to practice rudimentary massage techniques at the same time. Needless to say, the Middle Ages were not a good time to be a professional massage therapist, and many of them suffered extreme deprivations. In fact, some say that a famous book by Victor Hugo, and the Broadway musical¶

The Hypocritical oath¶

You may wonder why doctors have to take a hypocritical oath after they finish medical school and before they begin practicing. After all, you trust your physician with your life; why would you want him or her to be a hypocrite?¶

The answer is simple. They’re not taking a hypocritical oath, but rather a Hippocratic Oath, which means that it was first uttered by none. other than thatgreat Greek physician himself, Hippocrates (460-380 B.C.). In the very first line of this oath, Hippocrates swears by Apollo and Asclepius to uphold the virtues of his healing art,¶

to not seduce women (or men► in the households he visits as a physician, and to abstain from mischief of all kinds.¶

Hippocrates also spoke about massage movements, saying that “hard rubbing binds, much rubbing.causes parts to waste, and moderate rubbing makes them grow.” He recommended massage for many conditions.¶

So, the man who penned the words that physicians around the world utter to this day was a believer in massage. Go figure.¶

based upon it, are actually plagiarized versions of an original story about the lives of these wretched medieval massage practitioners. Sadly, the original manuscript has been lost, and the true origins of Les Massagerables will forever remain a mystery.¶

The Swedish scenario¶

In most places you go In the western world today, when you ask for a massage, you’ll receive one form or another of Swedish massage. And so, you may ask, why is it called Swedish massage? Here are some of the typical answers people have given to that question:¶

• ✓ People In Sweden were the only ones liberal enough to allow massage to be named after them.
• ✓ The Swedish director Ingmar Bergman liked to receive massage after a hard day on the movie set, and so they named the technique after him.
• ✓ Nobody knows why it’s called Swedish massage, but everyone agrees it sounds better than Lithuanian massage or Uruguayan massage.

Actually, Swedish massage is named after a Swedish physiologist and fencing master by the name of Per Henrik Ling (1776-1839), who developed a system of Medical Gymnastics that Included the moves we now use in basic massage. He eventually became known as the father of physical therapy. The fact that his¶

original system embraced massage is Interesting because physical therapists in the modem world have to a large degree ostracized massage from their repertoire, and there is sometimes discord between them and massage therapists.¶

Decline of massage in the twentieth century¶

Due to the infighting amongst massage practitioners, and the sudden, powerful influence of technology in the medical world, massage faded from favor during the early and mid-1900s. Also, the earlier popularity Of massage induced some people to try to make a profit from it illicitly. Around the turn of the century, several schools in Great Britain, for example, were turning out poorly trained practitioners, some of whom ended up acting as prostitutes, which was a big downfall for massage. Since the days of Hippocrates, and even further back into the ancient history of China and India, massage had been accepted as a healthy pastime by a sizeable number of people. Now, things were different.¶

Massaging Cain and Abel¶

Perhaps the discord in the massage world can be traced back to the pair of American brothers who were responsible for bringing massage to the United States from Sweden — Charles and George Taylor. The Taylor brothers shared similar interests, obviously; they both became doctors, both went to Europe to learn these new techniques, and they both wanted to spend their lives helping other people. But, as so often seems to happen when people go on a quest to help others,They just couldn’t seem to get along themselves.¶

Coming back to New York in the 1850s, they opened a clinic together, but within a year they dissolved it and went their own ways.¶

“It’s MYtechnique for helping other people feel better,” said Charles, adjusting.his bowler hat atop his head.¶

“No way, it’s mine: replied George, adjusting his identical bowler cap.¶

“Mine?¶

“Mine.”¶

And thus started a problem that has persisted to this day, with various massage innovators and practitioners teaching that their way is the best way. George and Charles Taylor werethe Cain and Abel of the modern massage world. And, even though massage as a whole is a glorious way to help people feel better on many levels, it has been broken up into sects, with the proponents of certain techniques loudly proclaiming theirs as the best. This book, I hope, will help you cut through•all that so that you can gain an appreciation for massage as a whole.¶

Freud and massage¶

Sigmund Freud, the inventor of modern psychoanalysis, used massage with his patients. Early on, when Freud wanted to calm and reassure his clients that he was on their side, he used massage.maneuvers primarily on their hands. Unfortunately, Freud left massage behind as he further developed his psychoanalytic techniques, perhaps out of a fear that he wouldn’t be¶

able to know what was really working, talking or touching. But he was greatly in favor of it from the start. In the modern world, many psychologists are rediscovering the power of massage and incorporating it into their practice with body-centered psychotherapy and somatic therapies.¶

Throughout the mid-1900s, many massage therapists in the U.S. worked in a YMCA or a Turkish bath house and weren’t expected to do much more than pummel their victims (er, clients) with some extraordinarily vigorous maneuvers, usually meant to purge the recipient of excess alcohol and fatty acids ingested the night before. in fact, some spa towns, such as Hot Springs, Arkansas, had massage facilities that were open on Sunday mornings especially for this purpose. The upstanding men of the community came in early to have the effects of Saturday night’s revelry pounded and sweated out of them by hardy massage practitioners.¶

Hippies save massage from extinction¶

Overall, things weren’t going so well for massage in the United States. And the same was true, for the most part, in Europe. Only people with hangovers wanted massage. Of course, on a worldwide level, massage in many areas still retained the same untainted prestige it had enjoyed for centuries. But even in the most remote areas there was a clamoring for things new — vibrating massagers instead of actual massages, for instance — and as technological revolution swept the planet, it left people high and dry as far as contact goes.¶

The human species was literally getting out of touch.¶

As always, when society swings too far In one direction, a mounting momentum tends to bring it back toward equilibrium. Somewhere in the 1960s, people began to tire of the soulless sway of machines and technology In their lives, and they started to react against it. These revolutionaries were called hippies, or flower children, and they spread out from San Francisco to cover much of the world, toting with them tie-dyed T-shirts, prayer beads, big black vinyl discs called albums, and home made massage tables.¶

The hippie movement brought people back into touch with themselves, as exemplified by the story of Lorraine, who, in 1968, couldn’t decide exactly what to do with her life and so went off in search of something new in California, like so many of her generation.¶

“I need to get in touch with myself,” intoned Lorraine to anyone who asked her what she was doing. Perhaps she didn’t realize how precise her choice of words truly was.¶

Heading her faded yellow VW Bug west, with “Go-Ask Alice” playing over and over again.on the eight-track tape deck mounted under the dash, Lorraine kept driving and driving until she came to the remote spot on the winding highway south of Big Sur in California that so many people had told her about¶

The place was called the Esalen-Institute, andit was a mecca for consciousness-raising workshops, research into alternative health, superb massages and massage instruction, and just plain brining out. People from all over the world came to Esalen to get back in touch, literally, with themselves and with life. Lorraine moved in, stayed for five years, and by the time she left she had found her calling in life and becamea massage therapist¶

Massage Today¶

Through the years, massage has had a serious, multiple-personality disorder, kind of like Sybil. Every time you look at it, you’re never sure exactly what you’re going to see. A Greek physician massaging athletes? A Swedish physiotherapist creating movements to help ease common suffering? A shaman purging evil spirits? A spiritual seeker sending healing vibrations through her fingers during an Esalen style massage at a spectacular seaside retreat?¶

So many choices¶

Massage is enjoying such a large renaissance right now, in fact, that at times the market may appear glutted with too many massage therapists. An alternative newspaper In Asheville, North Carolina, for instance, printed a cartoon summarizing the plight of that city’s abundance of highly trained, underemployed massage therapists. The cartoon showed an out-of-work therapist standing at a corner holding up a sign: “Will massage for food.”¶

So where does that leave you as you head out the door today, tomorrow, or next week to go seeking your own massage experiences? Well, you certainly¶

30 Part I: Discovering Massage for Greater Health and Happiness¶

have a lot more choices, which I clarify in Chapter 9. You also have a lot more massage therapists to choose from — somewhere between 30,000 and 50,000 new massage therapists in the U.S. each year, for example. And France, which is not a huge country, has over 35,000 practicing kines, short for kinesiotherapeut, their term for massage/physical therapist. These practitioners are popular, partly because insurance has covered their services since 1974; people in France are used to receiving massage as part of their healthcare.¶

Although you do have more choices than ever, l think the assumption that we’re getting anywhere near a critical mass of massage practitioners in the world is mistaken. There are just too many people around these days to massage — over six billion of them as of August 1999 — and the population continues to expand rapidly.¶

What you can expect in terms of massage in the year 2000 and beyond is an ever-increasing number of choices, kind of like you find in those designer coffee shops. Whereas before the choice used to be simple — regular or decal? — now you’re faced with an overwhelming array of mochas and frappes and lattes and on and on. This phenomenon has been termed the Starbuckizing of massage.¶

Touch research¶

To keep up with all the rapid changes and to document the effectiveness of massage in the midst of all these changes, somebody had to start some serious research into the matter, and that’s Just what they do at the Touch Research Institute.¶

If you happen to live in South Florida, and you were to stroll down to the local medical center, you probably wouldn’t be too surprised to find some scientific studies being conducted in one of the buildings there. But you may be surprised to find that, instead of an operating room or a clinic, these studies are being conducted in softly lit chambers with flute music playing in the background. And the subjects, instead of undergoing cutting-edge medical technologies, are receiving the age-old techniques of massage therapy.¶

The Touch Research Institute was founded in Miami in 1992 to study the effects of touch on human beings. Whereas the senses of smell, hearing, sight, and taste all have had their institutes and studies for decades, poor little orphan touch was neglected until the 1990s.¶

Perhaps touch was neglected because it is just so obvious. When you think about it, nothing is not touch; your body is a large antenna feeling everything as it happens to you. The other senses all involve touch in one way or another, too; molecules of various kinds hit you in the taste buds, the optical nerves, the ear drums, and the nasal passages, which set off the sensations that make the senses work.¶

A massage pilgrimage to Esalen¶

The pioneering work done at Esalen helped keep massage alive and well after its decline in the early and mid-1900s. Esalen, located in Big Sur, a couple hours south of San Francisco, was founded by Michael Murphy in 1962,.and some of the best massage teachers and researchers in the world have taught and worked there. The result of their efforts has been a shifting of the entire paradigm upon which massage is built No longer simply a remedial form of “gymnastics” to restore movement and ease pain, massage has become a wayto increase awareness and sometimes even:eccess the spirit.¶

If you’re passionate about learning what massage can be on this spirit-enhancing level, you may want t0 make a trip tothis massage-mecca yourself. Wherever you are in the world, if you are a massage lover, making your own massage pilgrimage to Esalen will benefit your spiritl¶

Esalen’s location itself is spectacular, perched upon steep cliffs overhanging the Pacific Ocean, where hot springs flow from the mountainside directly into a series of pools adjacent to the massage area. (fisalen’s Web site is at www.esalen.org.)¶

Nudity alert Beware, Esalen is clothing optional, and nudity is common. Think otit as a . great way to get used to viewing the grand masterpiece of the human body.¶

In 1998, two new Touch Research Institutes opened, one in the Philippines and one in France, which points toward a globalization of studies on massage. How can they get away with testing massage like that, you ask? How can people just lie around feeling good and then call it research? First of all, they don’t call it massage, but rather Tactile Kinesthetic Stimulation, which, translated, means “massage that someone can receive a medical research grant for.” And the studies include extensive psychological tests, blood analysis, double-blind tests (tests in which neither the participants nor the researchers know which subjects have a particular disease or condition and which don’t), and a large amount of paperwork. So It’s not just a big vacation.¶

Some of the studies that have been done at the Touch Research Institute include the following groups:¶

• ✓ HIV patients: Serotonin and killer T-cells increased due to the massage.
• ✓ Premature infants: Massaged Infants gained weight more quickly and left the hospital an average of six days earlier than non-massaged infants, at an average savings of $3,000.
• ✓ Depressed teenage mothers: Massage helped them gain self-confidence and provided a way for them to connect with their Infants.
• ✓ Children with post-traumatic shock syndrome after hurricane Andrew: Massage offered psychological reassurance that the world could be a safe place again.
• ✓ Cancer patients: Researchers are still gathering data about how massage can help with this disease.

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The Future of Massage¶

Many people are familiar with John Nalsbitt’s book Megatrends, which discusses the problems people face as society heads into an increasingly technological world. Naisbitt says that as people get more high-tech, they have to become equally high-touch as well. Massage, of course, is one obvious answer to this dilemma.¶

Following are examples of some high-touch trends that show every sign of continuing into the future as massage integrates more and more into society’s high-tech lifestyle:¶

• ✓ Diplomacy: Massage therapists already travel around the world as ambassadors of compassion. This trend will continue as hands-on techniques evolve and cross-cultural communication develops further.
• ✓ Performance: More and more performers, athletes, and high-profile individuals will discover the value and relevance of massage. Every professional sports team, for example, will have massage therapists on staff (many do already), creating a trickle-down effect as fans and the general public become increasingly aware of massage through the team’s example.
• ✓ Affordability: As the world gradually shifts from a manufacturing-based economy to an information- and services-based economy, the demand for massage will continue to grow. Employers and insurance companies will be increasingly willing to pay for massage services, which will benefit the bottom line by reducing absenteeism, stress-related injury, and so on.
• ✓ Increased sophistication: Massage techniques (some of which have been around for centuries) will become more and more sophisticated as practitioners from various schools cross-train and add new skills to their repertoires.

Chapter 3¶

Your Skin: Frontier to the Rest of the World¶

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In This Chapter¶

• p Thinking with your skin
• p Looking at your multidimensional skin
• or. Recognizing that your skin is on guard
• p Understanding how massage affects the skin

“We touch heaven when we lay our hands on a human body” —Novel’s (pen name of Frederich von Hardenberg)¶

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S itakin is the essence of what makes humans human. How do I know, you sk? I saw it in a Star Trek movie, so it must be true. In the movie, a wily alien treated Data, the android, to a taste of being human by grafting a swatch of flesh to his mechanical arm. He already had a brain and a fully functioning body, but the one thing he lacked was sensation. He was Just a machine until he had this little patch of skin attached to him, and with it, he became human.¶

The essence of being human is the ability to feel. “But,” you might respond, “I feel things in my mind and with my nerves, too, not just my skin. And besides, can I really trust Star Trek as a source of anatomical knowledge?” Well, guess what? In this case, the writers of Star Trek happened to be right on the money. Your skin, your nerves, and your mind are really just different layers of the same thing.¶

Thinking With pour Skin¶

In his book, Job’s Body, Deane Juhan, a researcher into the effectiveness of massage and other touch therapies, says, “Depending upon how you look at it, the skin is the outer surface of the brain, or the brain is the deepest layer of the skin.”¶

This assertion, though it may seem absurd initially, can be proven quite easily if you look closely at the development of the embryo. As you know, you start out as a little clump of cells deep in your mother’s womb. In the very first days after conception, these cells begin to divide into three distinct layers that will later become your body. The endoderm layer of cells eventually forms your internal organs, the mesoderm forms the muscles and connective tissues, and the ectoderm forms the nervous system and the skin.¶

As the ectoderm cells develop, they gradually turn into your brain, spinal cord, nerves, and skin, which are really all one unit. “Nowhere along the line can I draw a sharp distinction between a periphery which purely responds as opposed to a central nervous system which purely thinks”(Juhan p. 36). In other words, your skin “thinks” as well as feels, and your brain “feels” as well as thinks. It’s all one thing. And it starts at a very early age. In fact, at six weeks and less than an inch long, the little embryo can already “feel” light stroking on its upper lip, which causes a withdrawal reaction.¶

Feeling = thinking¶

Imagine the following sequence:¶

• 1. Imagine a pinprick at a certain point on the skin (Point A).
• 2. Imagine the sensation that travels up from the sensory receptor near the skin’s surface, to the nerve, and then on toward the spine, which it enters at Point B. From there it continues up to the brain.
• 3. Imagine your brain processing this impulse somewhere around Point C, sending a further impulse to your mouth, which then says “ouch.”

So the question is, at what point does the sensation of the pinprick cause you to pull your skin away from the sharp object?¶

• A. At point A, the exact moment the pin pricks the skin.
• B. At point B, a nanosecond later, when the sensation enters the spine.
• C. At point C, inside the brain itself.
• D. None of the above.

This question is tricky. Most people assume that the answer is C, inside the brain, because that’s where they think they have the thought, “That hurts.” But in actuality the answer is B, when entering the spine, for the following reason:¶

You pull yourself away from the pinprick as a result of a reflex arc at point B, which is an impulse that enters the spine and then shoots right back out again in the form of a reaction. You actually experience the pulling away before your brain catches up to what’s happening and you say the word “ouch.” Ever notice that? For the same reason, your knee jerks when tapped with a little rubber hammer, without your having time to think about it. So, in this sense, your skin and nerves do the “thinking” for you.¶

Note: Do not try this pinprick experiment at home on friends or family. I guarantee that they won’t appreciate it.¶

Investigating pour Multidinwnsionat Skin¶

,coPINI04, In his book, Touching: The Human Significance of the Skin, Ashley Montagu offers many pearls of wisdom, such as: “To shut off any one of the senses is to reduce the dimensions of our reality, and to the extent that that occurs we lose touch with It; we become imprisoned in a world of impersonal words, sans touch, sans taste, sans flavor. The one-dimensionality of the word becomes a substitute for the richness of the multi-dimensionality of the senses, and our world grows crass, flat, and arid in consequence.”¶

Sadly, he’s right. People end up ignoring most of what they feel, and as they get less and less in touch with themselves, they become more and more hectic, filling their days with frantic activity rather than just enjoying the sensation-filled miracle of being alive. Instead of hectic, I think people should become more haptic. A haptic person is especially in tune with her sense of touch, or, as Ashley Montagu would say, has a “mentally extended sense of touch which comes about through the total experience of living and acting In space.”¶

Haptic comes from the Greek word, haptesthai, to touch. To start yourself in a haptic direction, you need to know a few details about the skin:¶

• I ,fro You have more than 3 million cells in a patch of skin about the size of a bottle cap.
• roo Your skin contains 2 to 5 million sweat glands and about 2 million pores.

36 Part I: Discovering Massage for Greater Health and Happiness¶

• ✓ Your skin is your largest organ system:
  • 2,500 square centimeters in newborns and approximately 19,000 square centimeters (19 square feet) in an adult male.
  • An adult male’s skin weighs approximately 8 pounds.
  • ✓ Your skin gets strength and form from collagen, which comprises 70 percent of your skin’s dry weight.
  • ✓ You have approximately 640,000 sensory receptors embedded In your skin.
  • ✓ Your skin ranges in thickness from No of a millimeter on the eyelids to 3 or 4 millimeters on the soles and palms.
  • ✓ Your skin becomes softer in summer and more dense in winter.

Because you have so many sensory receptors In your skin (pain cells are the most plentiful, followed by a variety of pressure sensors, cold sensors, and warmth sensors), it’s no wonder you can be so “touchy” if you’re “rubbed the wrong way.” And no wonder that a caring, calming massage can be so soothing.¶

All you really have to do to get back “In touch” with your true, haptic self is to tune in to your senses, your skin, and your environment, like you did when you were six years old and mud puddles were sources of unending pleasure. To help you get back to that sacred sensory space, you can try the sensitivity exercises that follow.¶

Sensitivity exercise #1: The Zen cantaloupe ceremony¶

Consider, for a moment, the word “cantaloupe.” Nice, round word that evokes the picture of the fruit itself in your mind. Perhaps the word even summons up a sweet cantaloupe memory or two. But too often the word itself is a substitute for the fullness of the thing, a crutch people use to classify this or that specific bit of reality, filing it away for easy reference.¶

If you want to move yourself beyond your mind’s habitual categorizing mechanisms, try the Zen cantaloupe ceremony:¶

• 1. Buy or borrow a fresh, ripe, high-quality cantaloupe.
• 2. Find a quiet, private place (where no one can see you and make fun of you) and sit with your cantaloupe placed on a plate within reach.

Have a knife handy. Then close your eyes.¶

• 3. Spend five minutes or so just calmly breathing and slowing your mind.

4. Slowly, with your eyes still dosed, reach your fingertips out until you make contact with the cantaloupe.¶

Do not attempt to pick it up. Just feel the surface in extremely minute detail, as though you’re trying to decipher a message encoded in the fruit’s convoluted furrows. Pay attention to your fingertips.¶

• 5. Begin to lift the melon up, using your fingertips alone. Spend a minute feeling the weight, shifting it from hand to hand. Then slowly bring the fruit up to your face, rubbing the rough texture against your cheek.
• 6. After this thorough tactile encounter with the melon, place it on the plate again, and then slowly and ritualistically lift the knife and begin your incision, slicing out just one sliver, cleaning off the seeds. Open your eyes while slicing but then close them again.
• 7. Lift the slice to your nose and take three long inhalations.
• 8. Open your mouth and place the cool orange flesh inside your lips, but don’t bite down at first.

Let the juices gather on your tongue and savor the sensation.¶

• 9. Let your teeth literally sink down into the fruit, and then let the piece melt in your mouth for a minute before chewing.
• 10. Repeat the biting and chewing until you eat the whole sliver.

Breathe deeply for a few minutes again. Then, finally, open your eyes.¶

If you pay attention to the feelings that you have at each step of the ceremony, you’ll discover that cantaloupes have much more depth than just the word “cantaloupe.”¶

Just as the original Zen tea ceremony was used by Samurai warriors in Japan to calm their minds and bring them into the present moment, the cantaloupe ceremony can help focus you on the tactile reality underlying your ongoing reinterpretation of the world through thoughts and words. You can repeat the experience with other fruits, vegetables, and just about any safe, non-toxic foodstuff.¶

This exercise is a great way to help yourself get into the right frame of mind for giving a good massage. You don’t have to think so much. Don’t speak. Just touch. Feel. Be with the world you come into contact with, including other people. Performing the Zen Cantaloupe Ceremony is a great way to sensitize your fingers and your mind immediately prior to giving a massage.¶

Sensitivity exercise #2: The tenure of the World¶

Your fingertips have the largest concentration of sensory receptors of any part of your body. This feature is quite convenient for giving massages, which requires a real sensitivity to the person you’re touching.¶

With their unique sensitivity, your fingers can actually “see” objects, a fact you confirm every time you fish through a purse or pocket, searching for keys. You can develop and fine-tune this capability through a simple attunement exercise called the “texture of the world? The exercise helps you gain a certain sensibility that is crucial for getting and giving good massages.¶

You need a partner for this experience — someone you trust.¶

• 1. Have your partner gather four or five objects and arrange them on a table, without showing you what they are. See why you have to trust your partner? You don’t want someone who may choose bird droppings, tar, rotten dairy products, and so on.
• 2. Have your partner blindfold you and sit you in front of the table, within arms’ reach of the objects. If you haven’t been blindfolded since playing Pin the Tail on the Donkey as a child, be prepared for a startling and powerful experience.
• 3. Reach out and touch one object at a time, picking it up and using your fingertips to try to determine what it is. If your partner has been creative in choosing the objects, you should have an interesting experience. Use just your fingertips for this exercise and resist the temptation to get your nose or other senses involved in the process.
• 4. Override your mind’s tendency to identify the object and then create a visual picture of it, categorize it, and dismiss it. Your mind goes into its automatic pattern the moment you realize what the object is. Instead of giving in to that tendency, continue to explore the object, discovering properties you overlooked before. If you can’t guess what the object “really” is, that’s okay. In fact, that’s good. Just continue to feel it. When your mind can’t categorize something, you’re forced to perceive It in a new way.
• 5. Based on your present tactile encounter alone, rename the objects. A golf ball, for example, may become a dimple-nut. Have your partner write the new names down on pieces of paper and place them next to the objects.

Little skin, lotta feeling¶

Do you know why little tots seem so extraordinarily sensitive when it comes to touch? Children up to three years old have a total of 80 specialized sensory receptors called Meissner’s corpuscles per square millimeter of skin, as¶

opposed to 20 M a young adult, and 4 in old age (Montagu, p. 7). That’s why babies are so overwhelmed by tickles and touches. They feel more than we do.¶

6. Remove the blindfold and check out your work.¶

Just being blindfolded greatly alters your perception of the objects. Unable to take them for granted, labeling one a “golf ball” and another a “yellow stickon note,” you will quite likely discover something about your ability to feel, and in the process Increase your touch-ability (see Chapter 5 for more on touch-ability).¶

Layering It On¶

Your skin, like every other part of your body, is a living, growing, changing thing. In fact, you have an entirely new outer layer of skin every 27 days, which means you’re an awful lot like snakes, lizards, and other animals who leave their skins behind periodically. You Just shed your skin one skin cell at a time, so it’s not so obvious.¶

The epidermis, the outer portion of your skin that keeps replenishing itself and flaking off, is made up of several layers. The bottommost layer keeps reproducing new skin cells, which are then pushed toward the upper layers, collectively known as the horny zone. It is called the horny zone because the cells there are hardened, like horns.¶

So, what you’re really seeing when you look at somebody’s skin is a whole bunch of dead, hardened cells that are about to fall off. In fact, exfoliation, a particular type of spa treatment that I explain further in Chapter 15, assists the skin in this process.¶

Keep in mind that certain skin conditions make performing a massage Inadvisable (see Chapter 10). For now, I’m talking about basic, healthy skin in an average person.¶

40 Part I: Discovering Massage for Greater Health and Happiness¶

The hazards of breathing¶

The “dust” particles that you see floating in a shaft of sunlight are mostly dead skin cells from the epidermis that have recently been shed by you and any other people who have inhabited the room. As you breathe, you can’t help but inhale some of these flaky cells, thus sucking cousin Bob, Aunt Julia, the refrigerator repair¶

man, and even your own self into your lungs. This situation presents no biological hazard and is usually not a cause for concern because most people don’t know about it and therefore don’t get grossed out.¶

Whoops.¶

Beneath the epidermis lies the dermis, which is filled with fat cells, blood and lymph vessels, oil glands, sweat glands, nerve endings, and hair follicles. The dermis also helps to bind the outer layers of the skin to the subcutaneous (which means “beneath the skin’) tissues below. In this area, you find some very important cells called fibroblasts, which are responsible for producing connective tissues. You owe a great debt of gratitude to your fibroblasts, especially after you break your skin in some way, because these specialized cells are responsible for rushing to the area and filling it with connective fibers, mending you back together. Massage can also affect these fibroblasts to enhance the appearance of your skin.¶

Getting the Skinny on Your Personal Border Guard¶

Throughout your life, your skin defines the intimate boundaries of your exisence. Skin Is the millimeters-thin line that separates you from the rest of Say and allows you to perceive that reality. Here are the six major tuneions of your own personal border guard, the skin:¶

• ✓ Protection
• ✓ Absorption
• ✓ Secretion and excretion
• ✓ Heat regulation
• ✓ Respiration
• ✓ Sensation

The importance of getting licked¶

Have you ever watched a cat give birth? Directly afterwards, mamma cat begins licking her babies all over, with a special concentration in the genital area. The same is true for dogs. And horses. And cows. And aardvarks and antelopes and giraffes. In fact, every species of mammal with the exception of man lick their young immediately afterbirth.¶

At first, you may assume that this licking is to clean off the gooey stuff plastered all over the newborn’s body. That’s partially true, but far more important than the cleaning is the licking itself, the touch of tongue to flesh or fur.¶

I was in my first massage therapy class, in California, when the instructor stated that massaging a newborn baby% perineum Ithe area between the genitals and anus) with a warm moist cloth was a good idea to simulate the¶

action of licking engaged in by other animals. In other words, he was advising us to.metaphoricalty lick the baby’s butt.¶

At the moment, and for several years afterwards, I thought this California massage instructor was a little too “out there” for his own good. But now, after discovering the importance of this type of stimulation in every other species of mammal, it makes perfect sense. This critical form of early contact jump-starts the newborn’s gastrointestinal tract and is perhaps the most primal type of “massage” that we can offer our young.¶

You can recreate the natural sensations of licking for your newborn by taking a baby-wipe or moist towel and rubbing’ it gently over the skin in this important area a couple times a day for the first few months of life, starting on day one.¶

Protection¶

Whenever anyone tries to pass over the border from Spain to France, say, he or she is stopped by the border guard (usually men in sadly decorative hats, with sour expressions on their faces). The same basic thing happens with your body. Your skin says “Stop and present your papers” to anything big and obvious trying to get inside of it, such as steak knives, harmful bacteria, #2 pencils, and so on. Having the men in the sad little hats there to protect us is a very good thing, as I’m sure you can appreciate when you think about what kind of chaos would ensue were millions of Spaniards to suddenly turn up in your pancreas.¶

Absorption¶

Once in a while, you want to allow some people across the border to spend those tourist dollars and improve the economy, right? Your skin can do the same thing through a process called absorption. Your skin can absorb certain cosmetic products, chemicals, drugs, and water in small amounts. Unfortunately, certain items are not beneficial to your body, such as toxins¶

42 Part I: Discovering Massage for Greater Health and Happiness¶

and pesticides. Your skin is equally capable of allowing these terrorists to cross the border, which means you should stay on guard regarding the products you come into contact with.¶

Excretion and secretion¶

Your skin can also get rid of toxic elements, like exiling unwanted characters from the country. This process is called excretion, and it’s handled by those ruffians, the sweat glands. You have several million of these glands, and they eliminate waste products via perspiration.¶

In addition to excreting, your skin secretes as well, issuing forth an oily substance called sebum that coats the skin and helps preserve moisture. Secretion is a good thing, because the skin Is about 50 — 70 percent moisture, and you don’t want it to dry out.¶

Heat regulation¶

Your skin is constantly monitoring the temperature in the environment and helping to maintain your body’s internal temperature at an even 98.61E (37°C) through adjustments of blood vessels and sweat glands, which dilate or contract in response to heat and cold.¶

If you don’t touch me, I’ll die¶

Touch is literally a matter of life and death. The philosopher Bertrand Russell noted the importance of touch, saying, “Not only our geometry and our physics, but our whole conception of what exists outside us, is based on the sense of touch? For this reason, it’s urgently important that infants and small children receive an abundant supply of human contact.¶

In the early 1900s, Dr. Henry Dwight Chapin reported that when orphaned babies were routinely put in homes and left to wither away with essentially zero human contact, a startling 99 percent of them died within one year of.admission (Juhan p.43). Those who survived suffered signs of retardation and maladjustment.¶

To say that the world would truly be a better place if more people received massage especially as part of their developmental years — is not an exaggeration. Touch is a vital part of human growth, for individuals and for the entire community.¶

Oxygen comes in through the pores of the skin, and carbon dioxide goes out, just like in the lungs, but on a smaller scale. If you’re a James Bond fan and saw the classic movie, Gold Finger, you may remember the famous opening scene, which featured a woman painted completely gold and then left on a hotel room bed in Miami Beach. In the movie, she died because her skin couldn’t “breathe,” and a similar fate could happen to you in real life if all of your pores were suddenly blocked.¶

Sensation¶

If skin were basically Just nature’s way of keeping what’s inside of our bodies in and what’s outside out, life wouldn’t be nearly as much fun as it is, and, as it turns out, those guards at the border have a sensitive side beneath their hats after all.¶

Providing you with a rich, complex variety of sensations is by far the most personally gratifying of the skin’s functions, which is something you’ll develop an even greater appreciation for as you practice the techniques in the other chapters of this book.¶

Touching the Skin through Massage¶

Recently, even the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has become convinced that massage offers undeniable results. My co-author, Michel Van Welden, has worked with the FDA extensively and has substantiated some claims for the effectiveness of massage. Following are some of his findings:¶

toe Scientific evidence points to the fact that massage can positively impact skin tone.¶

sof Pigs love massage.¶

’s true. In a series of experiments at Vanderbilt University and UCLA, Michel worked with a team of ace physicians administering a series of massage experiments on some very special subjects: Flopsy, Zeus, and Peewee, three Yorkshire pigs.¶

The three pigs were chosen for their high moral character and love of luxurious spa treatments. No, actually they were chosen because pigs (even though you may not like to admit it) have remarkably similar skin to humans. Twice a week for 13 weeks the three brave little oinkers received deeply stimulating¶

44 Part I: Discovering Massage for Greater Health and Happiness¶

massages with a device that strongly affects circulation. The FDA eventually approved this device as an effective way to tone the skin and improve the appearance of cellulite. Here are some of the findings of these experiments, as reported in Newsweek magazine, November 1998:¶

• ✓ This type of Massage, called Endermologie’, stimulates fibroblasts, which produce collagen.
• ✓ An increase in collagen fibers can improve the elasticity and youthful appearance of the skin.

Michel should know. He’s been a physical therapist in France for almost 30 years, and in that country the physical therapists do an awful lot of massage. In fact, each of the 35,000 practicing physical therapists in that country gives an average of 4,374 massages a year, most of them paid for by national insurance. Perhaps that’s why the French have a saying, bien dans son peau, for someone who is happy and content; the phrase means “good in his skin.”¶

Chapter 4¶

I’ve Got You Under My Skin: The Basics of What’s Inside¶

0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 6 OOOOOOO 0 OOOOOOOOOOOOO 0 0 0 OOOOOOO¶

In This Chapter¶

• Discovering your three-dimensional body

• Getting a feel for muscles and bones
• j> Exploring the organ systems

Most people would prefer to leave the interior of the human body a mystery, like the ingredients in a Hostess Twinkie. You’re better off just enjoying the thing, they figure, and not asking too many questions. This attitude works fine for most applications in life, such as walking around, going to the movies, eating pizza, and so forth, but once you decide to massage somebody, you’ll benefit by knowing a little about human anatomy.¶

Here’s why:¶

• ✓ You become aware of certain areas that are delicate or sensitive and should therefore be avoided (see Chapter 10 for more information on this issue). .
• ✓ You develop an idea of what’s going on internally when someone complains about specific aches and pains.
• ✓ You discover how certain strokes on the surface are acting on deeper structures, such as the circulatory system, the lymph system, and more.
• ✓ You come to understand how your touch is affecting the body as a whole.

The purpose of this chapter is to give you a very basic understanding of how your touch is felt, not Just on the surface of the body, but into its depths as well.¶

Michelangelo’s inner vision¶

Have you ever been to Florence and visited the Galleria della Accademia where Michelangelo’s famous statue of David stands? Well, let me tell you, it’s worth it. You enter and walk down a long corridor filled with half-finished sculptures before you come to the high glass-domed chamber where. David awaits. The power oldie piece is not just ‘nits mass and detail, but alsain its fullness. David seems to be filled to-diet:1m with life, as,if he’s about to burst out of his skin at any moment¶

How did Michelangelo know exactly howeach of the muscles and bones were arranged inside the human body in order to recreate such reality? Did he study anatomy at the medical school of Florence? Did he look it up in books?¶

The fact is that studying anatomy the timehonored way (using cadavers) was illegal during Michelangelo’s lifetime, outlawed bythe Catholic Church as sacrilegious. Undaunted, the artist found a sympathetic priest who gave him a key to one of the city’s morgues where Michelangelo would break in at nightto perform illicit autopsies. Even though he had to risk his own life to do it, exploring the interior of the human body proved:invaluable to the creation of his art.¶

To give a massagethat feels like a work of art, you’ll want know what’s inside the human body, too. And these days, nobody’s going to arrest you for wanting to find out¶

Wow, That’s Deep¶

Perhaps the most fundamental misconception people have as they first set out to massage somebody Is that the human body Is a two-dimensional object rather than a three-dimensional object. How Is that possible, you say? Everyone knows we’re not flat. Right?¶

Well, that’s true, but everyone knows that a lake is three-dimensional, too, having depth as well as width and breadth, right? What do you picture In your mind when you think of a lake, though? If you’re like most people, you think of the surface of the lake, the visible area of water surrounded on all sides by the shore.¶

And in a similar way, even though you know there’s depth inside you, too, containing all the unfathomable mysteries of tissue and bone, you may still habitually concern yourself with the surface, because that is what you see.¶

The problem with this two-dimensional way of thinking is obvious if you consider what would happen were you to attempt to walk out to the middle of the lake. Quite quickly, you’d understand about the lake’s three-dimensionality. The same applies when you wade out onto the seemingly two-dimensional surface of a person’s body as you give her a massage. The mysterious liquid depths beneath the skin suddenly surge up around your fingers, and If you don’t know how to swim, you’ll drown. Or at the very least, you’ll look silly doing the dog paddle as you head desperately back to shore.¶

You can give a nice, pleasant rubdown without knowing a thing about what you’re doing: The mere tactile stimulation of skin-to-skin has positive therapeutic effects; but to give a good massage, one that makes people say “wow, that was incredible,” you have to learn how to swim.¶

Proof That you’re Three Dimensional¶

Here’s a way to prove scientifically that you are indeed a three-dimensional being and that all kinds of secrets exist below the surface of your skin. You only need two things to do this experiment: your hand and a flat surface such as a table or desk.¶

First, turn your hand palm-downward and hold it over the table a few inches high. Then reach down with just your fingertips to touch the surface. And finally bend your middle finger and fold it under your hand until the first two knuckles are flat on the table. Good.¶

What I’d like you to do now is lift your other fingers up and away from the table top one at a time while leaving your middle finger firmly planted. Go ahead and do this right along with me as you’re reading If you’d like. First try the thumb; it lifts downright easily, doesn’t it? Way up high. Next try the index finger; not quite as impressive as the thumb but still definitely off the table. Try the pinkie finger; you see how it lifts up about the same or higher than the index finger? And lastly, try the ring finger. Go ahead. I’ll wait. What’s wrong? Come onl Lift it up already. Can’t do it?¶

Why can’t you lift your ring finger? You may have tried this experiment before, but did you ever figure out what’s going on? Somebody showed it to me when I was in high school, but it wasn’t until I was studying anatomy as part of massage training that I understood what’s happening.¶

The secret is this: Buried within the depths of your forearm are three tiny little muscles, one that lifts your index finger, one that lifts your pinkie finger, and one that lifts your thumb. But you have just one muscle that lifts both the ring finger and middle finger, and so when one of them is held down, the other one can’t lift up. Go ahead, try it with the ring finger on the table instead of the middle finger. Same result, right?¶

This example is Just to show the effects of your three-dimensional depths on your two-dimensional surface. It’s important to remember this when you’re getting ready to massage someone, and I’ll remind you to “think 3-D” when you read the chapters in Part M.¶

45 Part I: Discovering Massage for Greater Health and Happiness¶

Figure 4-1: Tiny muscles deep determine the possible movements¶

Learning► to Feet¶

For a moment, imagine you have a bas-relief map of the world before you In which all the landmarks are raised from the surface. Now imagine an opaque layer of rubber a quarter-Inch thick covering the whole thing. Reaching down and touching this smooth surface, can you tell where your fingers are Just by feeling? Where’s California? Where’s the tip of South America? Where’s the protruding peninsula of Iberia? Can you determine what it is you’re feeling, even without seeing it?¶

Now, making a leap in your imagination, think of the human body as that covered-up map that you are trying to identify by feeling its contours. This type of feeling-with-a-purpose is called palpation. Many professional massage people use palpation to determine what type of massage they are going to give to an individual, based on the way the person’s body feels compared to the norm. You can get very sensitive fingers by practicing this, and in the next section, I lead you through an exercise to help you start that sensitization process.¶

Getting a feeling for palpation¶

Try this exercise to begin sensitizing your fingers to the various textures, shapes, and landmarks you will find beneath the skin.¶

• I. Sitting in a chair, with your back straight, turn your head to the right, as if you were trying to look back over your right shoulder.
• 2. Now, reach up with your right hand and, using just the fingertips, feel gently along the front of the neck until you locate the long band of vertical muscle stretching from your collar bone up to the side of your head, called the sternocleidomastoid muscle, which is illustrated in Figure 4-2.
• 3. “Walk” your fingertips up and down this muscle, feeling for where it connects near the center of your collar bone (the origin) and up along the base of your skull (the insertion).

Do certain parts feel tighter than others? Is part of the muscle thinner than others?¶

• 4. Grasp the muscle between your fingertips, as if it were a guitar string and you were going to pluck it. Be careful not to dig your fingers into the sensitive front part of your neck.
• 5. Still grasping the muscle, slowly bring your head back to center, feeling the softening in the muscle between your fingers as you do so. Repeat the process several times, back and forth.
• 6. Walk your fingers down to the base of this muscle and then onto the collar bone, following it along out toward the shoulder. How does the bone feel different than the muscle? In what ways is it the same?
• 7. Now walk your fingers away from the collar bone up over toward your back until you reach the top of your shoulder. Use a little firmer pressure to feel along the length of this muscle. Where does it feel harder? Where does it feel softer? Are there any “knots” or “bands” of harder tissue within the more pliable surrounding area?

Notice whether there are any points that feel more tender when you touch them, and whether these tender points correspond to the “knots”. 49¶

50 Part I: Discovering Massage for Greater Health and Happiness¶

Take several minutes to do this. Get a feeling for feeling. Let your fingers become familiar with all the permutations of texture, density, and tone that you can find Just below the surface of the skin.¶

Bony landmarks¶

If you attend massage school yourself one day, you’ll learn all kinds of intimidating anatomical terms with which to impress your friends and loved ones, such as “Boy, Cheryl, that’s one exquisite medial malleolus you have there.”¶

Cheryl probably won’t know that you’re talking about her inner ankle bone. And there’s a very good chance she won’t care either. Therefore, I’m not going to bore you or her by loading you down with all kinds of Latinate words and phrases. Instead, I’m going to do something fun, in plain English, that’s going to help give you an idea where things are located anatomically.¶

Chapter 4: I’ve Got You Under My Skin: The Basics of What’s Inside 51¶

Your medial malleolus, or inner ankle bone, Is one of at least forty seven “bony landmarks” throughout your body. Now, before you go making any crude comments about bony landmarks, let me assure you that this is indeed what they are called by professionals everywhere. They have compelling names, such as xiphoid process, occipital protuberance, and greater tuberosity of the humerus. I’m going to use laymen’s terms, though, and expose you to a few of these landmarks as part of a game. That’s right, It’s time to play …¶

The bony landmark game¶

It can really be a lot of fun getting to know what’s where beneath your skin, and, in fact, for many centuries (before the invention of TV) people the world over would sit around the campfire playing the bony landmark game. This was a great way to pass the time between wolverine attacks, and It’s an effective method to teach anatomy to the young at the same time.¶

The game is simple: I describe a particular landmark (see FIgure 4-3) for you In terms that yoti can understand and give you directions on how to locate it through palpation. Then, all you have to do is supply me with the common, everyday term we use to describe this landmark. It’s important that you actually do the palpation, not just read the words, because that is what will familiarize you with the terrain you massage In future chapters.¶

Ready?¶

• 1. You can find this landmark by holding one hand out in front of you, with your palm facing you. Feeling with the fingertips of your other hand, notice that you have two bones in the forearm, one on the pinkie finger side (the ulna), and one on the thumb side (the radius). Follow the bone on the pinkie finger side all the way from your wrist to its extreme other end. You’ll find a bump there, called the olecranon process, otherwise known as the
• 2. Cross one of your feet up and rest it on the other knee so you can examine it. Then feel with both hands along the shin bone (tibia) in the front of your lower leg. Follow it down all the way to your foot and see what happens to it. Feel how it curves back toward you and ends up in a bump at the top of your foot? This is the medial malleolus or
• 3. Trace your fingers down onto your foot and then back In the opposite direction from your toes onto thecalcaneus, or bone.
• 4. Now sit up straight. Reach down along one side of your body until your hand almost slips underneath you. Right at that point you should feel a bone called the greater trochanter of the femur, which is otherwise known as the bony knob at the top of the longest bone in the body, the bone.

52 Part I: Discovering Massage for Greater Health and Happiness¶

Figure 4-3: “Bony landmarks” are specific areas on the skeleton that you can feel from above the skin.¶

• 5. Walk your fingers back up along the side of your body about 6 8 inches until you hit the next bony landmark. It should be a sharp ridge that sticks out and that you can follow along toward the front of your body for a few inches. This is the iliac crest, also known as the bone.
• 6. Reaching your hands up to your face, locate your chin and then feel back along the lower ridge toward your ear. It curves up here, forming the ramus of the mandible, otherwise known as the point at the angle of the bone.
• 7. You’ll need a partner for this one. Have her lie face-down on a comfortable surface with her back exposed, and then gently lift her arm, bend it at the elbow, and place her hand on her lower back. Let her upper arm rest down along her side. You’ll notice that by doing this you cause a big bump to appear on her upper back. Feel along the edges of this triangularshaped bone, otherwise known as the Answers: 1. elbow, 2. Inner ankle bone, 3. heel, 4. thigh, 5. hip, 6. jaw, 7. shoulder blade.

These are just a few of the many landmarks you can palpate, and this game is meant to get you comfortable with the fact that you can actually feel and affect the structures of anatomy without being a scientist or doctor. When you practice hands-on massage, remember this and use your knowledge to guide you through your partner’s body.¶

Sett tissues¶

Now that you know how to familiarize yourself with bony landmarks, you’re probably wondering about all the other parts of your body that are not bony landmarks. After all, you’re not going to be massaging bones. It’s the soft tissue that you’ll have In your hands most of the time, and by soft tissue I don’t mean Kleenex brand facial tissues. I mean muscles, mostly, and a little bit of connective tissue as well.¶

VINI0+ Muscles comprise 40 to 60 percent of your total body weight, depending upon your gender and physical condition, and you have over 600 of them, large and small. Each one is compartmentalized in a sheath of fascia, which sets it apart and helps it function as a distinct unit, although the truth is that you never use just one muscle to perform any given action. As Mark Beck says in Theory and Practice of Therapeutic Massage, “Muscles have anatomic individuality, but they do not have functional individuality.” They are always working in groups to create movement. That’s their whole purpose for being.¶

The larger obvious muscles you can see simply through observing a body In motion are called skeletal muscles. There are also two other types of muscle tissue: cardiac and smooth. Cardiac, as the name implies, Is the special muscle tissue that makes up the heart. Smootlrmuscle lines the stomach, intestines, and blood vessels.¶

The slightest movement of the most mundane part of your anatomy (your left knee, for example) requires the precisely timed and perfectly executed synchronization of many muscles, and there’s absolutely no way that you could consciously coordinate all that without going nuts. Imagine Michael Jordan driving in for a lay-up and having to fire off messages to every single one of his separate muscles to do so. It would look something like this:¶

54 Part I: Discovering Massage for Greater Health and Happiness¶

“Okay, contract the quadriceps, especially the rectus femoris, and simultaneously pull in the psoas, push off the soleus, shorten the gastrocnemius, and extend the web of flexors and the tibialis anterior. Now compensate for the lifted foot by tightening the opposite gluteus maximus and bracing all the muscles in the lower back, too numerable to mention here. Whoops, that threw me off, and … whoa!”¶

And down he’d go, before even moving one step. In fact, It’s much more complex than that for even the simplest of maneuvers, and we’d all be helpless to try and stand up, sit down, or walk to the refrigerator if we had to think about it.¶

So how do we do it? Basically, we learn to move one little piece at a time as we develop during infancy and childhood, laying each chunk of the pattern down in a movement-memory groove, and then building upon it with the next movement. That’s why you see babies experimenting with things like kicking their legs out, bobbing their heads around, and bringing small electrical appliances toward their mouths for examination. Every time they do some thing successfully and then master it through repetition, they file it away, and that’s one less thing they have to consciously think about next time. Of course, this is the same procedure that athletes use later in life through their practice as they gradually layer all the perfect little movements they need one upon the next until they no longer have to think about it but rather, “Just do it.”¶

By all of this explanation, I mean to say that muscles don’t just flex and contract — they learn. What you’re holding in your hands when you massage someone is conscious matter. In fact, It’s your muscles that tell you where you are in space and time, through special nerve endings embedded in your muscles known as proprioceptors. I don’t want to freak you out with bizarre sounding anatomical terms, but there are two of these proprioceptors that are particularly interesting and important, and I want to share them with you.¶

• ✓ Golgi tendon organs are nerve endings found, strangely enough, in your tendons. They measure how far any particular tendon has stretched, how much pressure it’s putting on the nearby bone, and if the tendon’s in danger of snapping. It’s through these little organs that you are saved from ripping yourself to shreds and pulling all your muscles and tendons right off the bone.
• ✓ Muscle spindle cells are found in the center of muscles, what’s known as the “belly,” where they perform the important task of constantly communicating the state of the muscle’s contraction and movement back to the central nervous system. They are basically scouts on the outpost of your active physical self. Without them, you wouldn’t be able to tell where you were going, how fast, or if you were going at all.

Cartilage, ligaments, and tendons¶

Many people find themselves confusedly referring to various connective tissue structures between the muscles and bones as “tendons” or ‘ligaments” or “cartilage” without really knowing what the heck they’re talking about. Now, I knowyou’re not one of those people, but just in case you have a friend who’s guilty of such anatomical faux pas, here’s the skinny to set you straight¶

• V Cartilage gives shape to external features like the nose and ears, and it is also found between bones as a cushion at the joints. (Vertebral discs are made from cartilage, for example.)
• ✓ Ligaments connect bone to bones.
• tor Tendons connect muscle to bone.

Muscle tissue itself is largely insensate, meaning if someone were to cut, jab, or even burn you directly on an exposed muscle, you quite likely wouldn’t feel much at all. Your muscles don’t so much feel massage as they experience massage as it retrains them how to be more relaxed in stillness, and fluid in movement.¶

Muscles learn, and massage teaches.¶

Name that muscle¶

What often intimidates people when they’re first learning massage is the anonymity and invisibility of muscles. Skin is plainly visible: You can clearly watch your own hands make contact with somebody else’s body, skin to skin. But muscles? How can you really tell what muscle you’re touching when that muscle is covered by the skin? And besides, the muscles are all jumbled together and not that clearly defined, except in professional body builders, whose muscles are so hard and tight that they’re almost impossible to massage anyway. So how are you expected to really know what the heck you’re touching when you’re touching a body?¶

Glad you asked. This brings us directly to our next little exercise: Name That Muscle. This game is a bit tougher because you need to know the names of the muscles, which you might have forgotten if you weren’t paying close attention in high school anatomy class. So, to be fair, I’m going to give you the answers first. Can’t complain about that, right? All you have to do is match the right muscle in Figure 4-4 to its description and action. If you’re not sure about one, see whether you can use common sense and deductive reasoning to figure out which the best choice might be. It will help if you actually perform the action described in the questions so that you FEEL the muscles you’re looking for. After all, feeling is what this book is all about.¶

56 Part I: Discovering Massage for Greater Health and Happiness¶

First, here are the answers:¶

• ✓ Pectorals
• ✓ Deltoid
• ✓ Spinal’s
• ✓ Rectus abdongnis
• ✓ Gastrocnemius
• ✓ Hamstrings
• ✓ Triceps
• ✓ Gluteus maxims
• ✓ Trapezius
• ✓ Biceps

EFTA00008102¶

• 1. Standing with your back against a wall, push against the wall with one heel and reach around to the back of your thigh to feel a tightening in your
• 2. Place the back of your hand flat on the edge of a desk or table in front of you and then push that hand firmly down onto the desk. With the other hand, feel the underside of your upper arm and discover a tightening in your
• 3. Standing up tall, lift your right leg out behind you as far as it will go comfortably, keeping it straight. Place your hand on your right buttock to feel a tightening in the
• 4. Reach across with your left hand and place it on top of your right shoulder, right next to your neck. Now shrug your right shoulder as far up toward your ear as possible to feel a contraction of your
• 5. Standing up, push onto your tip toes to feel a contraction of the in the rear of your lower legs.
• 6. Sitting in front of a desk or table, place one hand palm-up beneath the table and lift up, creating a contraction in the muscle of your upper arm.
• 7. When you lie down to perform a sit-up, the muscles in the front of your body that you’re trying to tone through contraction are the
• 8. Stand in front of a wall and push forward against it with your right hand while touching the right upper portion of your chest with the left hand. The muscles you feel bulging beneath your fingers are the
• 9. Sitting up straight, reach across with your right hand and place it on the left shoulder, out by the arm. Now lift the left arm straight out to the side until it’s at a ninety degree angle from your body, engaging the muscle beneath your hand.
• 10. You’ll need a partner for this one. Have him lie on his stomach, with no shirt on, and then ask him to lift his head and shoulders off the floor with no help from his arms. The two long cords of muscle down along either side of his spine are part of the group.

Answers: I. hamstrings, 2. triceps, 3. gluteus maximus, 4. trapezius, 5. gastrocnemius, 6. biceps, 7. rectus abdominis, 8. pectorals, 9. deltoid, 10. spinalis.¶

These three extra credit muscles are more obscure and I don’t blame you if you don’t know them offhand, but it may be fun to see whether you can decipher which is which.¶

• ✓ Rhomboid
• ✓ Latissimus dorsi
• 0 ✓ Psoas

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• 1. If you stand up and lift one leg in front of you with the knee bent, you engage a deep muscle that connects your leg bone to your backbone called the
• 2. You’ll need to observe a partner for this one. Have her sit facing away from you with her back exposed and then gently reach one of her hands up as far as possible along her spine. Her shoulder blade will lift and you’ll be able to feel between it and the spine for the muscle.
• 3. Lift your right hand over your head and reach across with the left hand to grasp your right side below the armpit. The large muscle you feel there is the

Extra credit answers: 1. psoas, 2. rhomboid, 3.1atissimus dorsi.¶

This is not a test. Repeat, this is not a test. It’s just a way for you to become familiar with locating muscles. I refer you to several of these landmarks, bony and otherwise, when you move through the how-to massage chapters in Part III.¶

Other Body Systems¶

Don’t get the idea that it’s just the skin, muscles, and bones that count when it comes time to massage somebody. You also deal with a few other anatomical systems that are strongly affected by your touch as well. These include the…¶

• ✓ Circulatory system
• ✓ Nervous system
• ✓ Endocrine system
• ✓ Digestive system
• ✓ Respiratory system

The next few sections take a brief look at these systems and discuss how they’re important when you give or receive a massage.¶

Cireutettery system¶

The heart is constantly pumping your blood (about 11 pints of it in a 160 pound adult) out through your arteries and into each and every tiny little cell of your body, carrying the nutrients and oxygen that make it possible for you to stay alive. Then the blood travels back to your heart through the veins. On this return trip, the blood has to pass through a series of one-way valves that keep it from accidentally heading back in the wrong direction.¶

Massage strokes have a direct effect on the flow of blood in the veins, so keep In mind that when you massage someone, your strokes should always be in the direction of venous flow. You wouldn’t want to accidentally push the blood back through these valves and therefore weaken them. When a number of the valves weaken and stop working efficiently, blood can pool up visibly and form varicose veins.¶

As much as half of all your blood is in your skin at any given moment, which accounts for that rosy glow certain people have, and also for the less healthy appearance of varicose veins and other problems. Massage works powerfully on your circulatory system, and for this reason you should always be aware of how your hands are affecting it.¶

Massage also affects that other circulating fluid referred to in Chapter 1, the lymph. In fact, there is an entire system of massage called manual lymphatic drainage meant to assist the movement of the lymph because, as you may know from Chapter 1, lymph has no heart of its own to pump it along.¶

Nervous system¶

As a busy person in the twenty-first century, you don’t have any time to fiddle around reminding your heart to beat, your lungs to breathe, and so on. Lucidly, your autonomic nervous system takes care of all that for you. This system is further broken down into the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems. The sympathetic nerves prepare your body for action, and the parasympathetic nerves calm you down. Massage is a great way to stimulate the parasympathetic nervous system, thereby lowering the pulse, slowing breathing, and in general, chilling you out.¶

The largest and longest nerve in the body is the sciatic, which many people are painfully familiar with. It runs from the base of your spine down the back of your leg, and when any of its length becomes pinched or trapped between muscles, bones, and connective tissues, it can cause the condition known as sciatica. That’s the way all nerves work; you don’t want to get in their way or piss them off. Massage can help soften the muscles and other soft tissue that surround nerves and sometimes entrap them.¶

As I mention earlier in this chapter, you also have specialized nerves called proprioceptors that tell you where your body is in space, giving you your sense of depth, position, and movement. Without them, you’d be internally blind, and by making you more aware of them, massage can help you “see” yourself in a new way from the inside out. Chapter 7 has some exercises to get you in touch with your proprioceptors. Look for “The limp arm experiment.”¶

The mind-body connection¶

Did you ever wonder what the heck people were talking about when they used the term mind-body connection? Is it part of the nervous system youveren’t told about in school? Did you think maybe there was a tube or special cable of. Some kind near the base of your neck that linked your mind and your body, and that you were the onlyone who hadn’t been shown where it was? Well, don’t worry; you’re not alone. In a far-reaching survey conducted by my wife one day at her restaurant, it was ascertained that only 2.4 percent of normal people understand what the term mind-body connection really means, and those people are new-age geeks.¶

Typical incorrect responses about what the mind-body connectionis included the following:¶

• ✓ That sinking feeling you get when your mind realizes your body did something it shouldn’t have ✓ Nerves

✓ The neck¶

Actually, the mind-body connection is simply awareness. It’s an awareness that permeates way.down into every cell of your body, as compared tote awareness of your brainalone. It’s the entire.you consciously affecting every other partofyou.¶

This whole mind/body split problem developed gradually over many centuries and was not really caused by any one individual, but many scholars have pointed to the French philosopher and mathematician Rene Descartes as having had the greatest influence. He’s the one who coined that famous Latin phrase, “Cogito, ergo sum? which means “I think, therefore I am.” That was in 1637. Well, pretty much ever since then people have been assuming that it was only specific:types of electrical activityinside their skulls that proved they indeed existed. VVhat’s.glossed over in the history books is that Descartes neverreceived a great massage from an expert holistically oriented practitioner. If he had, he certainly would have modified his statement a bit, to something like, “Cogito et sentio, ergo sum? I think and I feel, therefore I am.”¶

Endocrine system¶

Heard of hormones? The glands that make up the endocrine system are what secrete hormones into your body. It’s been shown that massage stimulates the release of human growth hormone (HGH), among others, thereby affecting the healthy maturation of your entire body.¶

Digestive system¶

Your digestive system is a tube approximately five times as long as you are tall (see Figure 4-5). This tube, along with several digestive organs, has the magical ability to transform whatever enters it into a very special substance known as “you.” Massage can beneficially stimulate this process if you’re familiar with the various twists and turns this tube follows through your body, especially over the large intestine.¶

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Cleaning the pipes¶

If you visit a health food store and search through the:herbei.potionsthatiine theshelves, youll,firid some stienge-looking mixturesthat granite “internatt lea Ming:” The ingredients in these products have two major actions: ebsOrpton and expulsion; and they act priinarily in your large intestine, alsecalledthe:colon. Fiftt, cer, tainingredients (often psyllium husktlrabtorb. mut h. of theinatter that.teridsto.get lodged in the many.folds Ogle colonrand.thene mixture¶

of herbs comes along to “sweep” it all out. It’s similar tothe technique favored’by many garage mechanicsof throwing sawdust on dirty grease before pushing it away withe broom.¶

This type of cleansing is highly advisable, and some extra massage at the same time may-aid the elimination process by Stimulating lymph flow.¶

One landmark along the digestive pathway that many people are able to palpate Is the cecum, which is a little pouch at the beginning of the large intestine, or colon. You can locate it by first touching bony landmark number 5, your right hip bone, and then walking your fingers in toward your belly button a couple of inches. Sometimes this spot makes a liquid-squishing noise, especially after meals. In Part III, I discuss how to use this landmark as a starting point for some abdominal massage techniques.¶

Respiratory system¶

Breathing is an extremely important activity for human beings, as can be attested to by the millions of people around the world who have stopped breathing and suffered serious side-effects, even death. Massage is an excellent opportunity to engage in some full deep breathing, as described In Chapter 7. This reconnects you with the source of life. It also fills your blood with fresh oxygen because the first place your blood goes when it leaves your heart is the lungs.¶

Surprising facts about your stomach¶

Mott of us think of the stomadh as a. large roundith ball in the center of our abdothens, but actually ifs a smallish.oval sack up anko the left, tucked mostly under the ribs on the side of your body by your heart Like the entireintesti-¶

it’t lined with smooth muscle. What .peopletre really referring to.when they.poiht at the center oftheir abdomen andsay “Look how flatmy stoniadh it” is actually the intestines.¶

Part II The Art of Receiving Massage¶

’ This is what I get £or marrying a massage therapist. Every Thanksgiving he’s got to knead the tvrheiA, spine before YKYJ1 calve it.”¶

In this pan . 4 4¶

o kay, I can hear you scoffing now: the art of receiving massage? That’s like the art of getting rained on. You really don’t have to try very hard; just step outside and get wet. Anyone can do it.¶

Receiving massage? Nothin’ to It. No problem. Child’s play. Right?¶

Wrong.¶

Receiving massage is more like dancing your part in a very intricate pas-de-detuc, such as the tango, which, interestingly, means “I touch” in Latin. Both activities, at their best, are extremely interactive. During the tango, if you just stand there and don’t do anything, you’re going to make your partner look pretty bad. Similarly, when you receive a massage, you’ve got to communicate with your partner, through both verbal and nonverbal means, in order to get the most out of the experience. Your partner touches you, you react to that touch, your muscles respond accordingly, and then your partner adjusts his touch to suit the reaction, and you go back and forth like this throughout the entire exchange, constantly conscious of each other’s presence and movement —two dancers creating one dance.¶

A good massage is a two-way street, equal parts proper giving and informed receiving. That’s the focus of this part of the book, in which you’ll begin as a freshman in Massage 101 and then graduate Just three chapters later with the ability to receive a massage like a real pro. I ‘mow, it’s tough, but somebody’s gotta do it.¶

Along the way, you’ll master the tricky intricacies of massage vocabulary, discover the ten rules for receiving a massage, and get the scoop on all the massage gizmos you see for sale everywhere. I also cover the difference between various massage styles, discuss how to enjoy the pleasures of massage without guilt, and offer techniques for increasing your touch-ability, and lots more.¶

Chapter 5 A Massage Road Map¶

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In This Chapter¶

• D Obtaining healthy pleasure
• D Examining your touch-ability
• D Choosing the right style of massage for you
• D Deciphering touch terminology

When you first begin to discover massage, you’ll undoubtedly encounter some strange new words and some strange new concepts that might confuse you at first. Have no fear! This chapter is your own personal travel guide to help you navigate the sometimes puzzling new terrain in the world of massage. Here you’ll find out how to accept the pleasures of massage into your life and how to choose the type of massage that’s right for you. You’ll even find an English-Massage dictionary at the end of the chapter that will help you speak the language of massage with other people.¶

Healthy Pleasure¶

To paraphrase Forrest Gump, sometimes massage is like a box of chocolates — you never know exactly what you’re gonna get, but you know it’s gonna be good. However, if you eat the whole thing, you’re gonna end up feeling guilty and a little bloated.¶

Many people just can’t seem to understand that massage is anything more than…¶

• 11 1.0 Indulgence
• 1.0’ Luxury
• t.01Pampering

And therefore they pass when it comes to massage. Some people raise their noses up at its pleasures as if they were too good for it. Others shy away from the experience, calling it expensive and extravagant, as if massage were too good for them.¶

The Mary Poppins problem¶

In my opinion, you can trace the debilitating attitude so many people have concerning pleasure back to one particular perton, somebody you’d never suspect Yes, Em talking about Mary Poppins. In the filth, she waltzes around looking all prim and.respectable and happy in her tightfitting outfit, singing, “It takes a spoonful of sugar to help the meditine go down” until eventually people end up believing her. Now, everybody thinks that anything good for him or her should feelhad. No pain, no gain, right? This philosophy pretty much messed up an entire veneration. What if sugar was the medicine? What if pleasure — not the medicine — made the pain goaway?¶

As one scholarput it, “Recent research supports the view that the deprivation of physical pleasure is a major ingredient in the expression of physical violence” (Juhan p.53). People need pleasure to be healthy, and receiving massage is one of the most natural, healthyways to experience pleasure without any negative side effects.¶

The following definition is inscribed on a coffee mug from a massage school in New Jersey: Mas-sage: In.lthe pleasure that relieves the pain. That’s a good way to look at it. If you think of massage as pleasurable medicine, you will be able to accept it into your life more easily.¶

The underlying reason for both of these attitudes is guilt. Many people simply have trouble Justifying paying for something that feels as good as massage. They also have difficulty justifying having another human pay such lavish attention to them for an entire hour.¶

Well, this guilt is truly unfortunate, and completely unnecessary, because massage is actually much better for you than chocolate. In fact, it has all of the pleasures without any of the negative side effects. That’s right, there’s not a single thing wrong with massage.¶

Massage …¶

• ✓ Is calorie free
• ✓ Is fat free
• ✓ Won’t rot your teeth
• ✓ Is impossible to overdose on

Well okay, massage does have one catch. Make no mistake about it, once you taste good massage, you’re going to want more — lots more. Like chocolate, massage can be addictive. But that’s not necessarily a bad thing. You can receive a massage every day for the rest of your life with absolutely no negative side effects.¶

In fact, beloved entertainer, Bob Hope, has received a massage almost every day of his life for over fifty years. He’s dragged a number of massage therapists all over the globe with him while he was off entertaining the troops and making his movies. I had the opportunity to massage him once myself. At the time, he was 87 years old, but because of all the massage he’d received over the years, his skin was smooth and supple, and his muscles were amazingly well toned.¶

Of course, you may not have the time or money for a massage every day like Bob Hope. But time or money isn’t what’s most likely to stop you in the first place. It’s your attitude.¶

Testing pour Touch-Ability¶

The one thing about massage that you really can’t avoid is the fact that you have to touch another human body in order to do it. This basic reality is what keeps many people from taking the first step of either getting or receiving a massage. Touch another human? Yuck!¶

Most societies have quite a few touch-related taboos and complexes, things that may be holding you back from experiencing massage. The following touch-ability survey can help reveal your own, perhaps unconscious, touch taboos, and suggest ways to overcome them. After you know what problems you’re dealing with, you can proceed more easily. Be totally honest with yourself. There are no right or wrong answers, only helpful ones.¶

For each question, fill in the number that most closely matches your feelings.¶

• ✓ Strongly disagree: 1
• ✓ Disagree: 2
• ✓ Neutral: 3
• ✓ Agree: 4
• ✓ Strongly agree: 5
• 1. My childhood family encouraged touching and hugging between members.
• 2. I can offer a compassionate touch on the arm, shoulder, or back of someone I don’t know, and doing so feels natural.
• 3. When someone bumps me on the street, instead of feeling anger, my first reaction is to brush it off as an accident.
• 4. My natural Inclination is to massage animals (at least ones that don’t bite), scratching them behind the ears to make them feel good.
• 5. I can touch or be touched by someone I find attractive without having sexual intentions or fantasies about them.
• 6. I prefer to go barefoot outdoors when safe and appropriate.
• 7. I have, on occasion, hugged a tree or draped myself luxuriously over a warm rock in the sun.
• 8. I believe In heart-to-heart hugs that express my affection and openness to people.
• 9. People tell me I have “good hands” and ask me to rub their shoulders when they’re feeling stiff or sore.
• 10. In work situations, I offer encouragement and recognition to others with a heart-felt touch in combination with words of praise.

Total:¶

The higher the number you come up with, the greater likelihood that touch and massage are something easy for you to accept in your life. If you scored a 50, great! Forge straight ahead into the following chapters, and enjoy. If you scored in the 40s, you’re among the most tactile people in the world, and massage is probably a part of your life already. If you scored in the 20s or 30s, you’re somewhere in the average regarding touch-ability, and you may want to stop here for a few minutes and consider trying some of the experiences listed below. If you scored below twenty, you’re still in the developmental stage of touch-ability, and you will definitely benefit by trying some or all of the following suggestions.¶

• ✓ Pick a parent, sibling, or even a cousin and give that person a hug for no reason.
• ✓ The next time an appropriate situation arises, gently place your palm on the shoulder of someone you’ve Just met, offering compassion and solidarity for a moment.
• ✓ When someone bumps or jostles you, stop and take a deep breath and look for the hidden cause of your anger. Usually, the anger results because you feel that you’re in the “right.” Let go of being right and be forgiving instead.
• ✓ Spend a full fiveminutes concentrating on nothing else but massaging the head and ears of a dog or cat (assuming you’re not allergic, of course).
• ✓ Get a serious, therapeutic massage and concentrate on the inner relaxing of your muscles, Just to show yourself that massage involves more than sensual pleasure.
• ✓ Take a walk through a park barefoot, feeling the textures of various surfaces — sand, sidewalk, grass, gravel. Notice how your feet feel during and afterwards.
• ✓ Head out to the woods, a quiet park, or deserted beach and hug a tree, or drape yourself luxuriously over a warm rock in the sun.
• ✓ Give a heart-to-heart hug that expresses your affection to someone who would truly appreciate it.
• ✓ The next time someone you know complains of tight shoulders, offer to give him or her a five minute mini-massage. Don’t worry about doing it “right.” Just focus on caring and compassion.
• ✓ The next time someone you work with does something right, offer a heart-felt touch on the arm or back in combination with a few words of praise. Examine your intentions before making this sort of contact, to make sure you don’t have any subconscious motivations that could later lead to a sexual harassment case. And offer this tactile support in plain view of other coworkers.

So Lithe Time, So Many Massages¶

Okay, so you’re filled with enthusiasm to go out and experience your first massage; you pick up the phone, call a massage school or clinic in your area, and ask to book an appointment. (See Chapter 8 for details on booking an appointment).¶

“What kind of bodywork do you prefer?” asks the receptionist.¶

“Bodywork?”¶

“Yes. Massage.”¶

“Oh. Just something that feels good,” you say.¶

“Of course. But we offer several modalities. Would you prefer the Swedish, the sports massage, the deep tissue, the Hellerwork, the Aston repatteming, the Thai massage, or the neuromuscular session?”¶

“Ah, let me get back to you on that,” you say, and you hang up ready to slip quietly back into your non-massage lifestyle before you even begin.¶

Don’t let this scenario happen to you! Now that you’ve decided to get a massage, the last thing you want is to get confused by the vast array of choices available and end up not receiving any kind of massage at all.¶

Be forewarned, this section is just an overview of the types of massage available. For now, I just want to familiarize you with a few of the choices, based upon the three main reasons that people decide to get a massage:¶

• ✓ To relax ✓ To feel better

• ✓ To improve your body’s functioning Often, your reasons are probably a combination of all three. You may have a little pain in your shoulder you’d like to ease, but at the same time, you want to lower your overall stress level. The three components of massage dovetail with each other; what helps you relax may lessen your pain, what realigns your body may help you relax, and soon.

The spiritual aspect of massage is a fourth component, a wild card that can pop up unannounced during any type of massage. This spiritual aspect is the way that you can use massage to attune to your own inner experience and get in touch — literally — with a deeper sense of self. (See Chapter 7 for more information on this topic.)¶

So which is the right style for you? Take a glance at the following categories and become familiar with some of the massage styles associated with each.¶

Massage for relaxation¶

Stress and tension are real. The human body has developed through eons of evolution to respond to stress and tension by preparing to either fight the obstacle or run away from it. This, the famous fightorllight response, came in very handy when primitive man was confronted with the occasional, large, dangerous animal. But in modern times, people are faced with a constant, unceasing barrage of tension-inducing stimuli, and they’re getting overloaded by it. If you live in a large metropolitan area, for instance, you’re being exposed to the equivalent of several dozen grizzly bears and a pack of ravenous wolves every time you venture out into rush-hour traffic.¶

Reducing the stress and tension in your life is a very good reason for wanting to get a massage. You don’t need any more justification than that.¶

If you’re interested in relaxing massage, ask for the following:¶

• ✓ Swedish massage: What most people envision when they think “massage.” This method includes stroking, kneading, squeezing, rubbing, and so on.
• ✓ Light work: As in “not heavy,” light work is a generic term for nonintrusive, gentle massage. See the section “Remodeling your body for fun and profit” later in this chapter for information about deeper massage during which the therapist’s fingers “intrude” into your musculature.

When in Hawaii …¶

Once, in Hawaii; I was inthe mood fora relaxing massage to help relieve jet lag-after a long trip. I was working at a spa there, and one of the massage therapists on staff, a native-Hawaiian named Wesley Sen, offered to give me a lomi long massage.¶

“Is that relaxing?” I asked as we walked together back to my hotel room.¶

“Sure it’s relaxing,” he said.¶

“Then why are you carrying that pole with you?”¶

Sure enough, Wesley was tarrying a thick, tenfoot long wooden pole in one hand. “It’s just for balance,” he said. “Don’t worry.”¶

Back in my room, Wesley had me lie down-on the floor and then proceeded to pray over me in Hawaiian, which sets the mood atthe beginning of every true lomi lomi experience. In his prayer, he invited:healing forces to be present with us in the room. For the next hour he stood on me, kneeled on me, pressed on.me, and-tossed my¶

limbs around, all along skillfully keeping his weight partially-supported by-the pole, one-end’ of which he pushed against the floor to balance himself.¶

Wesley is not a-small guy I was amazed that he could perform this-entire-balancing act, using my body as a tightrope, and never once cause me the slightest discornfort. Afterwards,. I was more relaxed than I’d felt in mantmonths;the relaxation penetrated way down into my joints and up my nerves.into my brain. Also,.a pain I’d been experiencing in my shoulder disappeared, never to return again, and my digestion improved noticeably, too.¶

Skillfulyrelaxation Massage can take beyond relaxation; healing what ails. otr and improving your body’s functioning as- Well. Several massage styles offer relaxation as well as deeply therapeutic results, such as lomi lam’, Trager, Rubenfeld Synergy, and many others.¶

• Po Relaxation massage: Another generic term for nice-and-easy massage, relaxation massage usually refers to a light form of Swedish massage.
• ✓ Esalen massage: Developed at the famous Esalen Institute in Big Sur, California, this massage features many long, flowing, gentle strokes.

Plenty of massage styles leave you relaxed, but the Swedish style is the one you’re most likely to run into. Swedish massage is kind of like the Visa or MasterCard of massage, accepted at millions of establishments around the world. It has many therapeutic benefits also, and some of its more advanced moves can be quite vigorous. If your intention is simply to chill out and be soothed by soft fingers, make sure to request light, easy pressure during your Swedish massage.¶

Communicate! Even if you’re just trading massage with a friend, you have to let the other person know what you want out of the experience.¶

Pr massage¶

Many people visit their massage therapist for the same reason they visit their doctor — to fix something that’s painful. This type of massage Is called remedial massage, because it’s used as a remedy. Several types of massage, including good-old, relaxing Swedish massage, can have definite remedial effects; but here’s a short list of some styles particularly well-known for belonging to the “massage apothecary.”¶

Of course, only well-trained professionals should attempt to give these types of massage.¶

If you’re interested in remedial massage, ask for the following:¶

• ✓ Manual lymphatic drainage: This type of massage helps your body flush toxins, such as pesticides and residual chemicals, by stimulating the flow of lymph in your body. It’s a very gentle massage that features light superficial movements on the skin.
• ✓ Touch for health: This treatment, which helps balance your inner healing energies, isn’t really a massage at all because the therapist’s hands don’t necessarily come into contact with the recipient’s body. The technique was developed by a nurse on the faculty at New York University and has been taught to thousands of healthcare practitioners.
• ✓ Neuromuscular therapy: This type of massage works on tight muscles that create the deep patterns of tension that can keep you in pain.
• ✓ Cranio-sacral: This type of massage adjusts the healthy functioning of your spine and cranium.
• ✓ Deep tissue massage: This generic term refers to any number of therapies that apply deep pressure and affect the body’s connective tissues.
• ✓ Shiatsu: This massage involves pressure point therapy to balance the entire body and restore health — on specific points along invisible energy lines In the body called meridians.

Shiatsu is the most well-known of several types of massage that work on the meridians. It can be quite relaxing, but its primary focus is on restoring health and balance, as are other types of massage that work on these¶

energy lines.¶

After having a serious car accident, a young man in Ohio began experiencing severe, debilitating pain every day. His doctors told him they had no drugs or surgery that could help him and that he’d have to learn to live with the pain, but his mother decided there must be a better way. She took him to see a massage therapist who treated the young man for several months using neuromuscular and cranlo-sacral therapies. The end result was a pain-free young man who has now decided to become a massage therapist himself in order to help other people.¶

Remodeling your body for fun and profit¶

Several types of massage have developed over the years that focus on realigning your body, straightening you out, helping you form a healthier relationship with gravity and a more graceful, efficient way of moving. People often refer to this type of massage as structural bodywork. You only want to sign up for one of these if you have specific goals in mind (such as improved posture, better athletic performance, and soon.) and, of course, you want a highly trained pro to do the work. The movements involved are quite deep, and the experience is not “relaxing” in the normal sense of the word, but your massage therapist will always keep your comfort foremost in mind.¶

If you’re interested in structural massage, ask for the following:¶

• ✓ Rolling: The most well-known form or structural bodywork, this type of massage was invented by Ida Rolf.
• ✓ Hellerwork: A unique development of Rolfing, this type of massage was created by Joseph Heller.
• ✓ Aston patterning: This type of massage is a combination of touch techniques and movement repatteming that helps people move with ease and improve their posture.
• ✓ Myofascial release: This type of massage is a combination of techniques that combine to “unwind” and release chronic tension patterns in deep tissues, which can cause many painful conditions.

Touch Terminology¶

Massage has its own lingo, much of which can be somewhat confusing at first. Massage lingo can also be intimidating, for two main reasons:¶

• ✓ Some massage terminology has origins in the medical field and can sound academically dense.
• ✓ Some of the words used are Just plain weird (and the only people you’ve heard speak them before are sophisticated, semi-naked celebrities on Lifestyles of the Rich & Famous).

Truthfully, though, no insider’s massage clique is sitting around in cashmere robes at some exclusive, country-club spa, ready to snicker at you for not knowing what the word “acupressure” means. Most of the massage words you encounter are the result of cultural influences from around the world, with a medical/scientific reference thrown in now and then.¶

74 Part II: The Art of Receiving Massage¶

Massage is all about making you feel comfortable in your own skin, and the last thing you want is to have a language barrier make you feel uncomfortable before you even begin. Words you don’t know can make you feel like an outsider, which may have the tragic consequence of keeping you from doing what you really want to do when you get a massage — relax and feel better.¶

Your goal may be to become one of those knowledgeable clients who enters a massage clinic and requests “a bit of cranio-sacral for this headache I’ve had for two days now, and then some Trager in the hip area to loosen my tight psoas, and throw in some trigger point work on my traps, will your Or, on the other hand, perhaps this massage mumbo-Jumbo seems completely pointless to you, and all you really want to do is lie down and get rubbed. Even if you belong to the latter group, knowing at least a few of the terms that massage therapists (and those who receive massage) commonly employ is helpful.¶

This section is a primer on massage lingo to help familiarize you with the terms you may run into when you¶

• ✓ Contact a massage professional to inquire about rates, services, and so on
• ✓ Visit a massage clinic
• ✓ Read journals, magazines, or books in the field
• ✓ Attempt to explain massage to a friend
• ✓ Ask people to recommend a massage therapist or style for you

Table 5-1 lists several specialized massage words and phrases that at first glance seem deceptively like everyday words and phrases. But don’t be deceived. These words, when used in regards to massage, are highly specific and, when used correctly, can lead you to hours and hours of enjoyment, health benefits, and pleasure.¶

Table 5-1	Massage-English, English-Massage Dictionary
Word	Non-manage definition	Massage definition
Rolled	Past-tense of “to throw up on,” a variant spelling of ”Ralphed”	Deep massage work on connective tissues that realign the body with gravity
Bodyworker	Mechanic specializing in repairing cars after accidents	A practitioner of massage or similar hands-on healing techniques

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Chapter 5: A Massage Road Map 75¶

Word	Non-massage definition	Massage definition
Structural work	Carpentry, mostly done on house frames	Massage that works on the body’s muscles and connective tissues to better align them with gravity
Spa	Hot tub or Jac urzi	Health facility where people go to learn holistic practices, eat healthy foods, exercise, and receive massages and spa treatments
Ayurveda	Misspelling of a famous brand of natural beauty products found in salons	An ancient healing system from India that uses diet meditation, herbs, and massage to balance the body
Swedish	Anything from the country of Sweden	The most well-known and widely practiced form of massage in the Western world, consisting of stroking, kneading, apply ing pressure, stretching, and so on
Trigger point	The fine, pointed end of a pistol’s trigger	A tight, tender spot in a muscle that responds well to massage
Connective tissues	Kleenex brand facial tissues all linked together in a box	The web of tissue (primarily collagen fibers) that surrounds your every muscle, organ, and bone, holding your body together
Deep tissue	Kleenex stuck deep between the cushions on your couch	A type of massage that targets the deeper layers of muscle and connective tissue
Energy work	Repairs on the electrical lines of your house	Type of massage that focuses on vital, invisible energies in your body

(continued)¶

76 Part II: The Art of Receiving Massage¶

Table 5-1 (continued)
Word	Non-manage definition	Massage definition
Adhesion	The sticky mark left on your skin after removing an adhesive bandage	Muscle and connective tissue fibers that are stuck together because of injuries, scars, aging, and lack of movement Massage can help sepa rate most adhesions, which are sometimes painful, though not usually dangerous.
Drape	Decorative material that hangs in front of a window	Towels, sheets, and so on, used to cover a person receiving a massage
Knots	Things tied in ropes	light bands of muscle fibers and connective tis sues that massage often softens
On-site massage	Massage given at construction sites	Seated and clothed massage given in special chairs — usually in offices, in stores, or at spe cial events

• \I¶

Bon jour, monsieur masseuse¶

You walk into a health club and sign .up for a massage. A big, burly, bodybuilder of a man walks out, shakes your hand in his massive paw, and tells you his name is John.¶

“Nice to meet you,” you say, slightly awed. “How long have you•been a masseuse?”¶

“I’m not a masseusel” he thunders, causing you to shake in your sneakers. And once, again you have that terrible realization that you’ve flubbed up the whole masseur/masseuse thing.¶

“Sorry,” you stammer, confused and embarrassed, but inside you’re also a lithe mad. How are you supposed to remember the difference between those silly French words, and who made them.up in the firstplace anyway?¶

Strangely enough, it was a Dutch man, Dr. Johann Mezger (1839-1909), who decided to¶

use French words to describe the movements of massage, and even the word “massage” itself. The words for someone who performs massage therefore come from the French also:¶

• ✓ A masseur is a male practitioner of massage.
• ✓ A masseuse is a female practitioner.

An easy way for you to remember the correct term is to think of monsieur —the French word for Mr. - which sounds like masseur. And an even easier method is to avoid the masseur/masseuse dilemma altogether by using the more modem, non-gender-based term “massage therapitt” for malet and females alike, which.iswhat Most:professionals prefer, anyway.¶

78 Part II: The Art of Receiving Massage¶

Chapter 6 Look Who’s Coming to Touch You¶

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In This Chapter¶

• p. Stalking the elusive referral
• 0- Locating a massage therapist
• 0. Developing a relationship with your massage therapist
• op. Deciding whether licensing matters

y ou’re no doubt absolutely convinced that massage would make a truly superb addition to your life, and you’re Just about ready to pick up that phone (yes, that one, right over there), dial one of the contact numbers I’m about to give you in this chapter, and order up your very first session of “touch take-out? Soon, a chipper and thoroughly professional person will show up at your door carrying a monstrous padded folding table. He or she will open the table in the privacy of your own comfortable dwelling. You’ll smile self-confidently, take all your clothes off, and then … wait a minute!¶

Did I say, “Take all your clothes off?” Well, by golly, I guess I did. Suddenly, this whole, wonderfully abstract concept of massage has become disconcertingly real. And, in spite of your appreciation for the undeniably therapeutic benefits of massage, if that professional stranger were to ring your doorbell right this minute, you may be tempted to say, “Excuse me for a moment, will you? I just have to go get my law degree at Columbia University and then I’ll be right with you.”¶

If that sounds like you, don’t worry. This chapter’s purpose is to make you more comfortable with the people who will be massaging you, including people you already know, with whom sharing massage will be a new adventure.¶

Stalking the Elusive Referral¶

One time-honored concept used to battle your fear of a stranger in your home is to assure that the person who shows up on your doorstep to give you a massage is not a stranger. You can accomplish this goal in two ways:¶

• II✓ Give your cousin Billy several thousand dollars and send him through massage school so you can call him later and make an appointment.
• ✓ Get a referral.

The second option is by far the more common choice, but that doesn’t mean you should entirely dismiss the concept of financing massage school for friends or family members. The world needs more massage therapists! If you happen to be extremely wealthy, do the world a favor and set up a massageschool trust fund. (The investment may even be tax deductible.)¶

A six-point mental checklist (to go over in your mind before deciding which massage therapist to try)¶

No matter how qualified and highly recom- 3. mended -a massage therapist may come to you, andto matter what Other people say about her, you still must decide whether she’s the right massage therapist for you. Remember, you’re very likely to share a .great deal.of yourself with this person (massage therapists are like hair dreSsert on steroids when it comes to the Umfiding-in factor). And, -because your massage therapitt widget toknow your body better than anyone else except an intimate partner, you haveto.be willing totrust her.,Sometimes, you have no precise way to gauge which massage 5. therapist will make precisely the best “lit with your personality, and no amount of analytical deliberation will help you decide who to choose.¶

That said, try using this quick checklistto judge your own gut reaction tothaperson you’re about to spend a considerable amount of quality the with:¶

• 1. Does she immediately make you feel like you’re important?
• 2. Does she look you right in the eye and fill you with a sense of utter confidence so that you’re already feeling better before she even touches you?
• Is she someone you Dice to emulate as far as calmnessand tranquility go? Likeit or not, you will.probabhi look upon your massage therapist as a role model in the relaxation category. A tense, uptight massage therapitt isn’t setting a good example.
• 4. Is, she “soft” where she needs to be soft (unobtrusive and non-opinionated) and “hard” where she needs to be hard (unrelenting in her serious desire to see you feel better)?
• Is she someone you feel an immediate sense of empathywith? To use a precise scientific term here, do the two of you click?
• 6. Is she the right sex? The decision on whether to receive massage from a male Or female massage therapist is entirely up to you. Many people have no preference, as long-as the massage therapist is competent and strong, but others feel more comfortable with one sex than the other in a massage setting. Most massage establishments will give you a choice when requesting a massage therapist. Afteryou get started with the actual massage, you’ll probably find thatthe massage therapist’s gender doesn’t really matter as much as you may have thought

Of course, you may be more comfortable going to the “neutral ground” of a professional massage establishment rather than inviting someone unknown into your home. See the section “Visiting a clinic” later in this chapter for more information.¶

In case you’re wondering who to ask for a referral without embarrassing yourself, the following list may come in handy. Actually, you may be surprised at how many people can potentially help you find a massage therapist.¶

First, you probably should NOT ask certain people to refer a massage therapist, including . ..¶

• ✓ Certain physicians who are not aware of the benefits of massage and who may think that all massage therapists are “quacks.”
• ✓ Your Aunt Gertrude who had a massage once on a cruise and now considers herself an expert.
• ✓ People who are currently under Indictment for health-care fraud.

After you cross those sources off your list, you can still find plenty of helpful folks ready to steer you towards the nearest pair of helping hands. Some of those places where you’re most likely to get a good referral from include …¶

• ✓ The contact numbers at major massage associations and accrediting organizations (see the section “Organizations That Can Help You Find a Massage Therapist” later in this chapter).
• ✓ Enlightened physicians who are aware of the benefits of massage and who are more than happy to refer you to the ones they work with. In fact, many doctors these days have a massage therapist or two on staff.
• ✓ Athlete friends who receive massage as part of their training.
• ✓ A co-worker or family member who’s had a particularly good experience with the massage therapist she’s been using for an extended period of time.
• ✓ The “best-or articles that health and beauty magazines such as Shape, Self, Mademoiselle, Glamour, and so on often feature.
• ✓ Your friend Tina, the one who wears the Birkenstock sandals all the time and has that look of blissed-out satisfaction on her face even when she’s standing in line at the grocery store checkout counter.

Getting a Helping Hand¶

You can collectively refer to the four numbers I’m about to give you as “massage central.” Among them you’ll find the contact information for over 80,000 qualified massage therapists in the U.S. right at your fingertips.¶

Drum roll please … and the contact numbers are:¶

• ✓ To find a massage therapist who is a member of the oldest nationwide organization, the American Massage Therapy Association (AMTA), call toll free, 888-843-2682, for their Find-A-Massage•Therapist”> 0 Location Service.
• ✓ To find the nearest member of Associated Bodywork and Massage Professionals (ABMP), call 800-458-2267.
• ✓ To find a member massage therapist of the International Massage Association (IMA), call 202-387-6555.
• ✓ For a list of massage therapists who have taken the test given by the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) and are therefore Nationally Certified in all 50 U.S. states, call 703-610-9015.

Of course, among those 80,000. massage therapists, you’re going to find quite a range of skills and offerings, and there isn’t one, single tried-and-true means of prequalifying someone. However, you are living In an extremely lucky time, oh fortunate massage recipient, because in the past several years the number of highly skilled and fully trained massage pros has grown at an amazing rate all around the world.¶

Following is a list of contact numbers for professional massage practitioners in several countries:¶

• ✓ Australia: Massage Australia, Sydney, tel. (02) 4757 3050
• ✓ France: French Federation of Masseurs Kinesitherapeutes (FFMKR), Paris, tel. 01 44 83 46 00
• ✓ Italy: Federazione Nazionale dei Collegi dei Massofisioterapisti (F.N.C.M.), Rome, tel. 03 94 61 915 499
• ✓ U.K.: The Institute for Complementary Medicine, London, tel. 00 44 171 237-5165

Locating a Massage Therapist¶

If for some reason you can’t locate a massage therapist by simply calling one of the numbers listed previously, you can pursue several other avenues in quest of massage.¶

Checking the ads¶

Each locale has its own regulations regarding the advertising of massage, and sometimes the regulations vary from city to city. What may be perfectly legal in Los Angeles, for example, can be verboten in Slow( City, Iowa.¶

Beware those ads featuring massage therapists with huge muscles, wearing black leather vests with no shirt underneath, staring straight into the camera with a come-hither look in their eyes, especially in San Francisco. These pictures may be a clue tipping you off to the extra curricular intentions of this particular massage therapist, licensed or not. Then again, it could be a fashion statement.¶

Letting your fingers do the walking¶

VIN/04, In some areas, massage therapists must include an official massage license number as part of any Yellow Pages listing for massage. According to Dan Ulrich, past president of the Florida State Massage Therapy Association, the inclusion of the license number in Yellow Pages and other ads significantly reduced the amount of unethical massage advertising. Although the license number is not mandatory everywhere, it’s a clue that you’re dealing with a therapeutic professional. If you don’t see a license number or some other professional credentials listed, call and ask for one.¶

Opening the bureau door¶

You may occasionally run into ads for massage service bureaus that guarantee you a massage within a specified period of time (usually within a couple hours). The bureaus have a central number that you call, and they send one of the many independent massage therapists on their list out to you at your choice of location. Quite often, these are very up-and-up enterprises run by entrepreneurial massage therapists who have discovered a new way to multiply their effectiveness and their income. At times, though, the quality of the services offered can be a little iffy, because all the massage therapists aren’t carefully screened all the time in all the bureaus. So, if you’re not personally familiar with the service, and you haven’t received a specific recommendation, you’re never sure exactly what you’re going to get when you call one of these places. Bureaus are most useful when you’re traveling and have no other means of contacting a massage therapist.¶

Getting the most massage for your money¶

When dealing with your massage therapist, certain tactics cad increase happiness for both of you, and in the process, maximize the value you receive from your experience.¶

• ✓ Offer to pay up front for a discounted series of massages: For example, if the massage therapist charges $50 for a massage, offer $400 dollars for 10 massages. Often, massagetherapists appreciate the immediate cash flow and the guarantee of ongoing business. This arrangement is good for their business, and good for your pocketbook.
• ✓ Ask for a massage in exchange for referring a new client to your massage therapist She will appreciate the new customer, and you deserve the recognition.
• ✓ Inquire about rates for longer massage sessions: Often the price drops proportionally with the length of the massage, and you can receive a 90- minute massage for not too much morethan a 60- minute massage. A massage therapist who charges $50 for an hour massage may offer an hour and a half massage for $65 or $70, for example.

Going back to school¶

Wherever you are, one excellent way to get in touch with a massage practitioner is to call a massage school in your area. There are more schools around than you think — the U.S. alone has over 800. Look in the phone book, under “vocational schools” or “schools, massage therapy.” The schools often have a list of graduates in the area that they can recommend, and quite often they offer massage services in a clinic in the school.¶

One excellent deal that many people take advantage of is known as the student massage clinic In this setup, the students receive part of their training by working on real massage customers, under supervision, of course. Student massages go for only fraction of the normal cost, usually only k to 35 the going rate of a professional massage in the area. More often than not, the students are already quite good at what they do, and dollar for dollar this option is one of the best bargains in massage.¶

Keep in mind that you may be asked to fill out a detailed feedback form after the massage, for training purposes. Also, the student clinics usually take place in a big room with curtains separating the massage tables. Quite often, an instructor stops in to observe the student In action. So if you’re a superprivate individual who doesn’t like to have other people around when you’re getting a massage, the student clinic is probably not for you. Also, if you have a specific health problem that you’d like to address with massage, it’s best to visit a licensed professional. For relaxation and stress relief, though, student massages are usually as effective as more expensive professional massages because the students are trying extra hard to please you (and pass their coursework at the same time).¶

Pampering pour Massage Therapist¶

After you choose a massage therapist and begin to develop a working relationship with him, a few endearing personality quirks may begin to surface. Some massage therapists work barefoot, even in the winter, for example. Others hold a giant quartz crystal over your body before the massage. And some tape a bunch of magnets under their massage table to “align your energy” while they work on you. Try not to take your massage therapist’s idiosyncrasies too seriously. They’re Just trying to do the best job they can. It’s just that some of their methods may seem a little, um, colorful at first. Refer to rule # 9, “You’re the boss,” in Chapter 7 for advice on letting your massage therapist know what you’re comfortable and what you’re not comfortable with.¶

As a general rule, massage therapists are a finicky and extremely sensitive lot. They’re somewhat like pure-bred cats, and although their job description calls for a great deal of touching, they also need to receive strokes themselves (often to that most delicate muscle, the ego). If you become an expert at scratching behind the ears of your massage therapist’s self-image, you can coax a better performance from him, and your relationship will be a happier one all around.¶

The following are some simple points to remember whenever you’re dealing directly with your massage therapist:¶

• ✓ Always offer encouragement first before you criticize: For example, if your massage therapist is applying a little too much pressure in a particular area, definitely let her know about it, but first say something like, “What you were doing a minute ago felt really great. You can lighten up the pressure a little right now, though.”
• ✓ Always, always, always praise the massage your therapist just gave you immediately after you receive it, even if this is the seven hundred and eighty-ninth massage you’ve received from her: The immediate gratification of this simple act is powerful. It’s the same reason all an actress’s friends rush backstage after the play to heartily laud her skills. The ego muscle is most delicate directly after the big performance, and for a great massage therapist, every massage Is a type of performance.
• ✓ Always communicate clearly about exactly what fee you expect to pay for exactly which services: Pricing of massage services may be a sensitive issue. Be clear on the answers to the following questions before you begin:
  • Is the charge for an hour and fifteen minute massage higher than that for an hour massage?
  • Does the massage therapist have a cancellation policy?
  • Does your massage therapist reimburse insurance claims?

Licensing Touch¶

Being a wise consumer, when you head out looking for a massage pro to rub you the right way, you’ll want to ask yourself that all-important question: Is she licensed? The problem here is that not all good, professional massage therapists in all areas are licensed. In the U.S., only half the states even require licensing for massage. Some states require no license at all, and in others the licensing is county-by-county or city-by-city. So even someone who is very highly trained and takes her job very seriously may be license-less, through no fault of her own.¶

Internationally, licensing rules for massage therapists vary widely from country to country. Some countries, like Singapore, for example, have little or no regulation, while in other countries, like France, massage therapists are part of the medical community and operate out of their own medical clinics. The best course of action in foreign countries is to ask someone you trust to recommend massage. Also, you can read through Chapter 17 for some more suggestions.¶

The rules concerning massage licensing are too complex and changeable to list here. They differ from area to area and time to time. In fact, in Santa Monica, California, where I first started working as a massage therapist, the actual laws on the books stated that nobody could open a massage clinic within 500 feet of a church, and in order to receive your city license to practice, you had to take a test certifying that you were free of all venereal diseases. Go figure.¶

If you want information about how massage practitioners are licensed in your area, you can call the board or department in your state that regulates massage therapists. If there is no such regulating board, check with a local massage school to see what kind of education and certification is normal for practitioners in your area.¶

The best thing to do when you’re trying to determine the professional status of any individual massage therapist is to ask the therapist. I know, this strategy is stunningly simple, but it works. If she doesn’t know anything about licensing, you may have an unprofessional person on your hands. On the other hand, if she knows her stuff, she can tell you exactly who to call or where to look to verify local licensing requirements in general, and hers in particular.¶

Because this whole licensing issue is so confusing in many areas, you’re wise to consider certification as an equally, if not more, important factor in determining who to choose as your massage therapist.¶

Original sin?¶

Some massage therapists think that requiring licensing for massage is almost sinful, because they perceive what they do as art. They figure that licensing massage is like licensing a painter to paint, or a writer to write. Ridiculous! These people thoroughly oppose ahy attempts at¶

control or regulation. They often live in cabins in rugged-individualist states such as Vermont, which, as an interesting side-note that has absolutely nothing to do with massage, is the only state that has managed to keep out Wal-Mart stores.¶

If a massage therapist has graduated from a bona-fide massage school, he has received a certificate of completion, and this certificate often notes the number of hours completed, specialties studied, and other relevant information. This certification may be the single most substantial piece of evidence of a massage therapist’s dedication to his craft, especially in those areas where licensing is not required.¶

Another type of certification is awarded to those massage therapists who complete a test given by a certification board, such as the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB). This certification is another way of determining competency.¶

Remember, in massage, just as in a marriage, It’s not the actual piece of paper, but the level of commitment on the participants’ part that is most vital to the success of the relationship. A fancy, gold-embossed massage license hanging on the wall in a frame is no guarantee that you’re going to like a given massage therapist’s technique. And, on the other hand, someone with no certificate or license at all may be one of the most highly sldlled massage therapists you’ll ever meet. When it comes down to choosing a pro, go with your heart and your intuition.¶

58 Part II: The Art of Receiving Massage¶

Chapter 7¶

The Rules for Receiving Massage¶

in This Chapter¶

0. Following guidelines for receiving a massage D Getting in tune and staying In touch

Faom the day you were born, your body has been hanging around you like shadow. It never leaves you alone. You wake up in the morning, and there your body is, faithful as a puppy, thumping its little tail against your freshly washed bedspread. At first, having a body Is a novelty, a fact that you can see reflected in the faces of babies and small children. Even the most mundane details about their bodies fill them with delight. “Oh boy, there’s my hand again!”

¶

As you mature, however, you become more accustomed to having a body, and it begins to bore you. This boredom usually occurs as young people enter their teenage years. “Oh boy, my hand again, big deal.” At this point, they begin to pierce their bodies in various locations and cover them with decorative tattoos. By the time people are full-fledged adults, though, most of them have begun to concentrate on other things, leaving their bodies far behind. The only time they really get connected to their bodies is when they’re learning a new skill of some kind, like soccer, or neurosurgery.

¶

The result? Most people take their bodies for granted. One of massage’s main objectives is to get you back “into” your body again. A good massage should rekindle your childlike enthusiasm for life.

¶

In order for massage to help you achieve the lofty goal of getting back in touch with yourself, you need to follow certain guidelines, which I Just happen to outline in this chapter. At first, some of these “rules” may seem a little simplistic to you. Others may appear irrelevant. However, I give you my personal guarantee that if you try them out when you’re on the receiving end of a massage, you’re going to get much more out of the experience.

¶

So, approach these guidelines with an open mind, apply them when you feel that doing so is appropriate during your own massage exchanges, and watch your enjoyment of massage soar to levels beyond your expectations.

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90 Part II: The Art of Receiving Massage¶

The rules for receiving massage are, in fact, quite similar to the Ancient Secrets of Life as passed down by Big Important Spiritual Leaders for thousands of years. Yes, it’s true; you can learn every really important thing in life by lying down and getting rubbed.¶

Honing your skills at receiving massage is more than simply a way to feel better. It’s also a way to improve your life. Read through these rules, practice them, and you’ll see what I mean.¶

Rule #1: Keep Breathing¶

When you receive a massage from a professional, she may remind you several times in a soft, soothing voice to breathe. And you may be tempted to say right back to her in a not-so-soothing voice, “I’m already breathing, in case you haven’t noticed.”¶

Don’t be offended. The massage therapist’s comments aren’t meant to imply that she thinks you’re deceased, and she’s not trying to insult you for your poor breathing skills. In fact, many massage therapists start each and every massage with a series of deep breaths, regardless of how obviously alive you are to begin with.¶

A massage therapist may tell you to take deep breaths during a massage for the following reasons:¶

• ✓ To help you focus on the sensations you’re feeling in your body rather than the internal monologue going on in your mind
• ✓ To get you to fill your lungs and thus all your cells with fresh oxygen, enlivening your entire body
• ✓ To help you become aware of muscles that you’ve been holding tense so you can start to relax them

Most people walk around not actually breathing much. People tend to use only a tiny percentage of their lung capacity, just like they use only a tiny percentage of their brain capacity. Proper breathing changes that.¶

While receiving a massage, focus your mind as fully as possible upon the very important act of breathing. Focusing your mind on your breath brings your awareness back to your body quicker than anything else.¶

Going with the diaphragm’s flow¶

The diaphragm is a muscle in your abdomen — it looks like a soft pizza shaped into a double-headed dome — that is responsible for keeping you breathing (see Figure 7-1). Most of the time, your diaphragm is contracting and relaxing without conscious thought from you, but you can teach yourself to control this activity. In the section “Exercising your breathing muscle’s breath,” I give you an exercise that helps you use this muscle more consciously, which enables you to exert more control over your breathing, making It fuller and deeper.¶

Exercising your breathing muscles¶

The next time you have the chance, spend a few minutes observing a sleeping — or at least relaxed — infant or toddler breathe. Pay close attention to the abdomen, and you can see the entire area gently lift and lower. This movement is the result of an active, uninhibited diaphragm at work.¶

Then look down at your own abdomen while you breathe for a few minutes. Notice a difference? Where did all the lifting and lowering go? You still have the same breathing mechanisms you always did; they’re not something you grow out of. With each breath you take, you should indeed have a visibly rhythmical, moving body. Somewhere along the line, though, most people stifle themselves into taking shallow, insufficient breaths. This type of breathing is a common reaction to the act of growing older. Don’t worry, you’re still getting enough oxygen to survive. But, are you getting enough to thrive? By practicing deep breathing during massage, you can literally rejuvenate your body, sending extra-oxygenated blood out all the way to your toes.¶

The key to breathing properly while getting a massage is to take whole breaths, a term that basically means “breathing like a kid.” Go ahead and try a whole breath now. Lie down on your back, placing your palms gently on your abdomen, and then begin this four-step process:¶

• 1. Breathe deep and low into your lungs so that your abdomen pushes your hands upward. Make sure that you’re not Just pushing up with your stomach muscles, but that you’re actually expanding the entire abdominal area.
• 2. Continue the expansion up into your ribs, allowing them to push outward toward each side.
• 3. When your ribs have expanded out as far as they’ll go, then expand them up toward your head, taking the last bit of breath into the area just beneath your collar bones.
• 4. Let the whole thing collapse.

You don’t need to try and push the air out; Just let it flow. When your lungs feel empty and your abdomen is flat once again, you can restart the process.¶

Rule #2: Stay Loose¶

As you probably know, one of the main points of getting a massage is to relax. Logically, you may then think that you can just give your body to a massage therapist who will relax your body for you, like giving your car to a mechanic and expecting him to fix it.¶

Please release me, let me go …¶

Afteryou receive several massages, you’ll gradually become accustomed to relaxing your own muscles. Eventually you notice that you can do the same thing even when you’re not receiving massage, like when you’re waiting in line at the grocery store, stuck in traffic, or sitting in a meeting with your boss. “Twang,” will go one of your muscle fibers, and you’ll feel it beginning to tighten up. Then, silently, without anyone noticing, you send a mental message to the growing knot, telling it to go away, in the same way that your massage therapist helps you do during a massage. You can take this side benefit of massage with you wherever you go.¶

Expecting a massage therapist to do all your body’s relaxing is called giving up responsibility for your own relaxation, and it’s a no-no. Staying loose is your responsibility; the massage therapist can help you, but you basically have to do the relaxing yourself. So how do you do that?¶

You accomplish relaxation by becoming more aware of what you’re feeling in your own body. During the massage, your massage therapist often reminds you to focus on “knots” or tight areas. In those moments, using the power of your own imagination, you can begin to visualize what those knots may look like in your muscles, and to let go of them.¶

If you’re not staying loose by engaging your mind to relax your own muscles, you’re missing more than half the benefits and effects of the massage.¶

Rule #3: Let Go¶

When you receive a massage, especially the first time, you may have a tendency — like just about everyone else in the world — to “help” the person working on you. You may graciously lift your limbs, hold your head up, and twist your body around, all to make things easier for the other person. Although this “helping” may seem like the friendliest thing to do, you’re actually hindering the massage process and making your massage therapist’s job a little more difficult. Relaxing a person who is holding her own arm up in the air as stiff as a flag pole Is pretty darn hard.¶

The technical term for this tendency during massage is hanging on, and you want to do exactly the opposite, which is letting.go. But what, exactly, dogs “letting go” mean?¶

The limp-arm experiment¶

You’re basically hanging onto yourself for dear life, even the parts of your body that are painful, stiff, or tense. This•hanging on is a.naturaltendency, butto get the most out of a massage, you haveto let go. The limp-arm experiment” is an easy way to begin training yourself to letgo. Ail you need.is-a partner and someplace comfortable to lie down.¶

• 1. Lie down on your back and have your partner lift your arm up in the air several inches.
• 2. After a few seconds, have your partner let . go of your arm without any warning to you.

let your arm drop back down. (Make-sure that-you’re lying on a-soft-surface.)¶

• 3. Watch to see whether your amt plops back down, limp as a noodle, or whether you hold. it right where she left it, stiff as a board. What do you have to do to let your arm drop back down? What thought process do you have to go through? What mental image? What body sensation?
• 4. Tell your partner to lift your arm a little higher each time. Instead of dropping your arm all the way back down, tell her to catch it in her other hand.
• 5. Keep repeating this exercise until your arm completely lets go end your partner can drop.it from any height with absolutely no resistance. This.ability may come naturally to you the very first time you try to let go, but normally • the exercise takes-quite a bit of conscious effort. You Maynot be able to let go until you niake several Separate attempts on different days. After you master one arm, you can try the other arm, a leg, or your head.

Use this newly formed’skill to let go the next time you receive-a massage.¶

If you were to take a microscope and look deep within your muscles and joints while you’re getting a massage, you’d discover some specialized nerve cells that monitor the position and relative movement of your body. These cells are called proprioceptors (see Chapter 4).¶

These cells constantly tell you where you are in space, something everybody likes to have a pretty firm control over all of the time, even while asleep. These cells keep you from just rolling right out of- bed every night.¶

About the only time you completely let go of all your holding patterns, tensions, and proprioceptive rigidities is when you’re under deep anesthesia. Under anesthesia, people sometimes release the tension they normally think of as “built-in” through age or heredity, including stooped shoulders, stiff hips, ugly grimaces, and more. When they come out of anesthesia, they reclaim these habitual patterns almost instantaneously. They can’t sustain the relaxation because it’s unconscious. Massage, conversely, allows people to achieve a conscious relaxation, which can last Indefinitely.¶

One of my clients suffered for years from debilitating pain due to whiplash. Then one day she received a massage from a woman at Gurney’s Inn, a spa in Montauk, New York. After that massage, the pain was almost entirely gone, and it continued to gradually fade away. My client was able to make such a drastic change by letting herself go fully into the healing hands of the massage therapist. When she did, she stopped holding onto the same painful, habitual patterns that had formed in her body since the accident.¶

Rule #4: Stop Thinking, Start Being¶

The problem with your mind is that it just works too darn well, thinking and thinking and thinking without stopping all day long from the first moment you wake up until well after your head hits the pillow. This feature is fine during most of your daily activities, but when It comes to getting a massage, too much thinking is definitelya drawback.¶

Many people get a massage and then ten minutes later can barely remember it because they weren’t really paying attention to it while it was happening. Instead, an ongoing stream of thoughts kept them from fully experiencing the massage.¶

When you’re getting a massage, don’t think about what you should have done the day before or what you plan to do an hour later. A massage is time to Be Here Now. The sensations you’re feeling offer a great opportunity to quiet your mind, focus, and think of nothing else for a little while. In this way, every massage is a potential meditation. Don’t get me wrong: relaxing and joking around during a massage is perfectly okay, too, but most people, at least once in a while, can benefit from a massage meditation. (See the sidebar, “A massage meditation,” later in this chapter.)¶

Rate #5: No Pain, No Gain? No Way!¶

You may have heard of the massage-masochists who don’t believe they’re receiving a real massage unless they have to grit their teeth to keep from screaming through the whole thing. They’re the ones you can hear yelling from behind massage room doors, “More pressure! More pressure!”¶

This green-beret school of massage is an unfortunate result of the “no-pain, no-gain” mentality that military academies, full-contact sports enthusiasts, and certain daytime-television talk show hosts foster. You don’t need to buy into this way of thinking, and you shouldn’t let this attitude scare you away from getting a massage.¶

A massage meditation¶

Meditation, in a nutshell, is the act of focusing 4. your entire attention on just one thing,thus stopping the constant chatter inside your head and experiencing a state of timelessness, contentment, and wholeness. People achieve this state in many ways — through sports, or silence, or prayer, for example — and massage is yet another activity that you can use to effectively shut out the rest of the world and tune into your 5. own inner peace. The next time you receive a massage, try this meditation …¶

• 1. Close your eyes and begin to get in touch with.your breath, as I describe in the section “Rule RI: Keep Breathing.” Before you receive the first touch of the massage, spend several minutes trying to clear your mind of any other thoughts. Concentrateonly on your breathing.
• 2. When your manage therapist first makes contact, imagine yourself breathing in through that very spot For example, if she starts by massaging your neck, imagine a stream of fresh oxygen and energy entering through your neck, exactly where her fingers are.
• 3. On the exhalation, imagine your muscles in that same area becoming softer, warmer, and looser.

• Continue with this awareness breathing relaxation into each successive point that the massage therapist is touching. Eventually, you become aware that the massage therapist is tuning in to your breath as well, and the massage becomes a shared meditation.

• Communicate with your massage therapist both verbally and nonverbally. Together, you-can create a special massage mood that will help you focus on your experience, making the massage more like a meditation (see Chapter 9).

• 6. Keep bringing your mind back to the massage.

You may realize, at various points during the massage, that your mind has wandered off on tome train of thought. This is completely natural and happens even to advanced meditation practitioners. Simplytring your mind gently back to the breath and the relaxation. Don’t worry about how “good” you-are at meditation. See Meditation For Dummies (IDG Books Worldwide) for more guidance and tips about meditation.¶

So, how much pain should you experience during a massage? In my opinion, none. Zero. However, the line is indeed thin between the pleasure you receive during massage and a certain kind of therapeutic pain. Some people like to walk that line while they’re getting a massage. If you want to experiment walking this line yourself, make sure to do so with an experienced professional.¶

Although certain muscle knots and patterns of tension do respond well to firm, well-focused pressure, you don’t necessarily need to experience it for yourself. Harder massage is not always better massage, and at times the lightest touch can achieve the most profound benefits.¶

Rule #6: Listen to pour Emotions¶

Don’t be surprised if during a massage one day you suddenly, for no reason at all, feel like crying your eyes out, or laughing hysterically. Massage sometimes has that effect on people. Some of the reasons for this emotional response include:¶

• ✓ Certain emotional memories usually the result of powerful experiences — can resurface when your body is massaged.
• ✓ No one has touched you with care, compassion, and gentleness for a very long time. In that case, the experience suddenly overwhelms you with gratitude, bringing forth tears.
• ✓ You’re a very ticklish person.

As esoteric as the first two explanations may sound, they’re entirely plausible. In fact, certain types of massage are famous for stirring up emotions. Rolling, for instance, often triggers this type of experience. The explanation for this emotional component of massage is straightforward — your body and mind have faithfully recorded your every experience, but some of these experiences were so unpleasant that you filed them away In your unconscious and shut down certain feelings in the corresponding part of your body. Massaging the affected areas can bring your awareness back to your body, thus unlocking the memories.¶

If you encounter one of these emotional peaks yourself during a massage, relax, breathe, and allow it to happen. Remembering that you are safe in your present environment, let your mind drift to whatever images or memories seem to be surfacing. You may find yourself remembering all sorts of things that you hadn’t thought of for years, and you can benefit from letting the attendant emotions flow freely through your body, without trying to stifle them. Professional massage therapists are accustomed to this type of emotional release and know how to make you feel comfortable while it’s happening. There’s no need to feel embarrassed by the experience.¶

if, as occasionally happens, one of these resurfacing memories is particularly traumatic, as in the case of abuse, do whatever is necessary to comfort yourself. Communicate with the person massaging you, letting her know that you need to sit up again, or get wrapped in a blanket for a feeling of safety. Have some tissues nearby to dry away tears. Later you can decide whether you want to pursue these memories further with the guidance of a psychologist or other counselor.¶

Rute #7: I3tissing Out Is Okay¶

Sometimes, massage doesn’t Just make you feel great; it makes you feel ecstatic, rapturous, and filled with bliss. The feeling is visceral. You’re lying there one minute relaxing, hopefully concentrating on your breathing, but perhaps just going over your grocery list in your head, when KABOOM!, it hits you, and suddenly you’re just floating there in a syrupy sea of endorphins, not knowing what to do with yourself.¶

I can tell you what to do: enjoy this feeling while it lasts, because, like every other human experience, it passes.¶

These experiences are different for everyone, and nobody knows exactly what causes them. They’ve been responsible for many people changing their entire lives and heading into a career as a massage therapist. And people with spiritual inclinations, once touched in this fashion, have created entire ministries devoted to the “laying on of hands.”¶

A minister named Zach Thomas from North Carolina once had such a powerful experience receiving a massage that he went on to become a massage therapist himself. At first, his church was opposed to his hands-on work, and Zach had to practice massage privately. Eventually, though, he took his skills and his compassionate touch out to the public, performing massage for dying people in hospices and hospitals. He helped form a group called the National Association of Bodywork in Religious Services (NABRS), which is active today with hundreds of members. Much of the work the members of this association do is for those people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to afford it. The nuns and priests and other clergy involved practice the actual “laying on of hands” as written about in the Bible. For more information, you can write to the organization at 337 Tranquil Avenue, Charlotte, NC 28209.¶

The spiritual secret behind massage? Simpleahat massage really boils down to is two people just being together fully in the present moment, which has been the essence of spiritual traditions forever, especially in the East. The mystical traditions of the West have expressed similar sentiments, as noted in the phrase, “Be still and know that I am God.” These understandings are mystical in nature, not reserved for any one particular religion.¶

Think of it this way— massage is one sure-fire way to follow the Golden Rule that exists in almost all cultures and every religion, from the Good Samaritan to the compassionate Buddha. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. Well, who doesn’t want to be touched with care and compassion? Who doesn’t like others to help them feel better and lighten their load?¶

Massage is compassion turned Into action.¶

Rule #8: It’s Cool to Be Nude (Or Not)¶

You are, whether you like it or not, naked all the time beneath your clothes. You were born nude, just like every other human on the planet. Nudity is natural. However, each culture develops its own peculiar attitudes about nudity, ranging from those who consider it extremely awkward, embarrassing, and inappropriate at all times to those who don’t think twice about it, anytime, anywhere, for any reason.¶

Neither attitude Is healthier than the other, they’re just different. The key for massage situations is to respect the attitudes of both people at all times. If either the person receiving or giving the massage is uncomfortable with any kind of skin exposure whatsoever, you’re much better off to cover that area up and keep it covered than to cause discomfort. This applies to the entire body, even the legs and arms, which most people are comfortable exposing. Although gliding an oiled palm is definitely easier over bare skin than covered skin, massage has other moves besides gliding, and you can give a very good massage to a fully clothed person (I show you how in Chapter 11).¶

Remember this message: When you receive a massage, you’re okay the way you are — nude or totally covered up. Just be comfortable.¶

Rule #9: you’re the Boss¶

Even though you’re lying down with your eyes closed during most massages, you’re still in charge. With the slightest word or gesture, you can change the course of the proceedings. Deeper pressure? It’s up to you. Slower pace? That’s your call, too. Less chit-chat? Your decision.¶

You have complete authority to change anything that may be making you uncomfortable. Requesting a change of music, for example, is perfectly permissible, as Is turning the music off altogether. If you want to be covered more modestly, just ask. Whatever you say goes. You can say exactly what you’re feeling, even ending the massage at any time, for any reason you want. Period. You always have the option of standing up and saying, “Enough!”¶

Of course, when you’re receiving a massage from a professional massage therapist, it makes sense to listen to her suggestions. If she thinks you should quiet down and focus on the massage rather than conversation, for example, it’s probably best to follow her advice. However, don’t mistakenly place yourself in a submissive role Just because you’re lying down. Even if the other person knows more about massage than you, is older than you, or has a louder personality than you, the bottom line is, when you’re receiving a massage, you’re the boss.¶

Rate #10: Be Gratetut¶

During the massage itself, spend some time being grateful for what you’re experiencing in the moment. This course is by far the best one to take, instead of the alternatives, which consist of¶

• ° ✓ Wondering when the massage is going to end
• ✓ Plotting the next time you can get a massage
• ✓ Planning your next business trip
• ✓ Worrying about the world economy

Also, be sure to share your feelings of gratitude with the person who just gave yOu the massage, being especially vocal about her fantastic skills and techniques. That way, she’ll look forward to giving you your next massage as much as you’ll look forward to getting it.¶

Chapter 8¶

Your First Massage Appointment Step-by-Step¶

In This Chapter¶

• D Walking through your first appointment

• Where to go to get a massage

probably the biggest barrier that stops people from ever signing up for their first professional massage is a fear of the unknown. Let’s face it: If you have never ventured into a room with a stranger to get rubbed before, you Just don’t know what to expect, and the thought of becoming vulnerable in any way doesn’t inspire you to take the first step.¶

But hold on. Think back for just a minute. Do you remember any experience in your entire life that was not scary the first time you tried it? Go as far back as your first day at kindergarten. That’s scary. Getting your first massage is just another step along the road of discovery in your life.¶

Your First Appointment with a Pro¶

You can use the following seven steps as a guide to help you breeze through your first appointment with confidence and poise, starting before you even arrive and lasting right up until you walk out the door.¶

Preparation¶

In order to get the most out of your massage, you have to do a little more planning and preparation than you would, say, in order to go get a haircut. When you schedule your massage, keep these points in mind:¶

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• ✓ Don’t eat a large meal within a couple hours before starting the massage. You don’t want to be lying face down on a belly full of lasagna while somebody is pressing on your back. Light meals and snacks are okay, and a larger meal several hours earlier won’t affect you.
• ✓ If possible, don’t wear a lot of jewelry, which takes a lot to time to take off and put back on again.
• ✓ Refrain from consuming alcohol before your massage (unless it’s a sensual massage and you’re sharing a bottle of bubbly with that special someone to get in the mood). Although alcohol can help relax you, ft also slows your responses and deadens some sensations. You want to be alert and responsive because massage is a two-way dance and you need to do your part.
• ✓ Make sure to schedule enough time before and after your massage so you’re not rushing to get there and flying out the door when you leave. Hurrying tends to counteract the relaxing effects of the massage itself.
• ✓ Turn off pagers and cellular phones during the massage. This probably seems obvious, but it may surprise you to know that beeps, buzzes, and rings have interrupted many tranquil, soothing massages.
• ✓ Make sure any childcare details are completely taken care of before you begin so your mind can be at ease during your session.

No particular time of day is best to receive a massage, but most people have their own personal preference. Some like the morning so they can experience the benefits throughout the day, and others like a massage right before going to bed at night. Whichever your choice is, try to schedule far enough in advance so you get the time you prefer. Many massage therapists are busy, and their “prime times” are taken up early.¶

Communication¶

When you arrive at your massage destination, especially for the first time, you need to engage in a little communication with the person who is going to massage you. So it helps, of course, if you speak the same language as that person. And I don’t mean just the same native tongue, but the same intention, too. If what you want out of the experience is fundamentally different than what the massage therapist intends to give, you’re headed for trouble.¶

For example, if you came In for an hour of blissful relaxation and escape from stress, but what the massage therapist intends on giving you is a session of active, muscle-stretching sports therapy, neither one of you is going to have a good time. The best time to confirm your intentions is on the phone, before you meet face-to-face, but you need to reconfirm this understanding with some clear verbal communication after you arrive, as well.¶

EFTA00008148¶

When you finally meet your massage therapist for the first time, there may be some nonverbal communication required also, in the form of paperwork to fill out, like the actual massage therapist’s intake form. “Why do I have to fill out these medical forms if all I want is a simple massage?” you may ask. Well, it’s for your own good. Massage affects the entire body, and it’s best if your massage therapist knows as much as possible about your health history. If a massage therapist doesn’t ask you to fill out a form, however, it doesn’t mean she doesn’t care about your health; that’s just her style, or the policy of the spa or health club where she works.¶

Another type of communication you share with your massage therapist is both nonverbal and non-written — body language. Your massage therapist, by profession an expert in the language of the body, may try her best not to laugh out loud while your body silently struggles with embarrassment and anxiety at the prospect of getting your first massage. Just kidding! Actually, as you may imagine, massage therapists become very adept at making their clients feel at ease in a potentially uneasy situation. It’s the little things they do (and don’t do) that make the difference. It could be where they point their eyes or how they manipulate sheets and towels to make you feel protected and respected. It’s the way they just relax and accept you when you make yourself vulnerable by being there.¶

Besides, they’re just as eager to make a good first impression as you are, partly because it’s human nature and partly because they want you as a repeat customer!¶

Getting comfortable¶

In most massage situations, after you arrive and go through your communication rituals, the next step is undressing and lying down. This can be tricky. It’s the moment many people dread, and the one that keeps them from ever getting a “real” massage. The way it works is like this:¶

• 1. The massage therapist explains how you’re supposed to get up on the massage table, pointing out where your head should be, and whether you should be face up or facedown. If you ask whether you should get completely undressed or not, the stock answer is something to the effect of, “Most people take all their clothes off, but you can get undressed to the level of your comfort.” Then she leaves the room. Do not feel intimidated by “most people” who all so bravely get naked for their massages. it’s up to you if you want to keep your underwear or some clothes on, and It’s OK either way. Refer to Rule # 8 in Chapter 7, “It’s cool to be nude (or not).”
• 2. After the massage therapist is out of the room, remember to take your time. Don’t worry about getting barged in on, cause it ain’t gonna happen. She knocks before coming back in, and usually she waits much longer than necessary to make sure you have plenty of time. Take this opportunity to remove Jewelry, watches, and anything else that may

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entangle a finger (wedding bands are okay). Usually, there is a little table or shelf to hold your belongings, and you can find a hook for your clothes. If you have long hair, you may want to tie it back so It doesn’t get in the way. Also, it’s a good idea to visit the bathroom before you lay down on the table, even if you don’t think you have to go. Getting a massage with a full bladder takes a lot of the enjoyment out of it.¶

• 3. Lie down on the table in the position you were told and pull the sheet or towel up over your body, completely covering yourself.
• 4. The massage therapist knocks and asks if it’s okay to enter again. When you give the go-ahead, she comes in, and then usually washes her hands. She does this for three reasons:
  • To reassure you that her hands are clean
  • To wash away any dirt or germs she may have contacted since scrubbing them the last time a few minutes earlier
  • In many areas the law requires it
• 5. She makes sure you’re comfortable, checking the room temperature, tucking the towel around your body, and adjusting the lights and music. She may also slip a little pillow or piece of foam rubber beneath your knees, ankles, or head to help support you. These cushions are called bolsters, and they really help you feel more comfortable. If you feel a strain or lack of support in any area of your body, just let the massage therapist know.
• 6. After everything’s set, your massage therapist uncovers just the area that she is going to work on. If she plans to massage your neck, she pulls the sheet down to the top of your chest. Massage therapists always leave women’s breasts covered, and no one’s “private parts” ever get exposed.

Sometimes no matter how hard you try, all these massage rules go out the window. Like the time I was working at a spa and had the opportunity to massage Dr. Ruth Westheimer. I’ll never forget the experience because, for one thing, she threw her robe off before I ever had the chance to leave the room and let her get undressed. Then, full of confidence, she strode to the massage table and tried to climb aboard. I say “tried” because, as It turns out, she was a little too short to reach. I wanted to reach down and give her a boost, but I couldn’t figure out how to do it without getting a little too personal with Dr. Ruth, so I averted my eyes as best I could and offered ineffectual words of general encouragement.¶

Luckily, she knew what to do. “Don’t worry!” she chimed. “I’ve had this problem before!” Then she proceeded to push a chair up next to the massage table, climb onto it, and from there crawl up onto the table, where I Immediately covered her with a sheet in the proper professional fashion.¶

Avoiding the bathrobe dance¶

As a massage therapist in spas, on many occasions I’ve entered the massage room to begin a massage only to find my client lying there, face down, rigid with nervousness, with her bathrobe tied super-tight around her waist Before leaving the room to let her disrobe, I’d instructed her to take her robe off and lie down under the sheet I’d provided, but some clients are too tense to hear those instructions.¶

And so that’s when we begin the bathrobe dance.¶

The bathrobe dance is an awkward ordeal that usually last4 about two minutes. While the massage therapist tries to assist as best he can, the dent rolls, wriggles, and writhes herway out of the bathrobe while remaining face down and completely covered at all times. The client’s rump usually scoots up in the air, arms and legs splay every which way, and her face turns bright red.¶

Then, after the robe is finally loosened from around her body and her arms -are out of the armholes, the massage therapist haste drape a sheet or towel over it-before skillfully slipping the robe from underneath. This entire procedure leaves the client even more tense than when she started, and more embarrassed than she Would havebeen if she’d simply listened to the instructions.¶

If you find yourself on the table still wrapped in your robe, make things easy on yourself. Don’t wear yourself out before the massage by wrestling with your robe. Instead, say something like, “That was so silly of me,” and ask the massage therapist to leave the room again to give you another chance. Then get off the table, slip out of your robe, and lie down beneath the sheet like you were supposed to in the first place.¶

If, rather than a bathrobe, you have a towel wrapped around you before the massage, make sure not to lie down directly upon the knotted part so you have to do the “rock-n-roll” to loosen it. Instead, open the towel up and lie straight on the table with the towel still covering your backside.¶

The first touch¶

The very first moment of contact between you and the massage therapist can tell you an awful lot about how the rest of the massage is going to feel. Each massage therapist has a “personality” in her hands that you quickly get to know.¶

When the massage therapist is closely attuned to you and your body, this moment can be almost sacred. It’s an intimate Joining-together of your consciousness with the consciousness of another person, which Just plain doesn’t happen that often in the modern world.¶

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Take advantage of this initial contact by tuning in especially closely to what’s happening in your own body. In the same way that you pick up a lot of information about the person who’s touching you, she’s picking up a lot of information.about you. It’s a good opportunity for you to concentrate on your breathing and relaxation.¶

During the massage¶

During the massage, your massage therapist continues to keep you covered at all times, only exposing those areas that she’s working on at the moment. Massage therapists are experts at this technique, called draping, and they make you feel completely comfortable, almost as if you were fully dressed during the experience.¶

Yes, you are comfortable and modestly covered the whole time, but what are you supposed to actually DO while you’re getting a massage? That’s the biggest problem many people have, especially “type A” people. They figure that getting a massage is just plain boring and that’s why they decide not to do it.¶

Okay, so getting a massage is not exactly the same as bungee jumping from a hot-air balloon, attending a rock concert, or brokering a multi-million dollar deal in a corporate boardroom. But if you let it, massage can become compelling, thrilling even, in a very internal kind of way. It’s like taking a roller coaster ride inside your own skin.¶

The trick is not to try and make anything happen, but to Just let whatever happens happen. You’re not supposed to do anything. Your massage therapist tells you if you have to move a certain way or breathe a certain way or visualize a certain image. Besides that, the less you do the better. Think of massage as a trip to the beach. You’re supposed to just lie there and do nothing.¶

“But what if I fall asleep?” you gasp. “Wouldn’t that insult the massage therapist?” Not at all. In fact, some massage therapists take it as a compliment that they can get their clients to relax this deeply. However, your creative input to the massage process is just as valuable as the massage therapist’s input, so it’s better if you stay awake. And, If you snooze through a massage, you may be missing some of the most pleasurable moments of your life. Who wants to pay good money for a nap?¶

If you’re the type that cannot conceive of an entire hour spent doing nothing, try this: Talk to the massage therapist about things that matter, like your health. Most massage people are pretty well versed in the art of taking-careof-yourself, and you stand a good chance of having a conversation that goes beyond mere chitchat, offering you some real benefits.¶

Under pressure¶

So, what’s the right amount of pressure to ask for during a massage anyway? Pressure refers to how hard or softthe massage feels, how painful or soothing. Usually, your massage therapist has a lot of experience in this area and can find just the right pressure to suit your particular body type and your level of sensitivity. But there may betimes when you want her to change the pressure, and it helps if you know what to ask for.¶

It’s silly to suffer through a massage that’s too soft or too hard just because you’re too bashful to say anything about it You can use this scale from 1-10 to communicate your desired pressure level to your massage therapist¶

• 1 Light as a feather. The fingertips merely skim over the surface.of the skin to provide stimulation to the nerve endings, but no pressure is exertedonto the body.
• 2-3 Very light tolight Many people prefer this kind of silky, gliding touch, but it drives Others crazy bacause they think the massage therapist isn’t “getting in there and workingthe niuscles.-
• 4-6 Moderate to moderately firm. This is where most massage takes place. You can definitely feel some pressure, and you know the massage is having some definite physical effects, but never so much that it’s annoying.
• 7-9 Arm to very firm to deep. At these levels, you may begin to squirm a little. And you may even say something like, “What are you trying to do, kill me?” Rest assured, the massage therapist is not trying to kill you. She’s just being merciless in her attempt to root out and destroy any tightness she’s found. Mercilessness can be a good quality in a massage therapist.
• 10 Profoundly deep massage. This level reaches to the core of your body’s deeper structures, actually altering your posture and inner alignment. This should be reserved for masochists, people with a high pain tolerance, and those who know what they’re doing.

If there is a distraction of some sort, such as a loud noise or a telephone ringing, try not to take it personally. Nobody is out to ruin your massage experience. Instead of letting an Interruption spoil things for you, focus Instead on the exchange of positive energy between you and the person giving you the massage.¶

Keep communicating. When appropriate during the massage, give feedback to your massage therapist. Words spoken about the massage help keep you focused on the massage. If at any point you want the massage therapist to change what she’s doing, you have a right to let her know. After all, you’re paying, and the customer is always right. Let her know what you want, which may include:¶

n mg More pressure or less pressure. This is often referred to on a scale from U 1 to 10 (see the sidebar, “Under pressure” in this chapter).¶

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• Jov More or less time spent fn a particular area. But be aware that the massage therapist may be using her knowledge to achieve a certain goal, working in the area that’s most effective, even if you think It’s not directly connected to your problem.
• ✓ A glass of water.
• ✓ A trip to the bathroom.
• ✓ A chance to express your feelings and ask for reassurance, especially if a strong emoticurbegins to surface during your massage.

Beware of the massage therapist who claims she can only perform “deep” work and then proceeds to pummel your body even after you request lighter pressure. It’s never necessary to undergo a painful ordeal In order to experience the relaxation you seek.¶

Coming back slowly¶

Take it easy getting off the table and back into your life. There’s no need to hurry. In fact, most massage therapists suggest that you just lay there and absorb the effects of the massage and the relaxation for a few minutes before getting up again. Unless you’re late for something urgent, such as an international plane trip to go receive the Nobel Prize at an awards banquet being held in your honor, follow this suggestion. These few minutes can be an exquisite interlude during which your cares and concerns seem a million miles away. Relish it.¶

Then, when you finally decide to get up, don’t be shy about asking for help if you need it, as you may feel a little wobbly at first.¶

There is a special way to get yourself off a massage table that helps you keep the effects intact. Instead of essentially doing a sit-up and re-tensing all your muscles in order to get upright again, simply roll onto your side and push gently against the table with both hands while you slowly roll back into a sitting position. Your feet and legs will end up hanging over the edge of the table, as you see illustrated in Figure 8-1. Then you can slide your rear-end off the table like a buttered pancake.¶

Afterglow¶

When you first step on the floor again, exercise caution because massage oil left on the soles of your feet can cause you to slip. Take your time getting dressed, making sure you’re not forgetting anything. It’s not necessary to take a shower, as your skin absorbs normal amounts of oil or cream, though you¶

Chapter 8: Your First Massage Appointment — Step-by-Step 109¶

excess oil, you can wipe it off with a towel or some rubbing alcohol before putting clothes back on, especially silk garments.¶

may want to take one if you’re going out later. If the massage therapist used¶

Figure 8-1: There’s a right way and a wrong way to get off a massage table. This is the right way.¶

Take some time to reorient yourself. Be cautious about driving your car right away as you may feel a bit “disconnected,” as if your body were inside of a big box filled with cotton.

¶

Before you leave, take the massage therapist’s business card, and consider making another appointment so you don’t have to worry about it later.¶

To tip or not to tip¶

You’re all ready to head out the door when suddenly it occurs to you that perhaps you should tip the person who just gave you the massage. Is it appropriate? Would she be insulted if you gave her a tip? Upset if you didn’t? The answer is … “it depends.”¶

It depends upon where you received the massage. Was it a spa? Then a tip Is almost always expected, unless the spa has a policy against it. Was it at a sports medicine clinic? Then tips are not usually part of the procedure. Did you receive the massage at home? Then a tip is definitely appreciated, as the massage therapist went out of her way to provide the service.¶

Overcoming the heebie jeebies¶

ifrevingter trying seine of thasuggestionsin this chapter, you’re stillharboring &tiny bitot fear and loathing about massage somewhere in your subconscious inind; that’s all right.ff eh the same way; too, the first time I.disrobed for a session as a student at the Massage Moot of SantaMonica-Manyyears age.¶

It’s perfectly naturalle feel somewhat anxious atthe thought of somebody yoadon’t even know touching you for an extended period of time. And the thought of somebody you do know touching you. for a whole hour may even be worsel In the highly sophisticated, jet-setter¶

world of massage therapy, these feelings of anxiety are known by the technical term “heebie-jeebies.” Unless’you grew up in a household.where massage was as common as Saturday morning cartoons, the heebie-jeebies may present a problern when you’re first getting readyto climb up on a massage table and simply receive.¶

My advice? Feenhe fear and do it anyway. Plunge in and get that massage. Afterwardsrif Vetere like 99.9 percent of all people; you say to yourself, “Thatwasn’t soled! Why didn’t I do this along time ago?”¶

Some massage therapists feel tipping for a massage is inappropriate. They want their work to be considered in the same category as any other health care provider’s. You wouldn’t tip your chiropractor, your homeopath, or your M.D., right?¶

So how do you know what to do? Tipping ultimately boils down to an understanding with the massage therapist. If you’re at all uncertain, simply ask, “Is tipping allowed here?” The customary tip amount in most locations is usually in the $5410 range, more if the massage therapist is working late, went far out of her way, or did an especially good Job. And, remember, you never hove to tip for massage. It’s not like tipping a waiter, who’s making the bulk of his income through gratuities. Massage therapists are usually pretty well paid for what they do. Tips are the icing on the cake for them.¶

Where to Go to Get Massaged¶

You have an array of choices when it comes to where you receive a professional massage, ranging from right in your own bedroom all the way up to super luxurious spa resorts on the island of Maui. I personally recommend Maul. Wherever you are, it helps if you know a little bit about each environment and what you can expect when you receive a massage there. That’s what this section’s all about.¶

Your own home¶

Getting a professional massage in your own home is great. In fact, some people think it’s the crème de la creme of massage experiences. You don’t have to drive anywhere. You’re in safe, familiar surroundings. And, best of all, afterwards all you have to do is roll over into your own bed or onto your own couch. The massage therapist leaves, and you float off on a wave of bliss in the comfort of your own home.¶

What could be better?¶

However, there are some downsides to the in-home massage visit. For one thing, you’re basically inviting a stranger to set up her business right in your own bedroom or your den, which is kind of an invasion of privacy. And another thing—when you’re at home, you’re surrounded by your own life. Every detail is there to remind you of your pre and post-massage existence, which may perhaps detract from the “escape” factor of your experience.¶

Then there are the distractions. If you have children, you can pretty much count on them wanting to crawl up on the massage table with you and “help” the nice massage person do her job. This is very endearing of the little tykes, but it’s not the straight and narrow road to total relaxation.¶

Only sign up for an in-home massage if you’re comfortable with other people in your private space and you can keep distractions to a minimum.¶

The massage therapist’s home¶

Many massage therapists have a space set up in their own homes for giving massage. This can range from a dinky little corner in one end of the living room to an entire suite of offices with a separate entrance. You may like the “personalized” feeling of visiting a massage therapist in her home, where you can take advantage of the relaxing environment she has (hopefully) set up. On the other hand, if you’re the type of person who prefers a more clearly defined edge between the personal and professional aspects of your transactions, the massage therapist’s home may not be the best choice of location for you.¶

Also, you have to take into account certain practical details as well, such as whether or not the massage therapist has pets. If you’re allergic to cats, and the massage therapist’s house is a veritable kitty kennel, you may break out in a rash and not enjoy the massage at all.¶

A good massage therapist should put the rest of her life on hold while you’re in her home, but some have a tendency to attend to their own business while you’re there, answering the phone and the doorbell, for Instance, which can¶

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greatly detract from your experience. You may need to make an extra effort to enforce rule # 9 from Chapter 7. You’re the boss, even if you’re in her home, and for this hour you’re in charge.¶

Spas¶

Some of the most beautiful massage environments in the world can be found in spas, and you find out more about them in Chapter 15. Grand destination spas dot the map in every state now, and if you look in your Yellow Pages, you’re likely to find a day spa that you can check out right in your own town.¶

While spas are often pleasant and luxurious, there are a couple things you should keep in mind when signing up for a massage in one:¶

• ✓ Massage therapists in spas only keep a (usually small) percentage of the profits, which sometimes leads them to give less than their absolute best work.
• ✓ Massage Therapists in spas are “on the clock,” and you’re likely to get a massage that is exactly 50 minutes long, so she has time to prepare the room for the next client. It’s a rare massage therapist who can still give you a feeling of timeless bliss within that shortened hour.
• ✓ Often, the style of massage given in spas is dictated by a lowestcommon-denominator mentality, and massage therapists are not allowed to use their advanced techniques for fear of alienating a clientele who wants “just a rubdown.”

These warnings notwithstanding, there’s no reason to believe you won’t receive an incredible massage in a spa. Some of the best massage therapists work in them. Also, if you end up finding a massage therapist you really like, you can ask her whether she also takes private clients outside the spa, which may mean a better deal for her and a better massage for you. Be diplomatic when doing this though, as many spas have a policy against their massage therapists “stealing” customers in this way.¶

Cruise ships¶

Cruise ships are fun places to get massages, if you don’t mind rocking back and forth a little bit while you’re on the table. Almost every ship has its own spa, and you can visit for a half-hour or an hour of massage as easily as visiting the midnight buffet. A massage during your cruise may add to the exotic flavor of your trip, but there are a couple less-than-exotic points to keep in mind as well:¶

• ✓ Because floor space and portholes are at a premium on ships, massage rooms onboard are usually teeny tiny little quarters with no natural light. If you’re used to ample luxurious massage spaces, you may feel a little claustrophobic in this environment.
• ✓ Even more so than in spas on land, shipboard massage therapists are part of a massage assembly line, and sometimes the massages are limited to half an hour. It’s rough to coax the best from your massage therapist because she sees so many people come and go — none of whom are repeat customers.
• ✓ Make sure to sign up early as soon as you come on board If you’re thinking about getting a massage during your cruise because the best time slots fill up fast. You may want an appointment during a “sea day,” rather than in port, so you don’t have to decide between getting a massage and going ashore to sightsee or shop.

Hotels¶

Many hotels have their own spas, so all you have to do to book a massage is call the spa desk. For those hotels without a spa, you’ll want to contact the concierge to arrange your appointment.¶

One note about concierges: Watch out! They often take a good chunk of the massage therapist’s fee for themselves, and they have a stable of ever-ready massage therapists at hand who allow them to do that. So, the quality is not always the best. You may be better off placing a call directly to a professional that you find listed under licensed practitioners in the local Yellow Pages or newspaper. That way you can avoid the fee and perhaps find higher-quality work as well.¶

All in all, hotel rooms are on the low end of the totem pole as far as receiving massages go. They’re impersonal, they’re cramped, and they often have that funny hotel-room-smell that no amount of incense or positive thinking can overcome. If you find yourself in a hotel room somewhere with nowhere else to go for your massage, and only a concierge to put your trust in, do what seasoned massage recipients the world over have done for years: enjoy it anyway. (See Chapter 17 for more info about hotel massages.)¶

Health clubs¶

Health clubs are becoming better places to receive massages. In the past, you were likely to wind up in a tiny cinder-block cubicle vibrating with the sounds of music from the aerobics room next door. These days health-club owners are more aware that their customers want a little nook of tranquility, and a well-trained massage therapist, available for massage. Depending upon the place, some of these clubs offer massage therapists a good percentage of the¶

4 Part II: The Art of Receiving Massage¶

profits, and even a chance to run their own concession, so you may very well find some motivated individuals. The massage is often high-quality, especially if you’re interested in sports-related therapy. And in a health club you can receive your massage immediately after a strenuous workout and a limb-loosening sauna.¶

Clinics¶

Many massage therapists open up their own clinics. The setup is similar to any other professional office, like a chiropractor’s, a doctor’s, or a dentist’s. You walk in the front door into a waiting area with a potted plant, some magazines, chairs, and a reception desk. Behind the desk is a hallway with a few doors opening into rooms. The rooms behind those doors, however, can differ decidedly from other clinics. Depending upon the personality and style of the massage therapist, a massage treatment room can range from whitetiled sterility with anatomical charts on the walls to a softly glowing, plush chamber of warmth filled with the strains of celestial music.¶

One specialty in this area is known as the sports massage clinic. The massage therapists In these facilities concentrate on rehabilitating you after an Injury. They often work with orthopedic physicians and physical therapists. A trip to this type of no-nonsense massage clinic may feel more like a hospital visit than a spa visit.¶

Student massage clinics¶

Because of the wide disparity between massage therapists and the environments they create in which to work, it’s a good idea to go check out each environment personally, or at least get a detailed description of it from a friend, before you sign up for your first massage there. That way you can avoid the nasty surprises that can surface, such as when you make an appointment at your local day spa for a relaxing hour of escape only to find the massage room is directly adjacent to a bank of two dozen noisy hairdrying machines.¶

Part III The Art of Giving Massage¶

’ 1 many dont think a simple neck message is ping -Eo FAE. rid. o£ your headaches”¶

In this part …¶

ou’re no doubt familiar with the famous expression, “it’s better to give than to receive.” And if you’re like most people, every time you’ve heard someone utter that wonderful phrase, filled as it is with such a beautiful philanthropic message, you’ve thought to yourself, “Yeah, right. I’ll take receiving any day.”¶

But you have to admit, there’s a certain gratification that comes from giving which quite often actually makes it feel better than receiving — more meaningful, more fulfilling. And the secret to achieving that kind of fulfillment is that you have to give with your whole heart. It won’t work if you’re just going through the motions.¶

This is especially true for massage. Sure, you can rub some warmed almond oil on your partner’s back for 20 minutes while watching the clock out with one eye and the football game on TV with the other, but that’s not what massage is all about.¶

Massage is about cultivating the right attitude — the giver’s attitude — not just applying mechanical maneuvers, which any massage text can teach you.¶

But don’t worry: In this part of the book, you’re going to discover how to actually give a massage, too! And as you’ll see, it’s not that difficult. Just follow the simple Instructions, and In no time, you’ll be reproducing the very same techniques you see being performed by the highly trained models in the photographs. No problem.¶

That’s right. You can become one of those people about whom everyone else exclaims, “What great hands you’ve got!” Just remember to focus on your “giver’s attitude” as much as your manual skills, and you’ll do Just fine.¶

Chapter 9¶

Massage Moods: Getting the Setting Right¶

In This Chapter¶

D Making sure that everything looks, sounds, smells, and feels right Is. Trading places¶

Sayay your husband or wife or roommate sees you reading this book for hours on end and eventually says something to you like, “Hey, how about giving ME a massage? Right nowt”

¶

Your immediate response should be:¶

• A. Sure, lie down on the linoleum here and we’ll get started.
• B. No way, I’m too nervous about ever actually doing this stuff.
• C. I haven’t finished the book yet.
• D. Okay, but give me a few minutes to set the right mood.

Yes, oh intelligent massage student, you’ve once again chosen correctly. The answer is D. It’s definitely true that your partner appreciates it if you take a little time to set up a special environment or “massage mood” before you begin the actual massage. And, even if you’re in a less-than-ideal environment, don’t worry. You can materialize a magical massage mood Just about anywhere if you use some of the ideas in this chapter to create your own “inner chamber.”¶

Creating the Inner Chamber¶

One of the big secrets to giving a good massage has very little to do with the massage itself. It has to do, rather, with where the massage is happening. And I’m not talking about exotic locales like Bali or Atlantic City. I’m referring to more accessible locations, like your bedroom or the couch in your den.¶

8 Part The Art of Giving Massage¶

So how do you turn these everyday places into someplace special? It’s easy; the trick is to involve all the senses.¶

Massage, of course, relies heavily upon the senses for its effects. Your sense of touch, especially, is being bombarded the entire time you’re giving or receiving a massage. But it would be a mistake to neglect the other senses; they can add greatly to your massage experience, too.¶

The sense of taste doesn’t usually play a big part in massage, unless of course you like to use edible massage oils like strawberry, almond, and mint that are … whoops, I think we’re straying a little beyond the scope of this chapter. Check out Chapter 19 for more information on sensual massage, including the use of all kinds of flavored oils.¶

Anyway, for now let’s concentrate on the three remaining senses that come into play during a massage experience, also known as the 3 S’s of your inner chamber:¶

• ✓ Scents
• ✓ Sights
• ✓ Sounds

Scents¶

Professional massage therapists often coach their clients through some deepbreathing techniques as part of the massage. And, as you may suspect, all that breathing includes quite a bit of smelling, too. That’s part of the reason why massage pros have so much concern about the way that their workrooms smell. In addition, they also know how powerful the sense of smell can be for healing and relaxation.¶

Just sniffing a whiff of corn muffins like the ones your Aunt Betty used to bake when you visited her on weekends as a kid Is enough to send you reeling back through the years, right? Why is that so? Aromas trigger a mighty emotional response because the molecules that enter your nose don’t mess around. They do not pass GO; they do not collect $200. Instead, they take a direct route straight into the mldbrain area, which is the seat of your emotions and memories. This fact is a key to the power of aromatherapy.¶

Aromatherapy¶

if you use advanced grammatical techniques to break down the word aromatherapy, you discover that it means “therapy with aromas.” Anal So, does that mean therapy with just any aroma, such as the aroma of sauteed onions, for example, or the aroma of diesel fuel at dawn?¶

Chapter 9: Massage Moods: Getting the Setting Right 19¶

Hardly. Aromatherapy is the use of highly concentrated essential oils from certain plants to stimulate the brain. This stimulation causes a positive effect on the nervous and glandular systems and thus the entire body. During a massage, you can utilize aromatherapy in several ways. In Chapter 11, you find out how to mix up an aromatherapy massage oil, but for now let’s focus on three other aromatherapy tips that can help you scent your massage space.¶

• ✓ Diffusers: As the name suggests, a diffuser diffuses aroma into the air. Several inexpensive models ($10415) are available that use a miniature fan. Simply place a few drops of your favorite oil on a cotton pad, turn on the fan, and the scent of essential oils fills the room.
• ✓ Candles: Many commercially available candles have essential oils worked right into the wax, and burning one during a massage is a great way to combine effects in two of the three S’s, sight and scent. Until recently, you had to visit a specialty shop to purchase aromatherapy candles, but now they’re even available at your local grocery store. S.C. Johnson, for example, makers of Glade air fresheners, is now in the aromatherapy market with candles and sprays.
• ✓ Bulb rings: These little doodads were popular in the 1970s when they were used to cover up even more exotic aromas floating around the room at parties. Now they’re making a comeback as aromatherapy aids. Basically, they’re floppy little rings that you place over a light bulb. When you sprinkle several drops of essential oil into the ring and turn on the bulb, Presto! — instant aromatherapy.

If aromatherapy is something you’re keenly interested in, I would recommend Aromatherapy For Dummies by Kathi Keville, published by IDG Books Worldwide, a book that promises to answer that age-old question, “How can I smell better and feel better at the same time?”¶

Incense¶

The musky, natural scents that burning incense creates can turn your inner , chamber into a mystical and exotic environment, even if in reality it’s just your guest bedroom. The problem is, many people overdo it with incense, fumigating the room with enough mystical and exotic smoke to choke themselves, their partner, and any unsuspecting insects living in the walls. This is not good.¶

When it comes to incense, a little goes a long way. Use it with moderation, and you can create Just the right mood. If you’re using one of those long thick sticks of incense, snap It off X of the way down and burn just the last bit. Also, you can crack a window open, weather permitting, to circulate a little fresh air with the smoke.¶

An altar to the massage gods¶

Some people go so far as to create a special altar in the area where they give their massages. This is going a bit out into Shirley MacLeine land, I realize, but when you think about it, it makes sense. A massage can be a kind of shared spiritual experience (See Rule #7 in Chapter 7), and an altar is a way to commemorate that.¶

So what should be on a massage altar, you ask? You can place the objects mentioned elsewhere in this chapter, such as water fountains, candles, incense burners, and flowers on your altar.¶

Then you can go a step further and add a photograph or two as well. Pick a subject that reminds you of spiritual things, such as a photo of the Dalai Lama, Saint Francis, or whales cavorting in the waves.¶

If you spend time meditating or simply sitting quietly at your altar, you can embue the space with a quiet energy. People who join you there may notice the difference. I don’t know if this is due to an actual exchange of peaceful molecules, an increase in negative ions, or what, but it can definitely be felt.¶

There are thousands of brands and “flavors” of Incense. My favorite is the Nag Champa scent, which, although I’ve never been there, reminds me of a sacred meditation cave in the Himalayas.¶

Flowers¶

Nothing beats the scent of fresh flowers in your massage area. You don’t need a big vase and a big budget to make it happen either. All that’s necessary is a small bowl, a cup, or a mug from the kitchen cabinet that you fill with water, and a single flower. Roses or gardenias work especially well. Snip the flower off the stem and float it on the water. This fills the air with scent for hours or even days.¶

If you want to get really romantic, spread some fresh petals on the bed or other massage surface to set the mood. Cleopatra had her love chamber filled a foot deep with rose petals before Anthony made his big entrance.¶

Sights¶

It may sound funny to focus on the sights of a massage space because, after all, the person receiving the massage will probably have her eyes closed most of the time anyway. But during those few minutes when she first enters, and whenever she opens her eyes, she’ll soak in her surroundings. There are a few simple things that you can use to add to the relaxing ambience:¶

n ✓ Candles: Candles cast an enchanting glow over any massage experience, and they can add to the scent as well, as I mention earlier.¶

• ✓ Flowers: Even a small bunch of silk flowers placed with care near the massage area shows this is someplace special.
• ✓ Lighting: You can do some simple things with lighting to make your space massage-friendly.
  • Turn the lights down low. This helps the person on the receiving end concentrate more on the massage, perhaps because she won’t feel like you are scrutinizing her body under a microscope.
  • Throw a silk scarf over a lampshade to create instant mood lighting during a massage.

✓ Color Drape the area with soft colorful fabrics.¶

Sounds¶

Carefully selected sounds serve two main purposes during a massage:¶

• 0 ✓ They add to the mood.
• ✓ They mask other, distracting, sounds like traffic noises and TVs.

There are a number of really interesting ways to make sound a part of your massage, and you may find that some massage pros carry an entire arsenal of sound makers to add to their clients’ experience. Some of my favorites include:¶

• ✓ Tibetan meditation bowls: These look like simple brass bowls, but when you glide a wooden instrument along the rim, they sing out beautifully with rich vibrant tones.
• ✓ Ting shaks: Mother Tibetan invention, you strike these heavy brass bells together to form a clear, long-lasting tone that sets a meditative mood for a massage.
• ✓ Gongs: Yes, miniature versions, complete with a little gong hammer, are available.
• ✓ Wind chimes: A classic in the relaxing-sounds category, there are literally thousands of types available. If you can’t be near an open window to hear the chimes, place them indoors near an oscillating fan to simulate blowing breezes.

And, if all else fails … earplugs work wonders. You can get them at your local drugstore.¶

Water¶

You know those cute little burbling pots filled with rocks and miniature waterfalls? You can find them in a lot of gift shops these days, and while they are a tad overpriced, they definitely add a lot to the ambience of a massage. If¶

122 Part III: The Art of Giving Massage¶

you’re the industrious type, you can overcome the price problem by building a little indoor fountain for yourself. All it takes is a container, some rocks, and a small submersible water pump.¶

Of course, being outside near a source of natural flowing water is a great choice, too, but then you have to consider other details, such as temperature, rain, insects, and privacy.¶

One thing to remember — the sound of running water seems to have a powerful effect on the bladder. Make extra sure your partner visits the bathroom before receiving a massage with a waterfall nearby.¶

Music¶

Music, of course, is the most popular type of sound used to complement massage. In most big spas, for example, they pump music directly into the massage rooms from a central sound system, putting the guests in the right mood to relax and unwind.¶

One massage manufacturing company built stereo speakers right into the bed of a massage table so that when you lie down on it, the music literally vibrates you. While this may be going a bit far, music is still the best and easiest way for you to include the element of sound in your massage.¶

An entire industry has sprung up to provide music appropriate for massage. If you want to experience some of the most popular massage music, try putting one of the following tapes or CDs on the next time you exchange a massage:¶

• ✓ George Winston’s December
• ✓ Pachabel’s Cannon
• ✓ Deuter Ecstasy
• ✓ Anything by Stephen Halpern
• ✓ Brian Eno, Musk for Airports
• ✓ Ray Lynch, Musk to Disappear Into
• ✓ Enya, especially her Orinoco Flow CD
• ✓ The Cowboy Junkies, Trinity Session (a personal, offbeat favorite)
• ✓ Yanni, especially his In My Time
• ✓ Any relaxing classical music •

Don’t get the wrong idea here, though. Massage music doesn’t necessarily have to be flutes or harps or Yanni ‘til you yawn. You can be creative in your choices, and sometimes the best massages are given to the most unlikely accompaniment. See the sidebar “Reggae massage.”¶

Reggae massage¶

One day whew! was in charge of the massage crew at-a large spa in-Florida, I suddenly was completely fed up with the droning of flutes, harps, and syrupy synthesizer music that poured endlessly out of the stereo speakers in each of the 24 massage rooms. Heading to the sound control room, I secretly exchanged the -wellworn New Age CDs for some-reggae discs with distinctively upbeat sounds.¶

It was the middle of a lazy, rainy afternoon. The massage rooms were filled with customers who were all paying upwards of $5,000 per week to be there, and I wasn’t sure exactly what the reactionwouldtbe. Would•the:customers complain? Would I be fired?¶

After just two hours, theverdict came in, and someone passedine the message … “Steve, the spatirector wants to see you.inher. office.”¶

Gulp.¶

When I arrived, the director had an expression of profound curiosity on her face. “Do you know what was going on with the music in the massage roomsthis afternoon?” she asked.¶

“I… urn, well… ”¶

“Because whatever itwas, the customers loved it. Two of them even wanted to know where they could purchase a copy for themselves! Nobody has ever asked that-before.”¶

Inas glad to be off the hook, and I was happyto know that most people seemed to agree-with me on the subject of massage music. It doesn’t always have to be so … well, tranquilizing.¶

4.tat mit¶

As a final note about music, remember that the person receiving the massage is always right. This includes being right about the choice of music, even if that choice makes absolutely no sense to you. I had one client who always insisted on receiving his massages to the accompaniment of the local rock & roll radio station. Go figure.¶

Location location location¶

Once, in a typically cramped New York City apartment, I had to give a massage on the only available large flat surface, which turned out to be a wooden dining room table. We lay a few blankets and pillows down on it, and I scurried from side to side dodging walls and other furniture, but in the end my client reported feeling quite comfortable, and he loved his massage. I wouldn’t recommend this, but it just goes to show that you definitely don’t need a fancy expensive massage table or a special peaceful room in your house in order to give a good massage.¶

24 Part III: The Art of Giving Massage¶

You can comfortably give massages in any room, Including living rooms, bedrooms, family rooms, and as the story above points out, even the dining room. There are a few issues you want to keep in mind, though, when deciding where to give a massage:¶

• ✓ Privacy: It’s important to respect the level of privacy the person receiving the massage desires. If possible, choose a room where you can close the doors to keep other people out. On the other hand, some people actually prefer to be less private, and they are more comfortable in an area with some activity.
• ✓ Warmth: Avoid areas with a draft or air conditioning vent directly overhead.
• ✓ Intentions: It may be a good idea to avoid giving massage in a bedroom if the person receiving is not your romantic partner. That way you avoid possibly giving the wrong message.
• ✓ Space: You need some space to maneuver around In perhaps more than you realize. Before you begin, make sure you have enough room on all sides to move without disturbing your partner.

Privacy, please¶

When someone’s receiving a massage, she wants to pretend that she’s on a secluded tropical isle, with no one else around for miles. She’s a Polynesian princess, the center of attention, and the person giving the massage is focused on her and her alone. Exotic birds are floating overhead, and one lone white sail puffs out on the aquamarine horizon … then, suddenly, she hears a voice: “Bart Just threw up on my homeworki”¶

Yes, it’s difficult for your partner to achieve her ultimate romantic illusion if, in real life, she’s receiving her massage on the couch in your den, with The Simpsons turned up full blast on the TV.¶

Do your partner a favor — indulge her in her illusions. While it’s not always possible to take a trip to Fiji to give your massage, you can avoid some of the more obvious distractions quite easily:¶

• ✓ Turn off the TV.
• ✓ Put up a little “Do Not Disturb” sign.
• ✓ Try to schedule the massage for a time when there are few interruptions.
• ✓ Turn off the ringer on the phone and turn down the volume on the answering machine.

The “massage mood”¶

What I’ve included in this chapter so far are the external aspects of the Inner chamber. But, of course, when It comes to inner chambers, it’s the inside that counts, and that’s what this section is about. Even if you find yourself in a less-than-ideal situation to give massage, with distractions abounding, no music to listen to, and not a candle in sight, you can still create the most important aspect of that Inner chamber, the “massage mood.”¶

When you first lay your hands upon someone else to give them a massage, what do you have in your mind? Chances are, you’re a little nervous, a little uncertain of how the other person is going to receive you. And that’s all right. It means you care. But how about how she’s feeling? You, as the giver, are in charge of creating the optimal mood for her experience.¶

In order to create an appropriate mood for the other person, what you have to do first is get into that mood yourself. By imagining yourself in one of the following four personas as you begin a massage — saint, doctor, mother, buddy — you can quickly adopt the mood that goes with it. Then, you can give your partner something that comes from deep inside, creating the true inner chamber.¶

Saint¶

Part of giving a good massage is having some simple compassion for the person you’re touching. We are, after all, in the same boat, each one of us anchored to a fragile body in an uncertain world. You can reach out to others when you massage them, crossing the barriers of separation, sending the message that you understand how they feel. This is the golden rule of most religions; touch others as you would have them touch you.¶

Doctor¶

If you’re Just a beginner, you shouldn’t be out there trying to “fix” your Aunt Jeanne’s sciatica with your massage techniques. However, it helps to think in terms of helping the person feel better, not Just rubbing oil on. As you begin a massage, imagine your hands filled with healing energy, communicating the intention to soothe and make whole.¶

Mother¶

Who ever cared about us more than good ole Mom? She had a level of acceptance for our quirks and our shortcomings that was Just plain astounding. You can aim that same kind of unconditional love toward your massage partner (at least for that one hour), making him feel perfect just the way he is.¶

Touching Jos6¶

(While volunteering at the University of Miarni Medical Center AIDS ward, (discovered that you can create. a caring compassionate “massage mood” anywhere, even in a sterile hospital room. This is the storyof JosE, whom I met there.)¶

On the bright Christmas Eve morning that we entered his room, Jose’s body was wracked with pain, and he was curled.into a fetal position on his hospital bed. His family stood at the foot of the bed arranged like a choir— mother, father, aunts, uncles, siblings, and friends. All of them•with their hands at their sides, standing several feet away.¶

Jackson Memorial Hospital did not employ Rob Boyte, a nurse, and me, a massage therapist. We were volunteers.with the P.A.LM.S. foundation, and we were there to touch Jose.¶

You see, nobody else would touch Jose because these were.the early days of AIDS and everyone was still afraid, even the doctors and the other nurses. Even the family members of the victims were afraid. Everyone kept his distance.¶

Jose had received a spinal tap the night before. Convulsions ran through his body, up to his head and back down..He could only speak in broken, grunted syllables. His family translated for us.¶

“He says he wants the massage,” said one relative.¶

“He thinks itwould feel good,” said another. “Go ahead, try.”¶

We approached the bed. Both of us stood on the same side, facing Jose’s exposed back. Rob gently placed one large hand on the back of Jose’s neck, not moving it at all. I touched him, too. Jose didn’t relax into the touch; he couldn’t because of the convulsions. He moaned, but not with pleasure either like many massage clients do. Instead, he moaned with something deeper, almost like pain itself, and I knew immediately what it was. All of the family members knew what it was, too.¶

Jose was letting out the primal moan of someone who had not been touched for along time, atthe point in his life when he most desperately needed to be touched.¶

Subtly, Jose pressed his back up into my hands. I watched the family members lean forward, lifting their hands slightly, as if they too were touching Jose, although they were too terrified to do so themselves.¶

Slowly, I stroked down Jose’s back, then back up again. His skin was cold, then hot in turns. The family members stared hard at our hands. We were not wearing rubber gloves because we knew AIDS was not transmitted by skin-toskin contact Everyone should have known it, but they didn’t¶

Slowly, Jose responded. His convulsions subsided. He became quiet. For a few minutes, everyone there could see that he was all wrapped up in the sensation of two other humans, four other hands, touching him, soothing him, being with him in the way that only CONTACT can provide.¶

Then it was time to go. The ward was filled with other patients on that Christmas Eve day. Rob and I moved to the sink where we washed our hands with red disinfectant soap. We smiled at the family, and they smiled back at the two strangers who had just shared such an intimate moment¶

We left the room and moved on. Then, a few minutes later, we heard a gasp, a cry, then a high female wail come echoing down the white¶

tiled hospital corridor. The family came flowing out of Jose’s room one by one, their eyes wild with pain, filled with tears. One of the women looked straight into my soul then in that hallway for one brief second. What I saw in her eyes, behind the pain, was gratitude. For a brief time, I had become her hands and allowed her to do something she would never be able to do herself. Because now, it was too late.¶

Nobody could touch Jose anymore.¶

Buddy¶

Don’t let all this serious stuff about saints and doctors scare you away from giving a massage. There’s another, more lighthearted, giver’s personality, too, that of the buddy. You can Just hang out together and have some fun while you’re exchanging massage, and that’s perfectly acceptable. Go ahead, put a little reggae on the CD player. Tell a few Jokes to break the Ice. Relax and have an easy conversation during the massage. Sometimes this Is the best choice when your partner is apprehensive about receiving the massage.¶

The story in the sidebar “Touching Jose” is an example of how, when It comes time to actually touch a human being, the buddy blends with the saint, and the mother and doctor become two sides of the same coin.¶

Trading Places¶

It’s not that difficult to find a professional massage therapist with whom you can trade money for massage. Money seems to be a great motivational tool when it comes to getting people to massage you. It can be very tricky, however, to find an amateur. By definition, you are not going to pay the amateur, and therefore you must offer some other form of incentive to get him to give the massage. Most frequently, this Incentive comes in the form of a reciprocal massage. But what if that is not enough to motivate your partner?¶

I’m trying not to be sexist here, but statistical evidence suggests that one gender in particular has motivational problems when it comes to giving massage. Yes, I’m talking about males, 95% of whom, when asked by their loving partners to give a massage, develop an instantaneous and very debilitating case of temporary-fatigue-syndrome (TFS). Even the thought of moving just a pinkie finger suddenly makes them feel very tilled. As soon as the request for massage is withdrawn, however, they bounce back incredibly fast and can often be observed playing touch football just moments later.¶

1 28 Part III: The Art of Giving Massage¶

Here are some ways to motivate a partner who is the unfortunate victim of TM:¶

• e ✓ Suggest to him that his love life might suffer dire consequences unless he gives you a massage.
• ✓ Suggest to him that his love life could be greatly enhanced were he to be so kind as to give you a full hour massage.
• ✓ In exchange for the massage, offer to let him go shopping at his favorite store (camping store, hardware store, computer store, or whatever his cute little male fixation may be) and don’t bug him about spending money there.
• ✓ If he agrees to massage you at least three times, let him pick the destination for your next vacation (yes, even if it’s bass fishing on Lake Okeechobee).

Your mate is not the only person with whom you can form a massage-trade relationship. Other potential partners include:¶

• ✓ Somebody who practices massage professionally (it may surprise you how many pros don’t receive massage nearly as often as they’d like your offer to trade, although you’re less experienced, is likely to be met with considerable enthusiasm).
• ✓ Members of your church
• ✓ Members of your family
• ✓ Friends of the family
• ✓ Members of a sports team you’re on

may be challenging at first to find a way to be comfortable trading massages. It’s an admittedly intimate form of sharing, and not everyone takes to right away. One good alternative to jumping straight into a full body massage is to try some seated massage with the clothes still on. You may find plenty of non-threatening options in the chapters to come.¶

Chapter 10 All The Right Moves¶

• 0 • 0 0 0 • • 0 OOOOOOOOO 0 0 • • 0 0 • OOOOOOOOOOOO 0 0 • 0 0 0 0 • 0 • • 0¶

In This Chapter¶

• p Finding out about contraindications
• 0. Building your massage muscles
• I> Doing the moves
• D Exploring massage gizmos

yes,this is the chapter where you’ll find all those massage moves that you can use to turn your everyday, ordinary hands into instruments of irresistible pleasure. Your fingertips and palms will be sought after by friends, family, co-workers, and complete strangers alike. Everybody will say, “Use some of those moves on me! Me me me me me!”¶

Then, inflated by your newfound abilities and the quick expertise you acquire in these pages, you may find yourself thinking, like many of us did in the beginning, that these neat new massage moves you’ve learned actually are the massage itself. But you’d be wrong! Oh yes, very wrong.¶

Massage moves are not the massage; they’re just the medium.¶

Let me give you an analogy to help explain this:¶

Learning massage is like learning to play a musical instrument. The moves in this chapter are the notes on the scale, plus some basic chords and combinations. They’re great ways to warm up your fingers and make some rudimentary noises, but if you continue to play them over and over again, you’re going to drive the people close to you crazy.¶

In massage, you have to go beyond the moves pretty quickly. You need to develop a “moveless movement,” or “flow,” in which you’re concentrating not on your own technique, but on your partner’s feelings, her sensations, and her reactions, just like a musician who forgets all about notes and scales, sharps and flats, and even the instrument itself. Your movements are the technique, the body you massage is the instrument, and it’s the interaction between the two that makes the music.¶

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Massage is the music, the communication, the thing that you create, NOT the movements required to produce the sensations.¶

Whoa! Getting a little deep here, aren’t we? Sorry about that. Don’t worry the rest of this chapter’s going to be very practical and concrete. After all, you still have to learn your scales before you can play Carnegie Hall.¶

Don’t Do It, Mon!¶

Just like the Jamaican bobsled team, you may be all fired up to go out and practice your new moves. Before you jump off the cliff and begin massaging away recklessly on anybody who lets you near them, however, stop for a moment to consider some sage words of advice about:¶

• ✓ Conditions that you should NOT treat
• ✓ Places you should AVOID touching
• ✓ Moves you should NOT make

Contraindications¶

As innocuous as massage may seem, there are still times when you should refrain from giving one because it may adversely affect a health condition of the person who receives it. Contraindications is the medical term for these conditions, a word which, when you look at it closely, obviously means “Nicaraguan rebel indications.” No, really, “contra” means against, as in contrary, and indications are things that tell you what to do one way or the other. So contraindications are things that are telling you not to do something.¶

The list of contraindications for massage may be longer than you expect, and it includes some conditions that at first glance don’t seem like massage would affect at all. Take a look:¶

• ✓ Fever. When you have a fever, your body is trying to isolate and expel an invader of some kind. Massage increases overall circulation and could therefore work against your body’s natural defenses.
• ✓ Inflammation: Massage can further irritate an area of inflammation, so you should not administer It. Inflamed conditions include anything that ends in -ids, such as phlebitis (inflammation of a vein), dermatitis (inflammation of the skin), arthritis (inflammation of the Joints), and so on. In the case of localized problems, you can still massage around them, however, avoiding the inflammation itself.
• ✓ High blood pressure: High blood pressure means excessive pressure against blood vessel walls. Massage affects the blood vessels, and so people with high blood pressure or a heart condition should receive light, sedating massages, If at all.
• ✓ Infectious &sews: Massage is not a good idea for someone coming down with the flu or diphtheria, for example, and to make matters worse, you expose yourself to the virus as well.
• ✓ Hernia: Hernias are protrusions of part of an organ (such as the intestines) through a muscular wall. It’s not a good idea to try and push these organs back inside. Surgery works better.
• ✓ Osteoporosis: Elderly people with a severe stoop to the shoulders often have this condition, in which bones become porous, brittle, and fragile. Massage may be too intense for this condition.
• ✓ Varicose veins: Massage directly over varicose veins can worsen the problem. However, if you apply a very light massage next to the problem, always in a direction toward the heart, it can be very beneficial.
• ✓ Broken bones: Stay away from an area of mending bones. A little light massage to the surrounding areas, though, can improve circulation and be quite helpful.
• ✓ Skin problems: You should avoid anything that looks like It shouldn’t be there, such as rashes, wounds, bruises, burns, boils, and blisters, for example. Usually these problems are local, so you can still massage in other areas
• ✓ Cancer: Cancer can spread through the lymphatic system, and because massage increases lymphatic circulation, it may potentially spread the disease as well. Simple, caring touch is fine, but massage strokes that stimulate circulation are not. Always check with a doctor first.
• ✓ Other conditions and diseases: Diabetes, asthma, and other serious conditions each have their own precautions, and you should get a doctor’s OK before administering massage.
• ✓ HIV infection: Some people still think of AIDS as something that can be “caught” through simple skin-to-skin contact, but most of us know that’s not the case. If there is no exchange of bodily fluids (blood, semen, vaginal fluids, or mother’s milk), HIV can’t be transmitted during massage. So, HIV infection is not contraindicated for this reason. However, some of the infections that people suffering from the later stages of AIDS experience are contraindicated, and you should avoid those infections. Loving, soothing contact is extremely important for people at any stage of infection, but in the case of any visible rashes, sores, lesions, or swelling, massage is best left to a professional. If you have any cuts or scrapes or scratches on your hands, it’s an especially good idea to wear thin surgical gloves while massaging an HiV-infected person with any signs of open lesions.

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0 ✓ Pregnancy: Most women love to receive massage during pregnancy, and it’s perfectly fine to give them one, but there are a few precautions to observe. See the sidebar about pregnancy later in this chapter.¶

Just a minute here! All this makes It sound like you practically have to get a medical checkup and an OK from the doctor before giving someone a massage, doesn’t it? Well, in many cases, that’s exactly what it means. Always err on the side of caution when you’re considering giving a massage to a person with any health concerns. Check it out with his or her physician first.¶

The first and foremost rule here is, “Do no harm.” If you’re not sure about a particular condition, don’t give the massage.¶

Bad moves¶

%NG/ Ever watch an infant pet a cat? They often have the best of intentions, but they just can’t seem to get it right. Wham! Wham! goes the beefy little hand on top of the cat’s head, and the poor feline scurries away before the Infant does any serious damage. Similarly, there are moves that you should not make during a massage, no matter how good your Intentions are. They all cause discomfort, and some of them may even cause harm.¶

Pregnancy — a contraindication?¶

There are some people who believe that pregnant women should not receive massage. Most of these people, needless to say, are not pregnant women, whose backs and legs are oftenquite sore, and who love massage. There’s a section in Chapter 18 on this topic, but for now I want to put your mind at ease and say that it’s perfectly okay to massage a pregnant woman, as long as you observe a few simple precautiOns:¶

• ✓ Always make sure her legs and head are supported with pillows.

• ✓ Never put her in a face-down position to massage her. In her last trimester, she should lie only on her side.

• ✓ Only light gliding strokes should be used directly on the abdomen. Don’t press directly onto or knead in this area.

• ao Always give soothing, relaxing massage moves, never heavy ordeep.

• ✓ Avoid the ankles and heels betause, according to the theory of reflexology, the heels contain special points that may stimulate labor. Going into labor during a massage is not recommended. Chapter 14 has more info and a diagram showing the location of these reflexology points.

• ✓ Neck pulling: Do not grasp the head firmly and pull upward, attempting to lengthen the neck (some people say this is what happened to Audrey Hepburn).

• ✓ Neck twisting: Only a very gentle and slow turning of the neck to one side or the other is appropriate during massage. No sudden movements!

• ✓ Neck pulling and twisting together. Never ever, for any reason, pull and twist the neck at the same time. This can be very dangerous.

• ✓ Bone cracking: Never ever try to do a chiropractic-type adjustment if you haven’t been trained as a … duh . .. chiropractor.

• ✓ Bone pushing: Don’t press directly on bones, especially the spine. Instead, glide lightly over these areas.

• ✓ Hyperextension: Basic stretches are okay, and f explain several in Chapters 11 and 16. However, don’t try to hyperextend any joint past its normal range-of-motion unless you receive some serious schooling in massage. This is hard to do with the knee or elbow, which resist such maneuvers, but you can easily hyperextend the neck, for example, so you need to use caution.

Danger zones¶

“Endangerment sites” are super-sensitive areas on the body. These areas contain important pieces of your anatomy, like nerves and blood supply, for example, in exposed and vulnerable positions. Highly trained massage therapists can sometimes work In these areas, but if you’re not a professional massage ace yourself, it’s better to stay away from the following spots:¶

• ✓ Front of the neck/throat You’ve heard of the expression, “Go for the jugular,” right? Well, this is where you find it. Unless you’re trying to choke someone, it’s a good idea to stay away from this area that also contains the carotid artery and major nerves.
• ✓ Side of the neck: Not quite as sensitive as the front of the neck, you should still treat it delicately.
• ✓ The “ear notch”: Just behind your jawbone and beneath your ear you find a little notch. It’s not a good idea to jam a finger into this notch, unless you’re trying to extort money or favors from the person receiving the massage, because it contains a sensitive facial nerve.
• ✓ The eyeball: Unless you’re trying to do a Three Stooges massage (popular amongst college males), don’t poke your fingers directly into the person’s eyes.
• ✓ The axilla: This is a fancy term for the armpit which, as you know, is a sensitive area, filled with nerves, arteries, and lymph glands. Not to mention, most people are very ticklish there.

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• ✓ The upper inner arm: Just down from the armpit, along the inside of the upper arm, is a sensitive, nerve-filled area along the length of the arm bone. Pressing here too firmly gives you that yucky-nervy feeling.
• ✓ The ulnar notch of the elbow: Otherwise known as the “funny bone,” this spot contains the ulnar nerve which, if you touch it too hard, causes normally discreet people to curse in several languages.
• ✓ The abdomen: Houdini was killed by an unsuspected punch to this area, which is filled with many squishy important bits known as organs. Be especially gentle around the upper abdomen along the ribs, where you find the liver, gall bladder, and spleen.
• ✓ The lower back: Just to both sides of the spine, and below the ribs, is where you find the kidneys. Don’t press too hard here or pound on them. Kidneys don’t like it when you do that.
• ✓ The femoral triangle: Not to be confused with the Bermuda triangle, this area is often referred to as the “groin.” It’s the inner part of the line in front where your leg meets your body. If you press too hard here, you can actually cut off circulation to the leg.
• ✓ Popliteal area Popularly known as the back of the knee, you should always treat this spot gingerly. It’s very sensitive to pressure.

Please don’t do that¶

The ultimate contraindication Is a request from the person receiving the massage that you stop doing what you’re doing. Immediately. Quit it. No more!¶

When a person says, “Please don’t do that,” then don’t do that. This is especially true for well-meaning beginners, who have a tendency to press ever forward with their newfound massage skills, in spite of the complaints issuing forth from the poor soul beneath their fingers.¶

The following Is NOT proper etiquette:¶

Massage partner: “It really hurts!”¶

You: “Oh no, it doesn’t. That’s just your tension melting away. Visualize your muscles as butter …”¶

In massage, more than any other business, the customer is always right. But there are times when the person receiving the massage either doesn’t know or won’t tell you he’s uncomfortable. How do you know what to do then? That’s where body language clues come in.¶

Body language clues¶

Some people think that when they’re getting a massage they have to “grin and bear it” when something hurts. They figure massage is like a form of torture, and they’re prisoners of war. They certainly aren’t going to display any signs of weakness or let you know you’re hurting them. Other people may not even know they’re uncomfortable, because their discomfort is unconscious, and so they can’t communicate it to you.¶

In these cases, wise massage givers have figured out certain non-verbal clues that they can use to determine when their massage Is too strong. These Include:¶

• ✓ Curling of the toes
• ✓ Arching the back
• ✓ Inability to speak in a normal tone
• ✓ Facial grimaces and contortions
• ✓ Excess sweating, especially in a cool room

So, what should you do when your partner starts showing signs of discomfort? The answer is simple — talk about it. Simple, straightforward communication clears up most situations immediately. Some people just won’t be able to believe that you honestly want them to tell you how they feel. Go ahead, surprise them.¶

The one word never to say when you’re giving a massage¶

You can get away with almost any kind of amateur commentary while giving a massage to friends and family because, after all, they understand that you’re an amateur. Thus, when you say, “Geez, am I pressing too hard there?” they’re likelyto respond with some positive criticism. However, there is one particular word that neither amateurs nor professionals should ever utter while in the middle of giving a massage. Hearing it strikes fear into the poor vulnerable person lying there receiving. And that word is …¶

“oops.”¶

Like a surgeon saying “oops” in the middle of an operation, or a pilot saying “oops” while making¶

the approach for landing, your saying “oops” in the middle of a massage, although hopefully not life-threatening, simply doesn’t inspire confidence. It may lead some people to imagine horrible scenarios — injured muscles, crushed arteries, or indelible marks left on the skin.¶

The person receiving doesn’t know what kind of massage move you’re attempting to perform at any given moment So, if you don’t get the move exactly right each time, don’t worry; she’s not going to know the difference. Not unless you say “oops,” that is.¶

Building Your Massage Muscles¶

Massage requires the sustained dexterous use of certain muscles in your hands, forearms, shoulders, and in fact your entire body. You may not be using these muscles for any particular purpose right now. Like any other muscles that come suddenly into use, they may get sore when you begin using them. Don’t be alarmed, as this is natural.¶

Here’s a list of a few exercises and devices that massage pros sometimes use to help build massage muscles:¶

• ✓ “Walking” a quarter. Balance a quarter on your thumb. By using only the one hand, try to turn it over onto the top of your index finger. If you succeed, then try to flip it over onto your middle finger, and so on. When you get good, you can walk the quarter over all four fingers and catch it with the thumb again from below.
• ✓ Finger dancing: First, hold your hand in front of your face, with your palm facing away from you. Keeping your thumb out of the way, hold all four fingers loosely together. This is the starting position. Next, separate your fingers down the middle, two on each side. This position is shown in Figure 10-1. Finally, bring those fingers back together again, and then take just the pinkie finger and index finger away from the center. This position is also shown in Figure 10-1. Practice until you can repeat these steps over and over in a continuous loop.
• ✓ Fingertip pushups: For you fitness fanatics, try doing some fingertip pushups; these not only strengthen your fingers for massage, but you receive the added benefit of some powerful exercise. Be careful not to overdo it, and always check with a physician before starting a new exercise regime.
• ✓ Grape squeezing: In order to sensitize your fingers for delicate massage moves, you can practice squishing grapes. Simply place a grape between your thumb and your first two fingers and squeeze till you burst the skin. Practice squeezing new grapes until they’re just about to burst, maintaining a constant sensitive level of pressure.
• ✓ Lunges: Lunges strengthen your legs and hips, making it easier for you to stand and bend and squat when you’re giving a massage.
• ✓ Dance: Any kind of dance class is great to prepare you for using your whole body to do massage.
• ✓ Yoga: You won’t believe how quickly you get tight and tired just from giving a simple massage. Doing yoga may help keep you limber.
• ✓ Fist squeezing: You can pick up a little stress-relief squeeze ball Just about anywhere these days, even at the checkout counter in most drugstores. These are great not only for relieving stress, but for building

hand muscles, too. There’s even a special compound made just for this purpose, called “power putty,” that is sold in massage stores.¶

• Po Dumbbells: Lighter weight dumbbells (5-12 pounds) are great for building muscles in the forearms and wrists. Simply sit on a bench with the dumbbell in one hand, support your forearm across the top of your leg, palm up, then curl and extend the forearm.

Figure 10-1: This simple finger exercise is harder than it looks, and it’s great for budding hand strength and coordination.¶

You Got ‘eta Moves¶

So, what do you actually do when you place your hands on a body and start giving a massage? Well, the first thing many people do is panic. They stand there with their hands motionless on an arm or a leg or a back, and they think to themselves, “Oh my gosh, what do I do now?”¶

This is where the seven types of massage moves you find in this section come in handy. After practicing them, you can rest easy that you won’t draw a blank when it comes time to give a massage.¶

The seven basic categories of movements are:¶

• ✓ Gliding 138 Part III: The Art of Giving Massage

• ✓ Pressing

• ✓ Kneading

• ✓ Rubbing

• ✓ Shaking

• ✓ Tapping

• ✓ Stretching

Slip-sliding away: The pleasures of gliding¶

Usually the first move you make on any particular part of the body is gliding. Why glide first, you say? Why not Just get right to the pressing and musclesqueezing part of the massage? Three reasons:¶

• ✓ Gliding is a great way to warm up the skin and underlying muscles while simultaneously spreading your oil or massage cream.
  • ✓ You cover a lot of territory during a glide, too, so it’s perfect for “Introducing” your hands to your partner.
  • ✓ You’ll get a feel for your partner’s body and discover which areas may need the most attention during the rest of the massage.

Depending upon the amount of pressure you use, a glide can be light and ethereal or downright intense. Usually, at the beginning of a massage, you want to start with lighter gliding and then progress to the more heavy-duty stuff later, after your partner trusts your touch.¶

Take a look at Figure 10-2. These pictures make gliding look easy, right? What could be simpler than just running your hands along someone’s skin? It’s a little trickier than that, though. Good gliding is something you learn over time, with practice.¶

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Here are three basic types of gliding:¶

• ✓ Long, soft, light: You can create the lightest type of gliding by just barely brushing the fingertips or palms across the skin in a feather-light fashion. This type of movement is also known as a nerve-stroke because it calms the nerves.
• ✓ Sliding down the banister: This movement follows the contours of the body more closely. As you glide, you mold your hands to fit the body, just like a little kid who molds himself to fit over the banister as he slides down it Into the foyer. This is typical gliding, the type you use to spread oil, warm the body, and so on.
• ✓ Squeezing toothpaste through a tube: This is intense gliding or gliding with an attitude. When you try it on your partner for the first time, you may get a stunned reaction. You achieve this by wrapping your hands around a leg or an arm and squeezing firmly while you glide, as if you were trying to squeeze toothpaste from a giant tube. The most typical places for this maneuver are on the calf and the forearm.

Start out slowly, and always, always make the motions toward the heart because you actually move blood through the veins with this move. Watch out for the contraindications of varicose veins and phlebitis.¶

Good places to glide¶

You can glide just about anywhere there’s an expanse of skin to move over. Tight little nooks and crannies, like between the toes for example, are not good places to glide because there’s not enough open territory. However, you can still glide on smaller surfaces, even over the eyelids (provided your partner is not wearing contact lenses). Simply adjust your hands to the area you are touching. Thus, a forehead glide would include Just your fingertips, while a glide to the leg would include your whole palm.¶

For all types of gliding, you need to turn your hands into super-sensitive, micro-adjusting instruments that constantly change to conform to each and every little hill and valley on your partner’s body. Imagine yourself trying to smooth out a sheet of plastic-wrap around an Irregularly shaped piece of fruit, allowing no air-pockets or wrinkles. Got it?¶

”A"" marks the spot: Pressing¶

“Out, damned spot!”— Shakespeare¶

Great poets throughout the ages have understood the value of getting rid of spots. And it’s no wonder. If you’ve ever received a back rub from someone and suddenly felt them press exactly the right spot, you know the sensation is swift and unmistakable. Immediately, you say something like, “Yes, there it is. That’s the spot!”¶

So, what is the “spot” anyway? Massage pros have all kinds of fancy names for it, like “trigger points,” or muscle spasms, or adhesions. Whatever you call them, these points of tension or pain are what we’re trying to get rid of in massage, and pressing on them skillfully can help achieve that.¶

I envision these spots as tenacious little criminals who invade our bodies and take some of our muscles hostage. They’re tough, resourceful, and they thrive best when we don’t know exactly where to find them. Massage helps us locate where our tension spots are hiding so we can ferret them out. Just the right amount of pressure can send them this message:¶

“It’s no use. We know you’re in there. Come out with your hands up. Let the hostages go, and you’ll get off easy”¶

Of course, if the “spots” don’t leave your muscles alone, you have to go in with some heavy firepower. That’s where pressing comes in. Here are a few steps you can follow to find spots and press them into submission:¶

• ✓ Zeroing in: First, while you’re warming the tissues up during your preliminary gliding strokes, feel for areas that are unusually tight, hard, or sensitive. (See the “Under pressure” sidebar in Chapter 8.) After you’re done gliding over a certain area, come back to these targeted spots one at a time and zero in on them by using Just your fingertips or thumbs.
• ✓ Pushing the walk button: You know those little rubberized buttons that you push to change the light to green at intersections? They give a little at first, but then you get the feeling that you have to push harder. You can’t quite tell if you’re holding it down or not, so you hold it in firmly for a few seconds, much longer than you’d hold, say, the on/off switch on a desk lamp. Well, that’s the same kind of pressing you can use in your massage — good, firm, sustained pressure is what makes pressing work, as shown in Figure 10-3.
• ✓ Pinpoint.pressure: You not only need the right spot; you need the EXACT right spot. Thls can mean an Itty-bitty micro-difference in the location of your fingers or thumb. Keep feeling around until you can tell you’re directly on “top” of the spot. Usually this feels like you could easily slip off of it on either side.
• ✓ Keep adjusting: M you feel your partner’s body respond, you can adjust your pressure accordingly, lightening your pressure as the tension dissipates.

Good places to press¶

Finding the right spots to press may sometimes feel a little tricky to you. After all, the body has about a million different points on it. How do you tell where’s a good place to apply pressure and where’s not a good place? There are two answers:¶

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• ✓ You have to practice feeling for these points (this is the art of palpation, which you find out about In Chapter 4).
• ✓ Certain points are common to most people. After you practice on several willing massage partners, you’ll build your skill in locating them.

Figure 10-3: Finger pressing (top) and thumb pressing (bottom).¶

The spots we are talking about in this section are not shiatsu points or acupressure points, which are spots along energy pathways in the body. You get to know a few shiatsu points In Chapter 11; the spots we’re talking about here are occasionally found in the same areas, but they’re a different animal altogether.¶

Let’s do the twist: kneading¶

After you master the art of kneading, you may be in great demand because kneading, in my opinion, produces the most pleasurable sensations of all the maneuvers. It gets in deep to flush out tension while at the same time stimulating a large surface area on the skin.¶

Your kneading technique can make or break you as a massage giver, so I recommend practicing quite a bit on this one. If you practice building your massage muscles, as suggested earlier in this chapter, you can be a better kneader because this particular maneuver requires a lot of strength in the hands.¶

In order to knead effectively, you must banish fear! The biggest mistake novice kneaders make is kneading too tentatively. As a massage teacher, I’ve spent hundreds of hours hunched over students guiding their hands into bigger movements. “Get more flesh between those fingers!” I cajole them. “Twist your arms around some more. Use your whole body to make the movement.”¶

This is good advice for you, too. A wimpy knead is much worse than no knead at all. Here are some ways to make your kneading big, bold, and beloved by all who encounter it:¶

• ✓ Come on everybody, let’s do the Twist: Chubby Checker would have been disappointed if he looked• out on the dance floor to find dozens of people just standing there and sort of half-heartedly bending a little at the waist. When he said twist, he meant Twist!, as in twist-tie and twistoff-top and wow-look-at-that-twister-about-to-destroy-the-barn! The number one rule for kneading is to use your whole body to create a twisting movement around the area you’re working on. See Figure 10-4, which shows how your hands can move around a thigh in a circular wringing motion.
• ✓ Baker making bread: Of course, when we think of kneading, the image of a baker often comes to mind, with his hands wrist-deep in pliable flour, constantly squeezing, rolling, and pushing. In fact, those are the three components of a successful knead. After you have twisting down, add these steps to complete the picture:
  • Squeezing: During your twist, the hand that’s furthest away (the right hand as shown in Figure 10-5a) is squeezing in as much flesh as possible between the fingers and palms.
  • Rolling: The right hand rolls the squeezed flesh back toward you while the near hand begins its journey away from you, pushing more flesh into the fold, as shown in Figure 10-5b.
  • Pushing: Finally, you’re in the position shown in Figure 10-5c, and your right hand starts pushing while your left hand takes over the squeezing and rolling.
• ✓ Pinching and rolling: This final type of kneading is often called skin rolling. It’s reserved for areas that normally don’t respond too well to bigger twisting, squeezing, and rolling maneuvers. it’s a little tricky to do, but most people love the way it feels. First, pinch a roll of flesh between your thumb and the first two fingers. Then, keeping your thumb locked in position, glide your whole hand over the skin while “walking” your first two fingers forward so that they push a constant roll of skin back against your thumb as shown in Figure 10-5d.

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Good places to knead¶

By definition, to knead something means you have to grasp it between your fingers or palms. Therefore, areas of the body that you can’t grasp, you can’t knead. It’s simple: no flesh, no knead. That’s why it’s trickier to knead skinny people than to knead fleshy people. That’s why it’s trickier to knead a knee than to knead a thigh. That doesn’t mean you need to knead a whole handful of flesh to get the Job done, though. You can perform the last type of kneading, skin rolling, even on areas with almost no fat, like a supermodel’s upper back, for instance.¶

War on, war off: Rubbing¶

The secret to successful rubbing, or friction as massage pros call it, is to make the pressure from your fingers or palms strong enough to stay stationary on the surface of the skin while moving the layers below.. In other words, your fingers don’t glide while they rub, although they can definitely move around quite a bit. Take, for example, the maneuvers you receive on your head when you get a shampoo at a salon. A good shampoo person employs friction techniques, holding her fingers steady on a certain part of your scalp while manipulating your head beneath it. If she simply glides her fingers across your scalp, the sensation is disturbingly inadequate.¶

Mother analogy for rubbing is waxing your car. You take a buffing pad in one hand and you rub the wax on. Then with a rag in the other hand, you rub the wax off. Your fingers are never in contact with the car itself, but the car receives the effects, not the buffing pad or rags. So It is with massage. Your fingers are in contact with the skin, but you’re affecting the layers below.¶

Here are a few rubbing techniques that work well for various parts of the body:¶

• ✓ Miser’s rub: Especially good for the fingers and toes, the miser’s rub will remind you of someone rubbing a gold coin between their fingers, as shown in Figure 10-6a.

• ✓ Circular Making sure your fingers are planted securely, move the skin over the tissues below it in small circles, as shown in Figure 10-6b. You can move your hand gradually along the skin’s surface, creating a series of circles over an entire area.

• NAM? ✓ Cross fiber. In any given area of the body, the muscle fibers are running predominantly in one direction or another. On the inside of your upper arm, for instance, the biceps muscle runs from your shoulder to your elbow, up and down. If you rub in a cross-wise direction over these fibers, from the inside of your arm to the outside, you’re making a crossfiber movement, as shown in Figure 10-6c. This action is especially good for people who exercise a lot or are in the later stages of recovering from an injury because it promotes the repair of scar tissues.

Good places to rub¶

You can rub most everywhere, but you have to be careful in sensitive areas because rubbing can be a little annoying if it’s done, say, on the eyelids.¶

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Figure 104: The miser’s rub (a), the circular rub (b), and the cross-fiber rub (c).¶

Shake, rattle, and roll: Shaking¶

Some people are afraid to get too “physical” when they give a massage, which doesn’t make much sense when you think about it. They Incorrectly assume that every massage move has to be as smooth and soothing as the next CD from Enya. But this is not true. Some of the best moves actually jostle you around quite a bit.¶

You have to imagine what the shaking is actually doing internally to the muscles, tendons, and bones where they attach to each other inside the body. It’s like loosening fruit from a tree. Imagine that you’re standing on the ground in front of an apple tree, and one big perfect juicy apple is still left just barely clinging to a high branch. Grasping a lower limb, you shake with the intention of loosening something at a distance from you. This is the essence of shaking in massage, too.¶

Of course, you don’t want to literally loosen muscles from bone so that they fall off, but you do want to help ease the muscles’ tight grip of chronic tension, especially in the joints. Shaking is great for this, and there’s a fine art to it. Here are three different versions that you can practice:¶

Vibration¶

No other massage move feels quite as dramatic as vibration. It’s a show biz move, a move with pizzazz. But first of all, you have to figure out how to do it, which isn’t that easy for most of us. Here are the steps (and see Figure 10-7):¶

• ✓ Placing just your fingertips on the area to be vibrated (try the back, which is easiest to start with), stiffen all of your joints from your fingers all the way up to your shoulders.
• ✓ Try making your entire arm tremble as one unit, as if you were extremely cold and shivering uncontrollably.
• ✓ Pressing firmly, concentrate all of that trembling down into your fingertips.
• ✓ Simultaneously, drag your fingertips slowly down over your partner’s back, remembering to imagine your movements loosening muscles all along the way.

Be careful not to vibrate a fingertip directly on top of the spine as you may cause some discomfort or bruising.¶

Figure 10-7: Creating high speed vibration takes concentration and a willingness to look spastic.¶

Shaking¶

In this move, you grasp one part of your partner’s body (usually a limb) and then recreate the same kind of rigid trembling you did for vibration. It can be a slower trembling, though, even languid, but the intent is still to loosen deep muscles. See Figure 10-8.¶

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Rocking & rolling¶

A doctor named Milton Trager developed a kind of massage called, appropriately, Trager, which includes an awful lot of rocking and rolling, as shown In Figure 10-9. One of the results of a really good Trager massage is a deep release of tension from areas that you wouldn’t be able to get to with your fingers, like deep inside Joints. You can recreate some of the effects of this type of massage by doing some very gentle rocking and rolling of your own. You find out more about how to apply this to specific areas In the next chapter.¶

Figure 10-t Rocking and rolling produces an effect on the surrounding muscles and distant joints as well.¶

Good places to shake¶

The limbs respond exceptionally well to shaking. However, if you shake the head, you’re coming dangerously dose to a chiropractic maneuver, which Is a definite no-no.¶

Larger areas such as the back and thighs respond well to vibration, and you can rock the whole body, especially when your partner is lying face down.¶

Get into the rhythm: Tapping¶

This is the type of movement that you see movie actors performing when they think they’re doing some really authentic massage on-screen. It also seems to be the preferred move for overweight Russian men giving massages In bathhouses. Yes, I’m talking about the famous karate-chop family of massage maneuvers, otherwise known as tapping.¶

This family of moves is based upon one major concept: getting pounded on feels surprisingly good. This Is true, as long as you tap judiciously, with the right amount of pressure. To achieve seasoned tapping prowess, practice with the three basic hand-shapes for tapping: the open fingertip, the karate hack, and the loose fist. All of them are done with “soft” hands because, after all, your intention is not to attack ninja-style but to increase circulation and soothe sore muscles.¶

The secret to all good tapping is the rhythm. If you’re not a natural born drummer, try slowing your tapping down until you reach a rhythm that you can sustain easily. It’s not speed that counts, but consistency.¶

• ✓ Fingertip tapping: This is the lightest tap, excellent for faces and the top of your head. A lot of cosmetologists use this move to bring extra circulation to the cheeks, creating that “rosy glow” look. Tapping is shown in Figure 10-10a.
• ✓ Karate hacking: Make sure to keep the hands limp and not treat your partner’s body like a board you’re trying to break. Don’t hack directly on bony areas, of course. Keep your wrists loose and let the edges of your flopping fingers do a lot of the hacking for you, as shown in Figure 10-10b.
• ✓ Loose fist pounding: You have to be extra careful when using your fists for tapping, but they definitely come in handy if your partner is one of those NFL linebacker types who doesn’t seem to respond to normal massage manipulations. Don’t tighten your fists completely when tapping, and resist the temptation to do a Rocky-Balboa-side-of-beef-in-the-freezer move. See Figure 10-10c.

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Figurate-Ilk tapping (a), karate hacking (b), and pounding (c).¶

Good places to tap¶

Tapping feels good Just about anywhere, but if you tap someone too hard on the top of his head, he’s likely to think you have something against him. The usual rule is: the more flesh in an area, the more force you can tap with, progressing up the scale from fingertips to hacking hands to loose fists. Bony areas like the knees need light tapping with Just the fingertips. Also, go¶

feather-light on the kidney area on either side of the spine in the lower back. Certain spots you may not think of, like the bottom of the feet for example, are great places to hack. And of course the ever-popular back, buttocks, and thighs are great places to practice “getting into the rhythm.”¶

keep it tone: Stretching¶

Stretching is really good for you, and a lot of people don’t stretch as much as they should In order to stay limber and youthful. You can help solve this problem by incorporating a few stretching moves right into your massage.¶

Stretching feels really good as long as you follow three easy guidelines:¶

• ✓ Ease your partner Into it.
• ✓ Easy does It while you’re doing it.
• ✓ Ease your partner out of it.

Remember that each joint has a limit as to how far it will stretch in any and all possible directions, and this limit is called its range of motion.¶

Don’t try stretching any part of the body past its normal range of motion because, if you do, it will hurt. A lot. Stop long before you think you reach the maximum stretch. Always ask your partner for feedback about how the stretch feels. Some people are super limber and you can twist them like pretzels while others can take very little stretching before it becomes uncomfortable.¶

Be especially careful when stretching your partner’s neck, moving it slowly and in only one plane at a time: left to right, up and down, or ear to shoulder. And don’t hyperextend the neck, or any joint for that matter. (See the contraindications section earlier in this chapter.)¶

There are three basic types of stretches you can apply during a massage:¶

• ✓ Passive stretching: Passive stretching doesn’t mean you should have a ho-hum attitude about the stretch. It means your partner just lies there passively and doesn’t assist you at all while you stretch him, as shown in Figure 10-11.
• ✓ Active assisted stretching: This type of stretching, shown in Figure 10-12, requires your partner to move through the stretch while you help her stretch a little further. It’s not recommended for lazy partners who Just want to lie back and have you do all the work during the massage.

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• yr Active resisted stretching: In this one, your partner resists the movement of the stretch that you’re giving him. When he stops resisting, you are able to stretch him even further. This one’s good for strengthening muscles and can be considered a kind of mini-workout.

Good places to stretch¶

The multitude of joints in the body make it possible to do a large variety of Joint manipulations and stretches in many areas such as the toes, ankles, knees, hips, shoulders, elbows, wrists, and hands. You find out about a few all-time favorite stretches in the chapters to come.¶

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Massage moves in a nutshell¶

Here are some simple general guidelines that you can apply to all the preceding maneuvers and use in every massage you give:¶

• ✓ Follow the contour. When in doubt about what particular move to make, just trace the body’s outlines with your fingers for a few moments, applying pressure according to what you feel. It’s better to keep moving in a constant flow rather than stop and say something like, “Now, what was that next maneuver again?” This can be annoying to your partner.
• ✓ Do no harm: Don’t press too hard or work on areas that may be too delicate, such as sprains, strains, or scar tissues soon after injuries. Of course, avoid all contraindicated areas and conditions. Ask for a physician’s advice if there is anything that gives you concern.
• ✓ Stay in the moment: The easiest way to look at a massage is piece by piece. Concentrate on one movement at a time, and one area. Work on just that leg first, and worry about what you’re going to do on the arm later. One move at a time, one after another, creates a whole massage.

A ticklish situation¶

Some people out there will flat-out refuse to even consider the possibility of getting a massage because they’re afraid they would giggle so hard they would fall right off the table. These folks consider themselves “ticklish,” but what is a ticklish person anyway? Most of us are sensitive when we get poked in the ribs or stroked lightly on the bottom of the feet, but some people claim any kind of touch at all elicits the “tickle response.”¶

When someone complains of being overly ticklish, you can follow these steps to help them get over it:¶

• 1. First, explain that surface tension in the muscles causes excessive ticklishness.
• 2. Explain that you are going to get “underneath” this layer by applying firm pressure that affects tissues below.
• 3. Gradually apply pressure with as broad a surface as possible, for example, your entire palm instead of your fingers.
• 4. After you “sink down-to a depth that is not ticklish anymore, make your movements slow and steady, gently rocking back and forth, pulsing up and down. Avoid kneading, pressing, and vibration.
• 5. Move slowly from one area to another, staying away from the areas your partner reports as most seriously ticklish.
• 6. If your partner shows any signs of discomfort, discontinue movement and simply apply steady firm pressure.

The Massage Dance¶

So, you may be asking yourself, what am I supposed to be doing with the rest of my body while my hands are massaging someone? Good question. Can you guess the right answer?¶

• A. It doesn’t matter, as long as you remain in a generally upright position and don’t fall asleep.
• B. Something constructive, such as learning a foreign language with audiocassettes, because otherwise you’re just wasting your time.
• C. Absolutely nothing; stay as stiff and still as possible so you don’t distract the person you are massaging.
• D. Make every move a “whole body move” by engaging your entire self In what you’re doing, turning the massage into a dance.

The answer, of course, is “D.” In fact, it’s so important to use your entire body properly while giving a massage that massage pros have given this practice a name — body mechanics.¶

It may seem like a lot of extra effort at first, but in the long run It’s easier If you use proper body mechanics and engage your entire body while giving a massage rather than relying on the strength of your arms and shoulders alone. Actually, using your arms and shoulders alone is guaranteed to burn you out really quickly. You may end up saying something like “This is WAY too difficult.” Then you may quit, offering muscle-fatigue as an excuse to your partner after Just ten minutes.¶

Here are a few guidelines to help you fine-tune your body mechanics:¶

• r ✓ Root yourself•. Your movements should feel like they’re coming from the place where your body Is rooted to the earth. Don’t get off balance and lose your center of power. You need to ground yourself enough so that It’s difficult to knock you over when you’re giving a massage.
  • ✓ Move from below: Whether you’re standing or kneeling down next to your partner to give the massage, generate your movements from your legs and hips, not Just your upper body, as shown in Figure 10-13.
  • ✓ Maintain straight lines: When you apply pressure, do it in a straight line from your shoulders down to your fingertips. Bending your joints and then applying pressure puts extra pressure on your thumbs, wrists, and elbows, and should be avoided. Figure 10-14 shows you what I’m talking about.

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Figure 10-14: The wrong way (top) and the right way (bottom) to apply pressure.¶

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• ✓ Be kind to your thumbs and wrists: Thumbs take the biggest beating when giving a massage, and wrists come in a close second. Be extra careful not to rely only on these delicate instruments to do your heavyduty massage work. Give them a break every once in a while by using your knuckles and forearms.
• ✓ Lean a lot: Instead of straining your muscles to get the job done, use your body weight. Simply LEAN on the person you’re massaging by placing your center of gravity several Inches away from her, then falling forward and supporting yourself on her body. This takes a little practice because our civilized instincts tell us not to use other people’s bodies as counter tops. Go ahead and try it, though. It saves you a lot of work.

Massage Gizmos¶

Ever wander around inside one of those expensive gadget gift shops like the Sharper Image and suddenly realize that about a quarter of the inventory is massage gizmos of one kind or another? They have vibrating chairs, tables with rollers built in, and devices to buzz you, press you, knead you, jab you, and squeeze you. Seeing all this, you can definitely come to a couple very important conclusions:¶

• ✓ Massage gizmos are a great way for manufacturers and retailers to make lots of money.
• D ✓ Massage gizmos are a great way for you to spend lots of money.

So, naturally, the question comes to mind — are they worth it? In my opinion, most of them are. And, fortunately, they don’t all cost tons of money either. You can get a nifty little massage device at your local pharmacy for $12.95.¶

There are three main reasons why people use massage gizmos:¶

• 1. They’re fun and kind of neat looking.
• 2. They can help save your hands a lot of work.
• 3. They actually make you feel better.

Often, people overlook reason number 3. This is strange, because that’s the whole point of using them, right? The little gizmos can really make you feel better, but you should also exercise the same cautions and observe the same contraindications when using them as you do when using your fingers.¶

Before you go out and purchase your own massage tool, I have a little secret for you, and you have to promise not to tell anyone else. Ready? Here it is:¶

JUST ABOUT EVERYTHING FEELS GOOD WHEN IT’S RUBBED AGAINST YOUR BODY! THE SECRET IS NOT THE TOOL, BUT THE TOUCH.¶

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Whoops, I said that kind of loudly, didn’t I? Maybe even some of the gizmo makers heard. But it’s true. Don’t take my word for it. Go out in the backyard and grab a smooth, palm-sized rock. Wash it off, of course. Then have someone take a rounded end and gently rub it against your back muscles. Wow! Feels fantastic, doesn’t it?¶

The truth is that you don’t really need these custom-made massage doohickeys, but all sorts of neat designs are out there, and some of them, admittedly, feel quite a bit better than rocks from your backyard. The ones that apply vibration and pressure are especially effective. Everybody should have at least one such gizmo in his or her home. But which one are you going to choose when there are so many shapes and sizes available, as shown in Figure 10-15? This section attempts to make a little sense of the whole massage device market for you by breaking it down into three categories: gravity-assisted gizmos, pressure tools, and mechanical devices.¶

Figure 10-15: The choice of massage gizmos continues to grow.¶

Gravity-assisted gizmos¶

These tools utilize your own weight to massage various parts of your body:¶

• *WO ✓ Foot rollers: There are many of these, and most of them look basically like wooden cigars: stubby, brown, and round. Some have grooves etched into their surface, and others have a series of interconnected rolling balls. By running your feet over them, you stimulate nerve endings and reflexology points (see Chapter 14 for more on this). You can even buy sandals with hundreds of tiny knobs on the soles that massage your feet as you walk.

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• ✓ Back rollers: Several versions are available. They look similar to the rolling pin your mom used to use to make pie crusts. The most famous is the Ma Roller, which has two bumps in the center that are placed on either side of your spine. The instructions say not to roll your back down over the knobs, but that’s what everyone does, because that’s what feels the best and has the most profound effect. Be careful when using these not to accidentally roll hard wood onto your spine itself.
• ✓ Stretchers: We all need to stretch, and sometimes we could use a little help from devices like the “body bridge” which is basically a curved table that you bend over backwards on, letting gravity do the stretching.
• ✓ Body Balancer: A massage pro named Grace Apfel in California, trying to recreate the support and flexibility she offered clients with her own hands, created the device shown in Figure 10-16. You fill the holes with pegs of different heights that you adjust to your particular needs, then lie down upon them and just relax It’s a good way to let gravity do the work in easing some of your back pains for you.

Figure 10-16: Massage gizmos have become more and more elaborate in recent years.¶

Pressure toots¶

All sorts of devices are available now that you rub on the body with varying degrees of pressure. You can get them in specialty shops, but they’re increasingly available in more common outlets such as drug stores. Basically, they stimulate acupressure points and trigger points. You can use them to exert pressure on tough knots and sore spots. But be careful: The materials used in these tools are usually hard, like stone or wood. Just a little pressure goes a long way.¶

• ✓ Little knobby things: Many little odd-shaped items are now sold that you’re supposed to rub across your body (or somebody else’s body) for fun, pleasure, and relief from stress. Some of them even have names and personalities, like the Happy Massager from the Tender Loving Things Company, Inc. or the Dolphin Massager. You can even order a Handy massage tool from the back of this book, designed by yours truly. It’s a hand-shaped instrument with a perky personality that you can use when your own hands are too tired or not in the mood to give a massage. All of these utilize the same simple concept: Pressing on people makes them feel better. Try them, you’ll like them.

• ✓ “Captain Hook” devices: Ever wish you could rubberize your arms and reach around to massage a knot in the middle of your back? That, in essence, is what these curved devices allow you to do. You can use them to hook onto otherwise unreachable tight spots on your posterior surface. Popular brands Include the Backnobber and the Thera Cane.

• ✓ Professional pressure tools: There are certain tools that you can only get in massage clinics that are meant for professional use. One particular device looks like a sharpened pencil eraser stuck into the side of a wooden peg. Neuromuscular therapists use them to work on deep tissues. If you find professional tools somewhere, you’re better off not buying them. They can cause harm if not used by skilled hands.

• ✓ Rubbing gloves: Several brands of textured gloves are now available. You slip them on and then apply pressure and friction over the skin. The gloves both exfoliate the skin and stimulate nerve endings. They feel great, too.

Mechanics! devices¶

There are many mechanical devices on the market that utilize electricity to create vibration and kneading actions. They range in price from just a few bucks to major capital investments.¶

• ✓ Thumper. This is probably the best-known in its class, and its name says it alit gives a heavy thumping action that simulates a pair of “chopping” hands. Great for after workouts or to combat chronic tension, but it ain’t cheap.
• ✓ Vibrating doohickeys: Dozens of these line the shelves, and there’s always one that has batteries and is available to test. That’s because the manufacturers know that they feel great and that you may want to take one home when you feel it for yourself. That’s a good tactic. However, after you get home, these items tend to see more use as conversation starters than therapeutic devices.

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• ✓ Shiatsu massager. This type of unit has kneading lingers” built into it. You put it behind you in a chair and lean back against it. According to many reports, they can work wonders. Greg, a Journalist friend of mine, swears by his. He has a back problem that is exacerbated by long hours sitting at the computer, and he credits his Shiatsu massager for saving his career.
• ✓ Massage furniture: Panasonic and other well-known manufacturers have gotten in on the massage game with electronic chairs and tables that give you a massage while you recline on them. These are fun items to have around the house, but the novelty often wears off pretty quickly, and before too long you’re left with a slightly odd lumpy piece of expensive furniture.

The best gizmo of aft¶

When it comes to any of these gadgets, the bottom line Is this — they are fun, helpful, and neat, but no amount of technology or ingenuity can create a tool more adaptable, powerful, or sensitive than the human hand. Even the device makers themselves know this. Living Earth Crafts, one of the largest massage manufacturers In the world, has a slogan: “There is no substitute for the human touch.”¶

Tom Myers, a famed anatomy teacher and structural massage expert, agrees. Holding his own hand up for inspection, he often comments, “Twenty-fivemillion years in the making. Hard to beat that kind of engineering.”¶

Chapter 11 Putting the Moves Together¶

In This Chapter¶

Setting up¶

• D Oil’s well that ends well
• Massage rules
• I> The massage

was recently watching an episode of the sitcom Friends on 1V, and one of the main themes of the show concerned the effects of massage on friendships and relationships. The Monica character thought she gave a great backrub, but her boyfriend Chandler thought otherwise. The whole show centered on how he should break the bad news to her.¶

We humans are sensitive creatures, and when we give something as personal as a massage to someone else, we’re making ourselves vulnerable to his or her judgement. What if they don’t like our technique? What if they don’t like us?¶

When you give of yourself through massage, it’s natural to be afraid of what people may think and to wonder, secretly, if you’re doing it right or if you’re good enough.¶

I think you should forget all about that stuff. Your massage abilities are not something to be proud of, or ashamed of. Your abilities are something you should share.¶

As long as you tune in and become sensitive to your partner, you can give a good massage. The idea Is not to focus on being good, but to focus on doing good.¶

If Monica had not been so proud in the beginning, she wouldn’t have forced her own concept of what she thought was good onto her boyfriend, which set the stage for her to feel rejected and ashamed later.¶

Be sensitive. Time in. Do good. If you do these things, you never have time to worry about whether you’re good or not. As long as your heart Is into what you’re doing, you’re guaranteed to do it the right way.¶

Setting Up¶

First, you need to go over Just a few preliminaries to make sure you’re set up and ready to go. I assume that you’ve created a suitable inner chamber for your massage experience and that you’ve practiced a few moves from Chapter 10. You know what to do and what not to do, and now you just have to get yourself ready and do it.¶

Table (or one?¶

One thing you may notice is that the massage in this chapter is being given on the floor. It’s pretty much guaranteed that you have a floor available someplace to work on, right? But there’s a good chance you don’t have a massage table like the ones the pros use. For those of you not familiar with them, massage tables are oblong, folding, padded tables. Most of them have legs of adjustable height, like the one in Figure 11-1. These tables are great tools, and if you get serious about massage at some point, you may want to consider investing in one. New ones cost a few hundred dollars.¶

Figure 11-1: Massage tables look like folding, adjustableheight, oblong, upholstered card tables.¶

The floor can be quite a comfortable place to get a massage, especially if you add a few pillows, a sofa cushion or two, plus a sheet and towels, as you can see in Figure 11-2.¶

Many massages have been given on beds, but in those cases the massage often leads to other activities — like sleeping! That’s right, it’s very tempting for the giver to just roll over and lounge around instead of working like he should. When you do give a massage on a bed, arrange some towels near the foot or along one edge, so that you don’t have to be up on the bed yourself the whole time you’re giving the massage.¶

Sheets, towels, and so on¶

Don’t use your best sheets and towels to do a massage on because the oils and creams can leave stains and a musty oil smell behind. Also, the color white seems to show off oil stains the most. Many spas use darker colored linens, like green or blue, for this reason.¶

Other things you may want to have around include heating pads, blankets, bottle warmers, and other such comfort-creating devices. Nothing’s worse than getting a massage and not being able to concentrate on how good it feels because you’re shivering the whole time.¶

*Mat It’s also a good idea to have some extra pillows to use as bolsters for support beneath your partner. Massage pros use specially made bolsters, as mentioned in Chapter 8, but you can use normal pillows just as effectively. If you use one of your nice pillows, It’s a good idea to cover it with a towel to keep It from getting stained by oil.¶

Oit’s Well That Ends Well¶

Yes, it’s true. Massage can be an oily endeavor. In fact, in some countries, such as India, oil plays a major part in the whole procedure, and about half way through a massage people in Delhi end up glistening with a layer of lubricant. This is okay (as long as you have lots of towels around to sop up the extra oil afterwards). In fact, the Indian system prescribes large amounts of oil — usually sesame oil — on purpose for its lubricating and detoxifying effects. The common wisdom in most other countries, however, is that you should use just enough lubricant to, well, lubricate.¶

This is how you best use oil during a massage:¶

• tNet 1. First, choose the oil (see the sidebar later in this chapter). 2. Second, make sure the oil is not cold.
  • When you apply cold oil to your partner’s skin, it may cause her to hit you or kick you, which is not desirable. The best way to warm the oil is to place the bottle in hot running water for a few minutes, or use a baby bottle warmer, until the oil is warm to the touch. Don’t microwave the oil, which can potentially overheat it, causing an equally adverse reaction from your partner.
  • 3. Cup one palm and pour a small amount of oil into it.

Ideally, you want to keep the back of your cupped palm in contact with your partner so that you maintain a constant connection. The amount of oil depends on the size of the area you are massaging, the amount of body hair in the area, and the maneuvers you plan to use. You may have to experiment a few times to get the amount right.¶

• 4. Rub your palms together for a few seconds to further warm the oil and then glide your hands over the skin, spreading a smooth layer of oil over the whole surface you are massaging. The correct amount is the amount that leaves the skin lubricated, but no puddles of oil or “greasy” spots.

Getting creamed¶

Skin creams and lotions area good alternative to oil, and in fact many professional massage therapists would not be caught using anything else. Cream absorbs more quickly into the skin than oil, so you don’t slide around so much. Good ones leave a lubricating layer that makes it easy to-work. A lot of pros choose a brand called Biotone.¶

Bottle placement¶

There is an age-old feud that has gone on between massage therapists for decades over where to place the oil bottle during the massage. I know that this may seem silly to you, but you can rest assured that it’s a debate taken very seriously by otherwise intelligent adults. There are basically two camps — those that propose placing the bottle next to the person, where it’s handy but liable to get knocked over; and those that propose keeping the bottle out of harm’s way, on the floor for example, where it’s harder to reach but less likely to get kicked or spilled. Some people go as far as to keep their oil bottles in a specially made holster strung around their waist like a six-gun. This gives the average massage therapist a Wyatt Earp kind of look that is perhaps not ideal for inducing relaxation.¶

Where should you put the bottle of oil during a massage? In my professional opinion, speaking as a massage therapist who’s been working in the field for almost 20 years, it doesn’t really matter. Whatever’s most comfortable for you is best.¶

The type of bottle (and especially the cap) does matter, though. You can make things much easier for yourself if you choose a squeeze-top type cap that pours a tiny bit of oil at a time. Pump tops work well, too. If you use a wide-mouth opening, chances are you may end up with oil all over the place, especially if you have your massage area dimly lit with candles.¶

Your own oil blends¶

t%futei. You can incorporate the concepts of aromatherapy into your massage by adding a few drops of essential oil to the oil you’re already using, which is then called the carrier oil. Typical carrier oils include grapeseed, sweet almond, jojoba, avocado, and sesame, which are all good as a base for the essential oils. To make your own aromatherapy oil, blend two dozen drops of essential oil with 2 ounces of carrier oil. For added aromatherapy benefits, place a few drops in a diffuser to fill the room you’re in with the same scent you’re using for the massage, as I suggest in Chapter 9.¶

Table 11-1 lists the essential oils I use in my spa therapy workshops and a description of their basic effects:

¶

Table 11-1	Essential oils Properties
Oil
Cedar	Reduces fluids in body tissues, diuretic. Warming in baths.
Clary sage	Balances female hormones. Good for scalp problems.

(continued)¶

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Table 11-1 (continued)
Oil	Properties
Eucalyptus radiata	Excellent for lungs, respiratory system. Muscle tonic.
Geranium rose	Balances the skin by affecting sebum. Balances emotions, too.
Juniper	Calming and purifying.
Lavender	Anti-bacterial (first-aid kit in a bottle), calming, good for skin.
Lemon grass	Stimulates digestion. Antiseptic, detoxifies lymph. Uplifting.
Orange	Mood elevator.
Peppermint	Stimulates alertness. Good for headaches, colds.
Pine	Pain killer. Natural deodorant.
Rose	Excellent for the skin.
Rosemary	Hair tonic. Astringent. Good for oily skin.
Sandalwood	Grounding and relaxing. Spiritually uplifting. Aids aging skin.
Tea tree	Antiseptic, antifungal, antibacterial. Good for the skin.
Vetiver	Grounding and calming.
Wang ylang	Aphrodisiac. Relieves tension/stress. Balances dry skin.

The Rules (or Giving Massage¶

Just as there were some rules for receiving, there are rules for giving, too. For the most part, these are things I’ve mentioned all along throughout the previous chapters, but it helps if you review them here, right before you actually begin giving a massage.¶

• I. Do no harm. This is the number one rule for giving a massage. Refer to Chapter 10 and make sure you’re aware of the moves that you shouldn’t make, the places that you shouldn’t press, and the conditions you shouldn’t treat.
• 2. Think &D. Refer to Chapter 4 and try to visualize the physical structures beneath the skin that you’re affecting with your hands during the massage.
• 3. Use your whole body. Remember to use correct body mechanics (see Chapter 10) in order to save your own body from overexertion while applying just the right amount of pressure for your partner.

A¶

So many oils, so little time¶

Walk into any bath and body shop or health food store and you see at least a dozen choices in massage oils. Which is the best one, you ask? Is it the special formula designed by the spiritual healer Edgar Cayce who “received” the recipe while in a trance? Or is it the “mango tango” scented blend that your favorite boutique down the street recently released?¶

Several oils available straight from the shelf in your local grocery store are usable, if not ideal, for massage. Almond oil is used in spas around the world, and you can use sesame oil and olive oil, too. But the special oils formulated just for massage really are better. They have more nutrients for the skin, and they create just the right amount of lubrication. In my opinion, it’s worth the extra money you spend to get a high-quality massage oil.¶

There are a few things you want to look for when choosing an oil:¶

• ✓ Ingredients: Check the ingredients. A common addition to several oil blends, for example, is lanolin, which comes from art animal source and turns some people off.
• ✓ Scent Make sure the scent is not overpowering or synthetic.
• ✓ Viscosity: Everyone has his or her own preference as far as the right viscosity goes. ‘Thin- oils, such as mineral oil, feel a little watery and spread unevenly. This is not recommended. “Thick” oils like coconut leave a “greasy” feeling. Test a little on your palm before buying to find an oil somewhere in the middle of this spectrum that works for you.
• 4. Focus on the other. This is no time to be thinking about politics, sports, the weather, or your upcoming turn to receive. As fully as you can, focus on your partner, what she’s feeling, and how you can make her feel better.
• 5. Go out of your mind. After you figure out the moves, practice the technique, and focus on your partner with all your concentration, then you can stop thinking. That’s right. Let go of your extraneous thoughts, and even your thoughts about doing a good job.
• 6. Get creative. Go ahead, go crazy; just let yourself feel whatever you’re feeling and go with your intuition. Want to leave one palm on your partner’s forehead and the other on her stomach completely motionless for ten minutes? That’s probably exactly what she needs. As long as what you’re doing Is generated from caring and commitment to your partner, it Is going to be the right thing.
• 7. Let love flow. Certain people develop an ability to send a very distinct and palpable sensation of love Into their fingers and palms. You can feel it when they touch you. Everyone else has the potential to develop that ability. Why not use massage as an opportunity to explore your own innate abilities to send a powerful message of caring to others through your touch and presence? There are worse ways you could spend your time.

The Massage¶

Okay, here It is, the moment you’ve all been waiting for. You can only talk about it for so long without realizing that massage is not really about talking, it’s about feeling. And as Bob Marley once said, “He who feels It, knows it.”¶

Soon, you are going to be sailing away toward hours of massage bliss. All you have to do to get started is follow these five easy steps:¶

• ✓ Cleanliness first ✓ Take your positions

• ✓ Invocation ✓ The force, Luke, remember the force

• ✓ The first touch

Cleanliness first¶

You’re all set up, the mood is right, the lights are low, and now, before you do anything else, there’s one critical procedure you must follow before starting the massage—wash your hands!¶

Good hands¶

What does it mean to have “good hands?” It’s the one quality that millions of massage lovers around the world use to describe the essence of an excellent massage therapist As in,“Oh,that was the best massage I ever had. You have got great hands.” But, because that quality is so vague, it’s a little difficult to reproduce or teach to someone else. Good hands? What does that mean?¶

Having good hands, as it turns out, is not really about your hands. It’s about YOU. It’s the way you focus on your partner, the way you become sensitive to her, and the way you care. It’s also about following some very simple guidelines, which I call the “rules for giving massage: You can find those rules right here in this chapter.¶

Follow these simple principles, and you may even go beyond havinugood hands to having “great hands” one day.¶

Take your positions¶

To begin the massage, you and your partner both have to be in the right positions. In the routine shown in this chapter, you start with your partner lying on her back, and you sit up near her head.¶

Some people are sticklers about this whole positioning issue, but I don’t believe In starting every massage in the same position every time. In fact, starting over and over again in the same position can lead to complacency and a boring massage. It’s better to begin each massage where you are drawn to begin by your intuition, your partner’s suggestion, and your observation. Is she all hunched over by tight back muscles? Then by all means start the massage with her facedown, working on her back. The sequence of the massage shown in this chapter is not the only way.¶

Invocation¶

You may recall that in Chapter 5, I describe a massage I received from Wesley, who’s a native Hawaiian massage therapist and healer on the Big Island. What I didn’t describe was the prayer Wesley used to begin the massage, sitting humbly on the floor beside me, melodiously intoning some words in Hawaiian: “Kou makou makua deka okalani.”¶

This invocation was meant to make both Wesley and me at one with the source of life. He learned it from his teacher, Auntie Margaret, and she in turn was taught it by her elders.¶

Although you may feel a little funny at first, it may be appropriate for you to say a couple of words of invocation as you’re about to start your massage. They don’t have to be in Hawaiian; something simple is fine, such as, “I summon the powers of healing and wholeness to be with us during this massage.” Just say them from your heart, and you get your message across.¶

The Force, Luke, remember the Force¶

Remember, you’re not just dealing with a pile of flesh and bones here. Your partner is more than a series of points to be pushed and muscles to be kneaded. She has a magical inner spark, too. According to many massage philosophies, especially those from the East like Shiatsu, the body is filled with invisible pathways that are pulsing with this Inner energy, variously known as chi, ki, pram, universal-life-forte-enemy, and the-force-Luke-remember-the-force.¶

You can give a better massage if you simply stop for a moment at the beginning of the massage and focus on that force that exists within you and your partner. Remember the scenes from Star Wars when Luke was zeroing in on the Death Star using nothing but his intuition? The voice of his mentor was there in his head all along urging him to “remember the force.” Tune Into your own inner guidance as you begin the massage, and you may surprise yourself with how well you do.¶

The first touch¶

This is the crucial moment, when all of your preparation and practice is put to the test. Ninety-five percent of what your partner needs to know about your massage is completely obvious in the first split second, with the very first touch. At this juncture, you go forward into the realm of being and doing rather than thinking, and a new thing is created, the massage.¶

Chapter 11: Putting the Moves Together 177¶

Reaching both hands down, place them gently and consciously on your partner’s back, as if you were touching a sleeping child and trying not to wake her. Put one up on the top of the spine near the head, and the other down by the base of the spine. Then Just touch for a moment, with no need to move. You can actually summon the “force, Luke,” and say your invocation at this time, too. (See Figure 11-3.)¶

Figure 11.3: After you summon the forces w thin, reach out and touch someone.¶

Hold this position for a minute, with your hands on your partner’s spine, simply communicating your presence and loving intentions.

¶

Then you can begin.¶

Note: You may notice that I haven’t included any stretches in this chapter. That’s because I explain stretches in the sports massage section of Chapter 16. This doesn’t mean you can’t use them during your full body massage, too, though. In fact, I highly recommend stretches. After you master some of the stretches, sprinkle them liberally throughout your massage for optimum effect.¶

The back¶

The back is a great place to begin a massage because many people equate massage with a “back rub.” Although it looks large and solid, the back is actually prone to lots of little aches and pains, and much of the tension and everyday complaints people have can be found there. Thus the famous phrase, “Oh, my aching back.” And finally, the back is the least vulnerable area to touch someone, psychologically speaking, so people are more likely to relax and “let you in” when you begin there.¶

Part III: The Art of Giving Massage¶

• 1. Without moving your hands from the position they’re in, simply begin to rock your partner gently from side to side, by using the tailbone as a kind of handle for the heel of your hand. When you get good at it, you can extend your rocking maneuvers further up the back and down onto the buttocks and even the legs. The lc:Jetts to get a wave-like motion going through your partner’s body so that she starts to melt into the floor. When you want to get someone out of the mood they were Just in, and into the mood of getting a massage, nothing beats rocking.
• 2. People either love skin rolling, or they really don’t, like it at all, so you have to experiment a little and ask your partner how it feels. Start by getting a grasp on the skin at the base of the neck between your thumb and your first two fingers, then “walk” this roll down the back, keeping it between your fingers the whole time. This takes-some practice, so start with a partner who doesn’t mind playing guinea pig.
• 3. Use your fingertips to “hook” into the muscles alongside the spine near the tailbone. Then start vibrating your hand while dragging it with medium pressure back up toward your partner’s head, as in Figure 114a. Repeat this three times.
• 4. This long gliding movement spreads oil and further warms up the entire area. See the section on oil earlier in this chapter for the proper oilspreading technique. Glide down with both hands on the muscles` on either side of the spine, with your fingers Eiointed in toward the middle. When you reach the base of the spine, swivAyour fingers toward the outside And glide back up as sho4rn.in Figure 11 Repeat this gliding founQr five times, using light pressure at first andthen slightly firmer pressure. Ass
• 5. When you reach the base of 074 spine. on thtfourth of fifth glide, stop and apply circular rubbing all•bverthe sackn, or tail bone, as shown in Figure 114c. You may notice that when your partner is lying down this bone is tilted in such a way tliNt presents a relatively flat surface, so you can lean your.weight forwSrd’from your partner’s head and apply pressure to it.
• 6. For this next move, start with your thumbs at the top of your partner’s back, one thumb on either side of the spine. Then push your thumbs down along the “ridge” of the erector spinae muscles very skw/y•with medium to firm pressure, as in Figure 11-4d. This should take 30 seconds or more. When you get to a tight “spot,” slow down and let your thumbs sink into it even more slowly, making a mental note to revisit this area later. Remember to use proper body mechanics so you don’t overstrain your joints while pushing. After you reach the base of the spine, glide your way back to the top. •

•¶

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Chapter 11: Putting the Moves Together 173¶

• 7. With your thumbs atop the shoulders and your fingers up on your partner’s back, knead thetops of the shoulders, also called the trapezius muscles, as shown in Figure 11-4e. While you’re doing this, you can feel for tight spots and then stop for a moment to apply pressure with your thumbs directly on those areas.
• 8. Switch your position to your partner’s side. Then, using medium pressure, glide your hands up the back, separating them at your partner’s shoulders and gliding back down with lighter pressure. Do this two or three times, being careful not to press too hard directly over the spine.
• 9. Reaching across your partner’s back, drape your fingers over her side, then pull back slowly, actually lifting her body up a tiny bit as you engage in a nifty “reverse glide,” as shown in Figure 11:4f.
• 10. With “small” kneading movements, using mostly just the fingers, reach down and pull up the muscles along the back of the neck, alternating one hand after the other, as shown in Figure 11-4g. You can be firm, but be careful not to pinch your partner. Also, make sure not to pull her hair when you’re doing this maneuver. You should also avoid reaching around too far with your fingertips because you mayend up in an endangerment site on the throat.
• 11. Now is the time for you to really focus in on the tight spots you discovered during your thumb glide down alongside the spine. Start at the base of the spine and place your thumbs in the little groove that’s formed between the spine itself and the erector spinae muscles that run up alongside the far side of the spine. Then press out toward the opposite side of the back, moving your thumbs in a little reverse “J” motion over the muscle, as shown in Figure I1-4h.
  • -Never press directly on the spine itself while you’re doing this move. Instead, keep your thumbs pressing away from the spine at all times.
  • The main difference between a good massage and a mediocre one is that a good massage is alwayS custom-made for each person every time. So, customize this maneuvertand apply itexactly where your partner needs it this time, seeking out the tight spots you flnd.during your earlier gliding, and then concentrating on them.
• 12. With your partner’s hand lifted onto her lower back, it’s easy to see the shoulder blade, which automatically lifts up and reveals itself. A great way to release tension in this area Is to run your fingers along the lifted inner edge of the shoulder blade, pressing in and down while you do so, as shown in Figure 11-5a. Sometimes you can feel the shoulder blade lifting even further from the back as you relax the muscles.

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• 13. Use your thumbs to zero in on the spot that lies about midway out.from • the spine at the level of the armpit. It’s right at the base of the inner edge-of the shoulder blade, and is usually tight on almost everyone. If you can find this spot and do a thumb press with firm pressure for 10 seconds or longer, you may feel the entire shoulder “fall” away from the back in relaxation. S.

Chapter 11: Putting the Moves Together¶

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-r Knots, and what to do with them¶

As you.get used to glidimaver-peoples bogies decide when enough is enoughAind mov&onto with your hands, youniqMicLify realize thatno “the nextaree. This isa.toughtapecatise your twobodies are the same and-that, in fact, the partner’s knots ancInsate spots are the areasthat same body can even feel different on different`’ need the most attention. days. Eventually, you’ll know how to distinguish a “knot” from an area of normal muscle tone. Thenyou can apply the techniques you find in this .chapter and Chapter 10 to start relaxing thosqlight pikes.¶

• • You could ellSi.brntild an-entire hour justdealing with yout I:Mane/Ye knots, .so you have tot \ ,/ • O1¶

In general, during a full body massage, spendflo mote then 5 minutes on any particulapigntspot If you wqnttnfocus on it more toter, schedule a specielnession just for that purpose.¶

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A H41 .1 - 4 spots,iid:rfici 111 T • . e rRajor s Ate out o the • Is. After yotiptess an lc lb.° t.. back area, but tO do rt. ttici’ritage your.exit too o ;lest kou • — shock yogi partner• &cause suddesitsbackmnssage vili ?weal extnp- toms. So ‘take your Oepartmerom the back a:gradual. one and use gliding conhective eitOkes. Seetheteidebar, tr4atjhg wholeness” later In this chapter. • ii - . • .¶

Figure 11-5: More moves for the back.¶

Creating wholeness¶

0 You ?an create a better experience for your partner if younever really “finish” one part of the body. Because, if you finish, that means the clock is ticking, and the massage is slowly dripping away. It’s better to create the illusion of timelessness by connecting all the pieces of the massage together into one whole.¶

So, after you “finish” the back, that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t allow your hands to move¶

there again. In fact, it’s a good idea to add some “connective strokes” throughout the massage so that it feels ai though you never completely , finish with any particular part of the body. You can even connect the front of the body to the back by reaching•beneath your partner during certain moves; as you sealaterin this chapter.¶

Nrckof the legs and buttocks¶

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The buttackj datttaih th’elargest Ascle in the human body, and they do a • large pefcsntage of the woilt. WiTout them, you couldn’t walk, sit, or dance the poop.gBtIttbcks really digerve a lot of fespegt, but often they’ve been drkiaraged and have unfortunately besome the “butt” of many off-color jokes. Don’t let this flippantattitudeqbout buttocks keeti)Ou from spending to. • •• some serious tithe there dUring yourimaisage.¶

• 1. After ypu glide your way dimn from your partner’s back and reposition
• yourself by your partner’s I tgr poly. some oil to the entire back surface
• .,,.of one leg with firm gliding strokes, circling your outer hand around at
  • \The buttock and gliding more light back down.
  • • 2. Lift your partner’sfoot, supporting it with both of your hands while applying circular rubbing all around the ankle bone with your thumbs and fingertips of both hands, as shown in Figure 11.6a.

• • ’ •¶

• •¶

It helps your partner relax if you can get her to “let go” of her lower leg and allow you to take the full weight of her limb in your hands. Take a look at the “Limp arm experiment” in Chapter 7 for a. ‘rider on how to do this.¶

Be careful not to press too hard directly on the upper ridges of the heel bone right behind the anklebones, because it is a sensitive area and may be uncomfortable for your partner.¶

• 3. Before you put your partner’s foot back down, do some gentle shaking movements, using the foot as a “handle” to move the leg, as shown In Figure 11-6b. This can help relax the muscles of the entire limb, right up 0

0¶

into the Joints, in this case the knee and hip. Practice until Just using a gentle shaking at the foot can produce a rhythmical movement throughout the body up to the head.¶

• 4. The largest muscle in the calf is actually separated into two “bellies.” It feels great to run your thumbs or the tips of your fingers up the middle of the calf, separating the two sides, as shown in Figure 11.6c. You can also make a straight line up on either side of the middle.
• 5. While you knead the calf muscle with a back and forth motion, move your hands up and down also, so you cover the entire muscle, as shown in Figure 11-6d. Stop about of the way down from the knee because the calf tapers down to the Achilles tendon there and becomes too thin to knead. At that point, you can continue by squeezing the tendon between your thumb and fingers down to the ankle.
• 6. Grasping the leg Just above the ankle with both hands, use the webbing between your thumbs and forefingers to create a tight seal. Then squeeze in and push up at the same time, moving slowly, as shown in Figure 11-6e. Stop when you reach the back of the knee. With this maneuver, you can actually help move stagnant blood out of the limb, improving circulation. If you do it correctly, this move may incite your partner to say something like, “Whoa, that’s intense!” Take this as a sign that you’re doing things right, but also make sure that you’re not squeez- . ing too hard. There’s a fine line between intense and painful.

Remember to apply only very slight pressure over the back of the knee! And be careful to avoid any varicose veins.¶

• 7. Making your hands into fists, apply pressure with the knuckles into the back of the upper legs, called the hamstrings, as shown in Figure 11-6f. Knuckling is a forth of gliding that is especially appropriate to this area because each knuckle slides between the long bands of muscles here.
• 8. This move feels like an ice cream sundae for the leg muscles. Knead from the top of the leg down to the knee, moving up and down three to four times. To make this move most effective, try keeping as much of your hand in contact with the skin as possible as you squeeze, roll, and push.
• 9. Depending upon how big any particular buttock is, you have a variety of choices of where to press, but to be most effective you have to find just the right spot. In order to do that, palpate the outer upper edge of the tailbone (sacrum), and then go straight down toward the leg half way across the buttock. This should be right in the middle. Press directly in here with thumbs, as shown in Figure 11-6g. Use your fingers, fist, or elbow at an angle perpendicular to the surface. Hold this move for 5 to 10 seconds. This move is particularly beneficial for sciatica pain.

Turning over¶

In my opinion, not enough is said about the art of turning over during massages. Often, this turn is the only physical effort a massage recipient has to make for over an hour. And, as it comes right in the middle of the experience, there’s a potential for it to be disruptive and a little jarring. For these reasons, most massage pros are quite gentle with their clients when it comes time for them to turn. In a soft, soothing voice, they say something like, “All right Mr. Smith, I’m going to ask you to gently roll over onto your back now. Take your time.”¶

You have to watch your wording carefully because there are those who take what you say too literally. I have one client who is a worldclass athlete, and once when I asked him to “flip¶

over,” he literally flipped, springing a foot off the table and twisting over in midair to come crashing back down on the table, splintering one of its wooden legs.¶

When it comes time for your own partnerto turn over, follow the example of the pros:¶

• ;•••• Be gentle

• po Speak softly

• Leo Give them as much time as they need

• ye Assist them if necessary, offering support

• mor Use the words “roll over or “turn gently, please” instead of “flip”

• 10. Knead the thick muscles of the buttocks, particularly on the upper, outside portion, which often tends to be the most sore, as shown in Figure 11-6h. You have to watch where your fingers are going while you squeeze, roll, and push here, though! It’s kind of a tight area to work in.

• NO/ 11. Because the buttocks include the largest muscles in the body, they can withstand some heavy percussion movements. Use loose fists and firm pressure, but be sure not to pound with your fists on the tailbone, which is much more delicate. Then move the tapping down the leg, opening your fists so that you’re doing karate-chop moves. Remember to lighten up over the back of the knee!

  • 12. Apply light fingertip brushing up the back of the leg and onto the back, then back down again. After pummeling, pressing, squeezing, and kneading your way across your partner’s back, fingertip brushing is a really good way to remind your partner how nice you are. You can extend the move from the feet all the way to the head.

After you finish the first leg, switch to the other leg and repeat. Remember, because you already connected the back with the first leg, you want to do some connecting strokes when you begin the second leg as well. So, make your initial gliding on the second leg go up and over the buttocks and onto the lower back.¶

Chapter 11: Putting the Moves Together 779¶

Figure 11-6: Giving the back of the legs a kick in the pants.¶

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Face and scalp¶

After your partner has turned over, you are presented with entirely different terrain to massage. The front of the body is a little more perplexing. There are more intricate surfaces to deal with, as well as more private, vulnerable, and delicate areas. Therefore, you need to be more of a diplomat while massaging the front of someone’s body. Most people allow Just about anyone to give them a backrub, but when it comes time for you to touch the front of their body, they have to trust you.¶

The face, for example, is quite a private area. Although it’s exposed to the world for all to see, it’s not there for all to touch. You have to be sensitive as you begin to massage your partner’s face. Avoid large gestures, or quick movements. All of your maneuvers here, including those you make before you even touch your partner, should be smooth, deliberate, and slow.¶

You probably don’t need any extra oil for the face. The oil left over on your hands from massaging the back is sufficient.¶

• 1. Start by placing your hands gently on the side of your partner’s head, thumbs resting on the forehead. This is the perfect position from which to start massaging the forehead with some thumb gliding and firm circular rubbing. First, glide your thumbs out from the middle toward the sides, starting low by the brow, making three to four lines progressively higher. Then begin making circles with your thumbs, as shown in Figure 11-7a, all across the forehead.
• 2. Leaving your hands In about the same position, begin using the fingertips instead of the thumbs. Circle your fingertips into the side of the head around the spot where sideburns would start if your partner had some, as shown in Figure 11-7b.
• 3. Using the tips of your first two fingers, trace around the edges of the bones that surround the eye — across the brow, down along the nose, and around the top of the cheek bones, as shown in Figure 11-7c. You may try a little mini-kneading along the same path with your thumbs and fingertips.

If you apply pressure very near the eyes or directly on the eyelids, make sure your partner isn’t wearing contact lenses.¶

• 4. Glide your fingertips lightly across the top and down along the sides of the nose, being careful not to block your partner’s breathing passages. At the base of the nose, near the outside edge of the nostrils, is a good place to apply light to moderate pressure and small circular rubbing, as shown in Figure 11-7d, which helps open sinuses in the area.
• 5. Use your thumbs in an “opening” gesture to fan out across the cheeks from Just under the inside corner of the eye down toward the jawbone. The pressure you apply should be light to medium.
• 6. At the corner of the jawbone, slightly in front of and below the ear, you find the chewing muscles. In order to palpate them, ask your partner to clench her teeth, which makes these muscles bulge slightly out to the side. Then apply circular rubbing with the fingertips, as shown in Figure 11-7e, all around this area. Locate the highest point on this muscle, directly in the center, and use some pinpoint pressure directly inward for 5 to 10 seconds while suggesting to your partner, “relax your jaw, let your mouth open slightly, and Just breathe.”
• 7. Use some pinch and roll kneading to walk your fingers and thumbs from the Jaw muscles out onto the chin, as shown in Figure 11-7f. Glide back - softly and repeat twice more.
• 8. Most people love for you to massage their ears. Use your fingers and thumbs to pinch and roll the ear from the lobe up around the edges to the top, as shown in Figure 11-7g. Repeat this twice and then tug gently for a second on the top, back, and bottom of the ear.
• 9. The scalp is often mistaken for a thin flap of skin without much potential for massage moves, but actually it’s a great place to use medium to deep circular rubbing with the fingertips, as shown in Figure 11-7h. Keep lifting your fingers up slightly, moving them a half-inch or so, then placing them firmly on the scalp again. During the rubbing, keep your fingers glued to the scalp and move the muscles below it over the cranium. Be careful not to pull your partner’s hair while doing this move.

Favorite places¶

Everyone hastiS or het own particular favorites when it comes to getting a massage. Some swoon over an ear massage, while others go into ecstasy as soon as you lay a finger on their forehead. Oftentimes, you can find these “favorite places” somewhere on the head, neck, orface, although other areas like the hands and feet are popular, too.¶

ZAP¶

Encourage your partner to communicate with you about any areas that feel particularly therapeutic or pleasurable. Then, during her next massage, spend more time focusing on the area she likes the most. Shell enjoy the sensation and appreciate you for remembering.¶

182 Part III: The Art of Giving Massage¶

Figure 11-1: Face the¶

Neck and shoulders¶

We refer to just about anything that bothers us as a “pain in the neck.” Perhaps this is because the neck is particularly vulnerable to feeling pain. Riled with delicate nerves, vertebrae, and vessels, your neck can give you pain if you simply turn your head too quickly. Massage is a great way to soothe some of the minor complaints that people experience in this area, many of which are a reaction to stress. Be especially sensitive when massaging here, “tuning in” to your partner’s muscles and letting what you find guide your movements. Sometimes, simply by adding your awareness to the equation, you can help your partner get rid of that pain in the neck she’s been complaining about.¶

• I. The “shoulder swoop” move may be a little tricky at first, but after you master It you have a great tool under your massage belt. Pouring a small amount of oil into one palm, rub your hands together, then place them on your partner’s upper chest, with your fingers pointing Inward, as shown in Figure 11-8a. Slide your hands outward, pivoting your palms on top of the shoulder so that your fingers end up beneath your partner’s upper back, as shown in Figure 11-8b. Finally, glide your hands in and up the back of your partner’s neck to the base of her head, lifting slightly while you do so, as shown in Figure I1-8c.

• 2. Slip your fingers beneath your partner’s neck, cradling her head in your hands. Then lift very gently Just until you can turn her head to one side, supporting it In your bottom hand. Rock her head back and forth slightly until your partner no longer tries to hold onto her own neck muscles. You can then use the other hand to apply circular rubbing to the muscles in the back of the neck, as shown in Figure 11-8d. Move your circles up and down, and when you find a tense spot, apply some pinpoint pressure. By using both hands for different purposes (one massaging, the other cradling the head), you have extra-effectiveness with this move.
• 3. Still supporting your partner’s head in one hand, use the other to knead up and down the back of the neck. Practice switching the position of your hands during this maneuver until you can create a fluid sensation for your partner — left, right, left, right. This feels darn good.

• NW 4. Supporting your partner’s head with both hands, lift up and forward, bringing her chin toward the chest, as shown in Figure 11.8e. Hold this position for about 5 seconds, being careful not to twist your partner’s neck. Then slowly lower her head back down. I believe this is the only stretch you should try with the neck until you receive further training.

  • 5. Pushing down with your palms, glide across the tops of your partner’s shoulders, also known as the trapezius muscles. As a more intense alternative to this move, you may try using the knuckles to glide in this area, too.

/54 Part III: The Art of Giving Massage¶

• 6. Take the muscles on top of your partner’s shoulders between your thumbs and fingers, kneading with a good amount of pressure, as shown In Figure 11-8f. As your fingertips reach down beneath your partner’s back, curl them up so you’re applying pressure in that area at the same time.
• 7. Now that the neck and shoulders are warmed up and relaxed, use some pinpoint pressure with your thumbs to zero in on the tight spots you find, as shown In Figure 11-8g. Remember to keep a straight line from your elbows and shoulders to your thumb so you don’t stress your joints.

• To create a smooth transition, finish the neck and shoulder area with another shoulder swoop. Then move down onto your partner’s left shoulder and arm with a long flowing glide, which leaves you in position to begin massaging the hand.

Figure 17-a Taking the burden off someone’s shoulders.¶

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Arms and hands¶

Arms and hands are some of the most active parts of most people’s bodies. Think about it. Even couch potatoes use their arms and hands to reach for the potato chips and open cans of beer. In fact, Just about everybody is so used to doing things with their arms and hands that, at first, you may find it challenging to get your partner to “let go” in this area (see the “Limp arm experiment” in Chapter 7 for help in getting your partner to “let go”). However, this doesn’t mean that you can’t perform some spectacularly beneficial and pleasurable massage moves here.¶

The secret of good arm and hand massage is to make your moves smaller and to focus on the little details. Every pinkie finger counts!¶

A typical reaction you may get when you begin massaging in this area is, “I didn’t know my arms were so sore until you started doing that!” Good massage techniques can put vitality back into this active, expressive part of your partner’s anatomy.¶

• 1. Your initial gliding in this area spreads the oil, of course, but it also does much more. At this time, you help your partner “let go” and loosen up. You accomplish this by offering some support to the limb at the wrist and elbow while you’re gliding. This means you’re actually picking the arm up and supporting it with one hand while gliding

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