There might be more to the story.

“I don’t like my hands being massaged.”

A recent first time Massage Mate shared this with me during the pre-session conversation.

Instead of simply noting this bit of information, then making sure to avoid their hands as I worked, I got curious.

“Tell me more. Are your hands sensitive, was there an injury, do you just not like how it feels to have someone touch your hands?,” I said.

“Well, I really dislike the feeling of oil on my hands afterwards.”

Ahh. New information. It wasn’t necessarily that massage in that area was unwanted. It was the perceived consequence that was unwanted. Greasy hands. I imagined many unspoken examples of how that might impact the rest of my day: touching a cellphone and leaving streaks. Gripping door handles, and sliding around the knob instead of opening the door. Running my hands through my freshly washed hair, but then needing to shampoo again in the morning due to the extra slick now left behind.

This was a prime opportunity to give the Massage Mate even more options to consider; some that might sound that a good way to avoid the perceived potential negatives rather than to exclude a part of the body that works so hard on a daily basis. Considering this MM is still relatively new to being on a massage table, I hoped these choices would be especially helpful.

"I can absolutely avoid your hands, or any part of your body that you deem off-limits. For any reason."Full Stop.

And.

"If you like your hands included but do not want to feel slimy afterwards, I can leave you a towel to wipe off when we are done, or I can utilize techniques without a lubricant, or a combo of both those things. Also, I primarily use a water-based cream that absorbs quickly into the skin and doesn’t typically feel as slippery as oil might feel post massage."

“Oh, that would be great then. Thank you!”

Clear, direct communication always helps us to craft the best session for you. Hearing the nuances of your likes & dislikes allows me to give you lots of other options.