Hi
New to the forum, so be gentle with me and please forgive the rather long first post.
I am a 60 year old ex nurse (male) with a 20 year history of back problems, including discectomy, laminectomy and in 2000, cauda equina syndrome.
Over the years I have tried acupuncture, osteopathy, chiropractic and various forms of massage with varying degrees of success. Recently (last few years) I have stuck with remedial massage and have been seeing the same therapist for about seven years. We are good friends and have a good relationship and I had no problems with the massage, that is until I had something to compare it to.
Last winter I was lucky enough to spend several months in Spain and whilst there I thought I would try a local massage therapist. By chance the one I selected from a local paper was an East German girl although from the initial call I thought it was her husband who was the therapist.
She took a comprehensive history and explained what she would like to try and then the first difference. When I went to get onto the couch with my underpants firmly in place a la Scotland she politely asked me to remove them as she wanted to gain access to my glutes to treat the sciatica. This was a first for me but her matter of fact tone put me at ease and I had my first naked massage, although I was draped. I can't explain why it was so different, but it was. There was a feeling of openess and honesty which I enjoyed, as well as a feeling of trust and acceptance which I appreciated.
The other difference was that her treatment was very "reactive" to what she found and it highlighted the fact that my scottish therapist was very formulaic. I got the same massage whatever. This was just great but it got better when I was introduced to the bath.;)
This was a very large version of a domestic bathtub which was filled up to lower chest depth when sitting. The therapist then used a flexible high pressure water jet, held underwater, to massage legs and back. It felt fantastic at the time and after about 40 minutes I was tucked up on a warm couch to relax for a further 30 mins. It was so relaxing I usually fell asleep. I ended up having a masage at the beginning of the week and a bath therapy at the end of each week and after a couple of weeks even my wife was commenting on the improvement in my exercise tolerance and general well being.
Since my return to Scotland I haven't gone back to my old therapist and have been trying to recreate, even in a small way, my Spanish experience.
The first problem is that every massage therapist in the area seems to have trained in the same place and does the same massage. The second problem is being unclothed, if you suggest it you are immediately some sort of Perv.
I am currently seeing a therapist who is very good at remedial massage and reacts to what she finds but is totally paranoid about clothing and draping.
Treatrment to the glutes for instance is done through towel and underpants. I haven't asked her if she would consider accepting me unclothed as I think I would be banned.
Is there anyone within driving distance of Aberdeenshire where I could find an element of what I am looking for? Please get in touch.
Thanks for wading through this and can I say how interesting I find many of the posts, particularly seeing things from the therapists perspective.
Hi trainer2000 and welcome to Healthypages,:wave:
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calla lily
hi there trainer,
thanks for the posting. Unfortunately there are many in our industry that regard being naked for massage, somewhat perverted. In our school, we do say it is up to the therapist, but in our clinic, it is up to the client, and sometimes, as you mentioned, it is easier to work hip area when the client is naked. Good training will show good draping techniques to help solve obvious problems.
Massage itself should be intuitive, and I personally would not go to a therapist more than twice if I got the same treatment each time (and im talking remedial massage, as opposed to relaxing massage).
Good luck in finding a therapist suitable for your needs.
Hello
I don't mind massaging naked clients (I'd draw the line at me being naked though!!!!), the first time one of my clients stripped totally I was a little perturbed, but carried on anyway.
I've recently had physiotherapy on my lower back/hip/sciatica problem, and at no time did I remove anything but my shoes. The therapist simply moved my clothing to where she needed to. It may be more a matter of what the therapist feels comfortable with - she was quite a young girl, but I have to say the massage still worked.