Just as an added note to post #57: the tutor I was covering that day does teach glutes massage on the sports massage course, so I will give her some credit.
I think helps having massage taught in the Sport & Fitness faculty and not in the Hair, Beauty & Holistics faculty.
But I might get flamed for saying that, even though I own a hair & beauty salon.
Myarka.
I think you are 100% correct there.
I thought I put up a post before the last one saying that Myarka is probably right about sports & fitness faculty. Must be computer gremlins 🙁
I'm planning in December to study Chi Nei Tsang Abdominal Massage. Be interesting to see what the tutor says about the subject of erections.
Non-issue, it's as good as getting stuck into the IT band with changing the energy flow.
I did sports and aromatheray training initially. Sports massage, glutes were covered; the classical aromatherapy routine,we weren't meant to go over the knees! That meant I never did a classical aromatherapy treatment as per my training after the course. I also added lomi traing in between finishing the sports and aromatherapy, that covered the glutes too.
The beauty course I did included male waxing, that covered the glutes too.
I did the VTCT Swedish massage course 2 years ago and we we taught to do glutes, thighs and abdomens. I can remember very well the tutor gabbing the student's hands and putting it where she thought the student was avoiding.
So I don't think the course is at fault.
Myarka
Same here Myarka
Our tutor taught us how far down the pubic bone we massage on males and this was both on Swedish Massage and Aromatherapy (same tutor).
Also when I recently went on a course for basic MLD the tutor showed us abdominal massage on the guy we had there.
Hi Cola
Quote: Non-issue, it's as good as getting stuck into the IT band with changing the energy flow.
What???? Don't get you??? Don't know if this is positive or negative comment.
RP
I see there has already been a response relating to the creation of the list not being true, but I just wanted to clarify about the following...
When I phoned Itec to get a bit more information they asked for either itec or vtct reg no, when I said I hadn't had my no through yet they wouldn't give me any more information about the site. So put it this way, no registration number no information, but I'm told by my tutor it's an online database.
That's fine, that protects the information from public viewing in general, but in terms of the Freedom of Information Act, if a person were to be added to the list and found themselves unable to get a massage, they could request ITEC to disclose any and all information that is held about them, which they would be obliged to do (maybe a small administrative cost involved). This could then put ITEC in a legal situation where they have to prove their reasons for holding this information about this person is valid and also could be requested to remove this persons information at their request. There's more to the Data Protection Act and Freedom of Information Act than just making data secure and only available to a limited audience.
😉
All Love and Reiki Hugs
Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned anything, it seems it has angered some of you. As I said before, I did phone itec, but they wouldn't tell me anything without my registration number.
I thought the database would please you guys, not annoy you, and to be honest I'm not really sure why it has?
I went into massage therapy because I love making people feel relaxed, peaceful, and worry free for an hour, God knows life is hectic, so being able to transport people into a heavenly world for an hour pleases me. However, I did not go into massage therapy to be forced by pushy clients to either massage them naked or massage their bottom. We are professional massage therapists, and a professional massage therapists should not be massaging naked men, that's for the 'other' massage ladies (prostitutes/brothels/escorts).
Why do people make out that a massage wearing paints ruins the experience?!- what utter tosh! sounds very fishy to me. I have been having massage treatment for over 10 years and have never ever asked to be massages naked, or asked to take my pants off.
I haven't read all of this thread but it seems to be a popular one! It's a bit off-topic, but re "perverts" it might be entertaining to relate that that there's the other side of the fence! (BTW, although I'd love to receive massages, and also give them, it's basically not featured in my life. However ....)
I spent some months in India in 2007, and some of the time travelled with a couple I know. The male of the couple wanted to visit a "healing ashram". In fact, it's where we arranged to meet up in India. The ashram had very little spiritual focus, but was oriented - and its system actually inspired and set up by Gandhi - towards a multitude of naturopathic healing treatments, for any ailment or nothing in particular. You really did get the works, and were "busy" going from one treatment to another almost all day long. At only a few £s a day all-told including your en suite room, for Westerners it was obviously a bargain. But to the point:
One treatment all were required to receive was massage daily. It wasn't "relaxing" but very strenuous at times: the thumping of one's head and shoulders was right up to about the limit I could take.
No one told me what to wear, if anything. I don't see any point in wearing clothes if your body is supposed to be massaged, but India is considerably more puritanical than the West, so I kept my underpants on. (With different therapists to me, my friends didn't wear anything and the therapists didn't say anything about it.)
I was only there for the minimum stay of one week, and in the second half a new and more experienced therapist began work there, and took me on for massage. He was excellent. On his first day at the place, he sussed something wasn't right with the VERY young Indian who'd done me the first 3-4 days. This first massage therapist seemed only about nineteen. In my second session I was on my stomach and he pulled my pants down a bit, which seemed practical. But his hands went beneath the band as well - hmm, well I didn't know what was supposed to happen anyway, so still OK. But then his fingers just for a second went .... shall we say, "even lower". Yes, there! 😮
In RL I'm actually a pretty placid and quiet person, so I just lay there wondering what to think of this! At the time I figured it was 50-50 whether a mistake or OK, or a naughty move. It was such a surprise, I really didn't know what to do. I decided on a "two strikes and he's out" policy i.e. he was going to get it from me at least verbally if it happened again. And it didn't.
On reflection afterwards, I believed he was seeking out gay Western males who'd pay well for "extras". But he was thankfully replaced for me anyway.
So. The moral of the story is that it may not always be clients who are the pervs! 😀
V
Hi TL
Don't take it personally. The thing is that professional therapists often go beyond they initial training and develop their own ideas, techniques, and philosophies. Different cultures also have different ideas of modesty and massage protocols. In the UK we are as a nation are quite new to massage, and Victorian (for the want of another term) attitudes still abound. Since prostitution is illegal in the UK, so unfortunately massage is something that sex workers will hide behind (if you pardon the pun).
If as a therapist you wish that pants are on, so be it. If a client (especially a male one) wants pants off and you are not happy, then don't agree to it. That is your choice. But one of the themes of this thread is that if a man rings up and asks for naked massage, it's not necessarily that they are a pervert. It might be that they have received treatment that way in the past and they prefer pants off. They might even be a naturist.
In my own practice, I'll treat clients naked, pants on, and even fully clothed, as I've been trained in both oil and clothed massage. It's about sensible negotiation with the client and confidence in professional boundaries. I once had a client that wanted a massage naked with a towel over her, didn't care about want I saw as long as I did not see her breasts. That is what we negotiated and there was no problem.
Trying not to go off topic, what is the reasonings for someone training in therapies, whether massage or otherwise? Who is healing who? Being a professional therapist isn't necessarily about some strict black & white protocol, it's about a personal healing journey. We become therapists not just to help our friends, family, community etc contributing to hopefully a better world, we do it because of an inner desire to develop our own human potential. It's about our own healing. Understanding this is the helps generate empathy and compassion within and without.
As for professionalism, within the confines of the law, subscribed codes of conduct, ethics and so forth, massaging someone naked if that is OK by the therapist and client is perfectly professional.
The problem with the database is that it's probably very impractical, and very big brother-ish. Training therapists to deal with unwanted situations is more practical and more efffective. That's all.
Best wishes
RP
Are you for real
However, I did not go into massage therapy to be forced by pushy clients to either massage them naked or massage their bottom. We are professional massage therapists, and a professional massage therapists should not be massaging naked men, that's for the 'other' massage ladies (prostitutes/brothels/escorts).
Why do people make out that a massage wearing paints ruins the experience?!- what utter tosh! sounds very fishy to me. I have been having massage treatment for over 10 years and have never ever asked to be massages naked, or asked to take my pants off.
No one is forcing you to do anything, you are just out of touch with what real massage entails. Do you know about the gluteal muscles? Do you have a valid reason why they should be missed out? I have had many massage where my gluteals were massaged , none were done by prostitutes, they were all done by qualified well regarded and competent massage therapists, male and female. You don't seem to get it about your statements re 'massaging naked men'.
I have had massage wearing pants and it can be OK up to a point, that point being they get in the way and serve no purpose as towel draping is effective in preserving modesty and potential blushes of the therapist.
I have yet to experience a massage wearing paints but it could be interesting, gloss or emulsion I can't decide:D
Presumably me saying pants spoil my massage as a paying client for BODY MASSAGE is deemed by you to be utter tosh and fishy. Well it's not tosh or fishy and if you cared to embrace some of the responses from practicing massage therapists in this thread you might start to think for yourself instead of being under the spell of a misguided so called tutor (bet it was a woman).
You of course are entitled to practice your pants massage as long as you like and I'm sure many clients like their massage that way.
That's up to you but don't call people who prefer a full body massage with their pants off fishy; that's just in your head.
Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned anything, it seems it has angered some of you. As I said before, I did phone itec, but they wouldn't tell me anything without my registration number.
I thought the database would please you guys, not annoy you, and to be honest I'm not really sure why it has?I went into massage therapy because I love making people feel relaxed, peaceful, and worry free for an hour, God knows life is hectic, so being able to transport people into a heavenly world for an hour pleases me. However, I did not go into massage therapy to be forced by pushy clients to either massage them naked or massage their bottom. We are professional massage therapists, and a professional massage therapists should not be massaging naked men, that's for the 'other' massage ladies (prostitutes/brothels/escorts).
Why do people make out that a massage wearing paints ruins the experience?!- what utter tosh! sounds very fishy to me. I have been having massage treatment for over 10 years and have never ever asked to be massages naked, or asked to take my pants off.
Well, I can't speak for anyone else, but my personal feeling is that I don't like anything that regards the body or sexuality as in any way dirty, shameful or wrong, and that explicitly or implicitly promotes that view.
Quite simple, really.
There is nothing shameful about the body.
Why should professional massage therapists not massage naked clients? (It's actually the norm in many other countries for clients to be naked - they think the Brits are really weird keeping their pants on.)
I doubt that anyone has been 'forced' to massage someone's naked bottom. There's a useful word in the English language: 'No.' It's what's we traditionally use to inform someone that we will not do something. Anyone who is incapable of using this word probably shouldn't be allowed out of the house without a chaperone.
Those of us who love the human body are a bit bewildered to encounter fellow professionals who do not. If you don't like bodies- in all their squidgy, gloopy, earthy glory - why become a massage therapist? :confused:
Just my opinion. 😀
Since prostitution is illegal in the UK, so unfortunately massage is something that sex workers will hide behind (if you pardon the pun)
I am somewhere where prostitution is legal, if the business is registered as such, but many don't go through the registration and operate illegally. The illegal one still hide behind massage.
This means there are clear definitions of what is just a massage and where it goes from massage to prostitution. Glutes massage is massage.
. We are professional massage therapists, and a professional massage therapists should not be massaging naked men, that's for the 'other' massage ladies (prostitutes/brothels/escorts).
That is the most bizarre thing ive heard in a long, but as always, its your opinion and you are welcome to voice it, im just glad im male, otherwise if I had been a massage lady, I would have been most offended at being classed as a prostitute for massage naked men 😮