Hi there! That subject is: sexuality on the massage table. Could we request you? It feels to me like this is a topic people are hyper aware of, but yet no one knows how to talk about it. So let me begin to answer these questions by taking you back to my first day of massage school. It was the year and a beautiful Washington day. I loooove coffee! When I walked into my classroom, I saw six massage tables set up instead of desks, and there were two chairs pushed up to each table.
Most of the students were already sitting down, and I found my place next to a fellow classmate. We exchanged introductions, and as I was asking her what made her decide to be a Massage Therapist, our teacher entered the room. She was a short gal, in her sixties, with very obviously dyed auburn red hair that stood out dramatically against her pale skin. I remember thinking as she started addressing the class that she was such a sweet looking lady. Well, first things first! Sex on the massage table!
She seemed so enthusiastic to talk about it and most of us stared at her with wide eyes or blank expressions. Definitely not subject matter I expected on the first day! She seemed almost tickled by the total uncomfortable silence as she jovially continued her lecture. We are not prostitutes or sex workers. We do not touch genitals, or breast tissue unless you are certified in breast massage.
When someone is on your table, they are trusting you with their body. They are vulnerable. They will talk to you about their day, their health test results, their relationships, you name it. Alot of them will be in severe pain and just want to cry. And you, future colleagues, are in a position of authority.
It is not a place for any sort of sexuality. Patronizing a massage parlor where erotic massage is performed can land you in hot water if you are caught. Two of these hours must include professional roles and boundaries. The drape s must be sufficient to ensure the genitals and the gluteal cleft distal to the coccyx, anus and rectum are not exposed, and the breast area is not exposed.
