Totally different techniques between two MTs

[Gorgious]

I have been getting regular full body massages every 2 or 3 weeks for about the last 8 months from the same MT. I think she does a fantastic job!! I go mainly for relaxation and to loosen up tight low back, glute, and leg muscles. She does nice slow relaxing strokes and I feel like I'm in heaven and it's never long enough, even when I schedule a 1.5 hour massage.

Last week my neck and shoulders had been bothering me and I tried to get in to my MT on Friday, but she was booked up and had Saturday off (she normally works Saturdays). So on my day off yesterday (Monday), I decided to try another MT since mine has every Monday off and I needed some relief.

I didn't think 2 MTs could be more different in their technique!! It seemed this MT was trying to tenderize a side of beef. She didn't do the karate chop moves like you see in the movies, but her strokes were choppy, short and harsh- not at all relaxing or anything even close to what I'm used to. It was generally a rough experience, and she calls the massage I received the "stress buster". I don't see how she can keep any clients, but she has been a MT for 15 years, so someone must like that style! My regular MT has only been one for less than a year.

I don't think I'll be going back to the one I just tried. I have a 1.5 hour session scheduled with my MT this Saturday and can hardly wait!!

I'm not really venting, I just didn't think 2 MTs could vary this much in technique for what is supposed to be the same type of massage.

 

[darkangel_zheinah]

I'm not surprised by the variation, but I think I've seen it all! My first massage was a Swedish relaxation massage.....she started with a fist to the glutes and dug WAY in :shock: , and that was the gentlest thing she did!!! She talked about her two-timing, cross-dressing 2nd husband and her son's ex-wife all the way through my massage, and I swear she was taking out all her frustrations on me! Then I had one I could barely feel, the MT was so .... muscle free?? I've had another who said he did NMT, and he just pinched my whole body fast and furious. It was painful, and didn't make me feel any better later, either!

But then...I've had such wonderful massages, and they also didn't resemble each other. Even amongst my own classmates who were trained exactly as I was, in the same room at the same time, no two of us gave even remotely the same massage.

I guess your experience reinforces your relationship with your regular MT. I'm glad you are looking forward to Saturday! Enjoy!

 

[Foo]

Wow, Sharon - I love the MT with the cross-dressing husband! Never thought of using clients to work out my stresses and resentments on - maybe I should try it some time. Or maybe not.
Some people seem to find it hard to strike a balance between strength and gentleness. My sister-in-law, a strongly-built Pilates instructor, complains of MTs who "stroke you to death". Then again, I was once given a massage by a fellow student, a big girl, who immediately got stuck in to my neck with her elbows. Ow!

 

[Marthinus]

It was almost fascinating, in that train-wreck sort of way, to listen to the hour long (plus, lol) vent about the ex. I still think I'd recognize the guy if I ran into him on the street 4 years later, LOL.

I'm not sure why I ever got a second massage.

 

[xxamethystnightxx]

Totally different techniques between two MTs

I just didn't think 2 MTs could vary this much in technique for what is supposed to be the same type of massage.

What you will find is that no two therapists are alike. Some will have similarities to each other and some (as you found out) will be at opposite ends of the spectrum.

This is actually a good thing because different clients like different massages. "Different strokes for different folks"

:

It's good that you've found a therapist that you like.

Angie

 

[Bill]

Totally different techniques between two MTs

I just didn't think 2 MTs could vary this much in technique for what is supposed to be the same type of massage.

What you will find is that no two therapists are alike. Some will have similarities to each other and some (as you found out) will be at opposite ends of the spectrum.

This is actually a good thing because different clients like different massages. "Different strokes for different folks"

:

It's good that you've found a therapist that you like.

Angie

Still is it right that the client should walk away feeling that dissatisfied? At my school we were trained to check in with the client at least once or twice during a session, to make sure they're OK with the treatment plan, and I would think with a new client you'd want to be especially aware of their needs.

If Massage Me! had been asked how he was liking the treatment 15-20 minutes into it, he might have given the therapist valuable feedback that would help him/her to adjust the session accordingly.

 

[Stef Elke]

Moogie303 wrote: What you will find is that no two therapists are alike. Some will have similarities to each other and some (as you found out) will be at opposite ends of the spectrum.

Blisterpeanuts wrote: If Massage Me! had been asked how he was liking the treatment 15-20 minutes into it, he might have given the therapist valuable feedback that would help him/her to adjust the session accordingly.

I think both of these statements are true. Yes, an MT should talk with the client about their goals for massage & check in during treatment. However, I also think every MT has a different style, that cannot be changed into someone else's style. There are limits to how much we can accommodate.

 

[Whips&Chains]

Totally different techniques between two MTs

If Massage Me! had been asked how he was liking the treatment 15-20 minutes into it, he might have given the therapist valuable feedback that would help him/her to adjust the session accordingly.

We have no way of knowing if the therapist asked or not since Massage Me! didn't indicate one way or another in their post.

Yes a therapist should always check in with their client but I know personally of clients who answered that everything was fine only to complain about the massage later.

Angie

 

[Andrew Ho]

Totally different techniques between two MTs

Actually, she didn't ask me anything at all during the massage, which I thought was kind of odd, since it was the first time I saw her.

My MT asked me a couple of times during each of my first few sessions if it was the right pressure, but this one didn't. Not that it really matters, since it wasn't the pressure that was the problem, but how she did the massage. If the pressure was a problem, I certainly would have spoke up as I'm not one to keep my mouth shut when I feel too much or too little pressure during a massage. My MT no longer needs to ask if the pressure is OK, since she has worked on me for about 7 months every 2 to 3 weeks and knows how I like it, although I will tell her to go deeper sometimes on my legs.

It was just that this MT's movements were so choppy, quick, and rough for what I thought would be a relaxing massage to ease away my sore muscles. Now, I will say that I did feel a little better, but I don't *think* nearly as well as I would have had my MT worked on me for the same problem.

Like someone said above- different strokes for different folks.

 

[lonely_in_weidman]

Massage Me:

Chalk up the one session as a learning experience. I know as a professional MT (17+ years) that I've also had many different experiences with other MTs. Some were great, and some were not so great. There are not only many types of techniques, but also a wide range of personal styles which you will only find out about from going to a number of different practitioners. Be sure to speak up if there is something going on in a session you don't like, especially if the MT hasn't checked in with you as he/she should be doing. Communication can go a long way !

Personally I feel the same when it comes to going to a hair salon, and seeing different hair dressers. It may mean I have to take an appointment time when I can see the person I want to go to, even when its not my preferred time, but it is the way it goes.

As a MT myself, I do my best to accomodate my clients schedules, but I also have other obligations to myself & my family, so I only have certain days & hours I work. However, when one of my regular clients calls on short notice because they are dealing with an acute issue, from an injury or whatever, I will sometimes make an exception depending on the circumstances.

 

[Rob M]

Wondering...

....if the opposite is ever an issue with someone. I am small-built, with small hands and wondering if anyone has ever gotten a massage and it wasn't deep enough or firm enough.

 

[peter 1]

Wondering...

....if the opposite is ever an issue with someone. I am small-built, with small hands and wondering if anyone has ever gotten a massage and it wasn't deep enough or firm enough.

Don't worry about it, Miss Sunshine. You will learn to increase pressure by using your body weight. Your hands don't have to do all the work. There will be plenty of clients who love your best work, and if you are interested in doing deep tissue, there are ways for you to apply the deep tissue work without hurting yourself. There will be those who instantly reject you because of your size, but that will happen no matter what your size is. There are plenty of clients to go around, though, so it all balances out in the end!