From: richard@octel.com (Richard Karasik)
Newsgroups: alt.backrubs
Subject: Re: frontrubs
Date: 12 Nov 92 18:48:34 GMT
Organization: Octel Communications Inc., Milpitas Ca.

In article <1992Nov11.000250.22245@awdprime.austin.ibm.com> ellisj@ashanti.austin.ibm.com writes:
>
>If massage is to be respected as a profession, then it must be respectable.
>I want massage to be something that I am proud to be involved with. One aspect
>of this is that the client/therapist boundary must be clear. The massage
>should be a massage - which though these can be sensual, they are not sexual.

   THis is the basic and safe party line that is taught to all
   professional massage people in today's mass market of 100 hour or 1000
   adult education oriented -license oriented state approved oriented
   courses. It is neither good nor bad -it is just the way it is being
   done now ...

   In the past you pretty much had to depend on the whims of the trainer
   as to what was acceptable. When I first learned massage (sonny :)) A
   brunette goddess came into the class -took all her clothes off, and said
   that everyone should do likewise, "cuz thats the way its done -dont'ya know"
   At that point we lost about 15% of the class -sort of the same number that barf
   at autopsies.  They weren't ready for this move. The rest that stayed
   learned a great deal about themselves, as well as massage. There wasn't
   anything particularly sexual about the whole thing after a few sessions.

   Yes we enjoyed the bodies -but so what everyone has got one. IE
   not a big deal after the inital jolt.

   Nowadays this level or type of training is strictly verboten in terms of
   licensure. IE any school that taught this way -for money, that wanted state
   adult education funds would be closed.

   Privately, many people teach this way, because a lot of people want to learn for
   themselves and others as opposed to have clients.

>Of course what people do in private is their own concern.
    
	 Exactly, and if one can't keep them separate then perhaps
	 one shouldn;t get involved in the pay-for-massage business.
	 Its too difficult to move fronm one head to another for some people.
>During a massage, the client should be draped - and this should be used to
>establish the clear boundary required. I do not know for other parts of the
>country, but I would feel that here, not following that practise might lead
>to misunderstandings. These in turn might lead the therapist to losing their
>registration/licence.

   In formal schools its the same all over the country ..
>
>I cannot see how the gential area can be part of a professional massage - it
>is far too ambiguous an area.

   Again it depends on the type -swedish no, tragering  no, rolfing no,
   feldenkreis no, hiller work no, reike no. However early esalen
   and several others included the genitals -but didnt make a big deal about them.

>As for the buttocks, they are one of the largest
>muscles in the body. They require deep massage, and can benefit from such
>work.

   Yup -buttocks are not genitals, neither are breasts - however individual clients
   may have individual issues  about what appears to be "plain vanilla" areas.

   One client had breast implants, and only like the scars on her breasts massaged,
   but nothing else. One client broke into tears every time I worked on her thighs
   (quads) -and no It wasnt because of the pressure. One client would stick out her
   tongue and roll her eyes every time I worked the muscles in the arm-pit.
   Not one of them thought of what they did as unusual.

   Ie you pays your money and you takes your chances...
-- 
|UUCP  richard@octel.com                 VOICE (HEY YOU!) or 408 321 6372
| 
|             Speaker for the dead - among them:
|                 Liberty, Justice, Freedom
Newsgroups: alt.backrubs